1. Biodiversity An overview into our natural world By M. Bissessarsingh

2. What is biodiversity? • The term biodiversity refers to the variety of life on Earth at all its levels: • from genes • to ecosystems • and the ecological and • evolutionary processes that sustain it.

3. How do we measure it? • Researchers have estimated that there are between 3 - 30 million species on Earth. • A few studies predict that there may be over 100 million species on Earth. •  Currently, we have identified only species 1.7 million

4. Species • Most people recognize biodiversity by species. •   A species is a group of living organisms that can interbreed.  • Tropical rainforests and coral reefs have the most diversity.

5. Rainforest in Guyana

6. Bligh Water Reef in the Fiji Islands

7. The most diverse group of animals are invertebrates. • These are animals without backbones, including insects, crustaceans, sponges and arachnids • Over half of all the animals already identified are invertebrates. Micropinnamacrostoma

8. Why is biodiversity important? • It provides us with an array of foods and materials and it contributes to the economy. • Most medical discoveries to cure diseases were made because of research into plant and animal biology and genetics.  • Biodiversity provides ecological services that make life livable. These include cleaning water and absorbing chemicals, which wetlands do, to providing oxygen for us to breathe

9. Threats To Biodiversity • Ecosystems are being rapidly altered, and the planet is undergoing a massive loss of biodiversity. • This is mostly due to man’s activities such as: • Industrialization • Urbanization • Agriculture • Removal of species

10. Some human activities have indirect but wide-reaching effects on biodiversity, including: • Pollution • Climate change

11. The Wonder of Nature • We must appreciate the diversity of life that surrounds us and makes Earth what it is.

12. Predators Archerfish get their prey by shooting it with a stream of water They can be found in India, Australia and the Phillipines. Dragonfish live in extreme depths Of the ocean They get no longer than 7 inches long.

13. Camouflage Stonefish blend in perfectly with their habitat by taking on the appearance of.. natural coral and rocks. The sea dragon blends in with its habitat by having its body shaped and coloured like….. seaweed

14. The largest… • General Sherman is a redwood sequoia • It is one of the tallest trees on Earth, • coming in at 274 feet tall. • It is estimated to be over 2000 years old

15. The largest… • Blue whales are the largest organisms on Earth. • They can get up to 100ft long and weigh up to 200 tons. • Their heart weighs 1,300 lbs by itself. • It feeds on 7,900 lbs of food (krill) a day.

16. The most extreme… Water bears, or we can call it tardigrades, are microscopic, water-dwelling, segmented animals with eight legs. They can live in temperatures from -273°C and up to 150°C. They can survive TEN YEARS without water. They were sent to space for ten days and exposed to a vacuum and on return, many survived and eggs hatched normally.

17. The end Baobab trees in Madagascar