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Biodiversity and Conservation
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| Encyclopedia of Life | ||
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"Many kinds of scientists will use EOL to find the currently recognized scientific names of the species they are studying. Ecologists will use EOL to help understand interactions of the species in an ecosystem. Taxonomists will use EOL as a resource for describing new species. Molecular biologists studying aging are already starting to enter data about longevity into EOL, so that they can use it to find animals that have longer or shorter life spans than their sister species. In fact, the authenticated nature of data in EOL means that potential uses for EOL are only limited by the imaginations of its users. " From the EOL Forum: Sureideas. |
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| Plant Biology | ||
 The American Society of Plant Biologists has developed the Principles of Plant Biology to provide basic plant biology concepts for science education at the K-12 levels and to help students gain a better understanding of plant biology. Image Credit: kalandrakas, Creative Commons. |
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Life on Earth faces a crisis of historical and planetary proportions. Unsustainable consumption in many northern countries and crushing poverty in the tropics are destroying wild nature. Biodiversity is besieged.
Extinction is the gravest aspect of the biodiversity crisis: it is irreversible. While extinction is a natural process, human impacts have elevated the rate of extinction by at least a thousand, possibly several thousand, times the natural rate. Mass extinctions of this magnitude have only occurred five times in the history of our planet; the last brought the end of the dinosaur age.
In a world where conservation budgets are insufficient given the number of species threatened with extinction, identifying conservation priorities is crucial.
Explore the map below to learn more about what is being done around the world to help conserve species. Text courtesy of Conservation International.
Global 200M
More than 200 areas have been identified by World Wildlife Fund as the most critical regions for conservation. They are some of the richest, rarest, and most endagnered terrestrial, marine, and freshwater natural areas on the planet. Check out this website to take a tour. Text and image courtesy of National Geographic.
Especies Fact Sheet
Visit this site to see fact sheets of over 50 different species and learn more about the Endangered Species Act.
Biodiversity Hotspot Map
The most remarkable places on earth are also the most threatened. Check out this map that has these hotspots: the richest and most threatened reservoirs of plant and aniimal life on Earth. Text courtesy of Conservation International.
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