环境生态学(双语)Chapter 3.pptVIP

Chapter 3 The great wealth of life: Biodiversity Biodiversity is the variety and variability of life on Earth. This includes all of the plants and animals that live and grow on the Earth, all of the habitats that they call home, and all of the natural processes of which they are a part. Also includes variation within a species caused by genetic variation. The earth supports an incredible array of biodiversity How Many Species Are There? No one knows Estimates 4 – 100 million Nowadays, only 1.4 million (account for 11%) species of plants and animals have been described by science. (table