Section outline

  • General

    Collapse all Expand all

  • 生物多样性的重要性

    A dense rainforest scene filled with various trees and lush vegetation.

    Why is preserving the rainforest important?
    ::为什么保护雨林很重要?

    Preserving the rainforest is important for many reasons. But one reason efforts have focused here is that the rainforest is home to more species of , , and than anywhere else on the planet. This wide diversity of life is called biodiversity .
    ::保护雨林之所以重要,原因很多。 但这里努力的一个原因就是雨林拥有的物种比地球上其他任何地方都多。 这种广泛的生物多样性被称为生物多样性。

    Importance of Biodiversity
    ::生物多样性的重要性

    Biodiversity is a measurement of the amount of variation of the species in a given area. More specifically, biodiversity can be defined as the variety of life and its processes, including the variety of living organisms , the genetic differences among them, and the communities and in which they occur.
    ::生物多样性是衡量某一地区物种变化程度的尺度,更具体地说,生物多样性可以定义为生命及其过程的多样性,包括生物机体的多样性、生物机体之间的遗传差异、生物群落和生物群落及其发生地。

    A place such as a coral reef has many different species of plants and animals . That means the coral reef is a ecosystem with high biodiversity ( Figure ). Because of its biodiversity, the rainforest shown above is an ecosystem with extreme importance. Why is biodiversity so important? In addition to maintaining the health and stability of the ecosystem, the diversity of life provides us with many benefits.
    ::珊瑚礁这样的地方有许多不同的动植物物种,这意味着珊瑚礁是一个生物多样性高的生态系统(图)。由于它的生物多样性,上面显示的雨林是一个极其重要的生态系统。为什么生物多样性如此重要?除了维持生态系统的健康和稳定外,生命的多样性为我们提供了许多好处。

    Extinction is a threat to biodiversity. Does it matter if we are losing thousands of species each year? The answer is yes. It matters even if we consider not only the direct benefits to humans, but also the benefits to the ecosystems. The health and survival of ecosystems is related to that ecosystem's biodiversity.
    ::灭绝是对生物多样性的威胁。 如果我们每年损失成千上万的物种,这是否重要?答案是肯定的。即使我们不仅考虑到人类的直接利益,而且考虑到生态系统的好处,也很重要。生态系统的健康和生存与生态系统的生物多样性有关。

    Coral reef showcasing diverse marine life and coral species beneath the water's surface.

    Coral reefs are one of the biomes with the highest biodiversity on Earth.
    ::珊瑚礁是地球上生物多样性最高的生物群落之一。

    Economic Importance
    ::经济重要性

    Economically, there are many direct benefits of biodiversity. As many as 40,000 species of , plants, and animals provide us with many varied types of clothing, shelter, medicines and other products. These include poisons, timber, fibers, fragrances, papers, silks, dyes, adhesives, rubber, resins, skins, furs, and more. According to one survey, 57% of the most important prescription drugs come from nature. Specifically, they come from bacteria , fungi, plants, and animals ( Figure ). But only a small amount of species with the ability to give us medicines have been explored. The loss of any species may mean the loss of new medicines, which will have a direct effect on human health.
    ::从经济角度看,生物多样性具有许多直接利益。多达40,000种植物和动物为我们提供了多种种类的衣物、住所、药品和其他产品,其中包括毒药、木材、纤维、香料、纸张、丝绸、染料、粘合剂、橡胶、树脂、皮革、皮毛等等。根据一项调查,57%最重要的处方药来自自然。具体地说,它们来自细菌、真菌、植物和动物(Figure ) 。但只探索了少量能够给我们提供药品的物种。任何物种的丧失都意味着新药品的丧失,这将对人类健康产生直接影响。

    A white willow tree by a river, highlighting biodiversity's economic importance.

    Aspirin originally came from the bark of the white willow tree, pictured here.
    ::阿司匹林最初来自白柳树树的树皮, 照片是在这里拍摄的。

    Biodiversity and Technology
    ::生物多样性和技术

    Nature has inspired many technologies in use today. Bionics , also known as biomimetics or biomimicry, uses organisms to inspire technology or engineering projects. By studying animals and their traits, we are able to gain valuable information that we can put to use to help us. For example, rattlesnake heat-sensing pits helped inspire the development of infrared sensors. Zimbabwe’s Eastgate Centre ( Figure ) was inspired by the air- conditioning efficiency of a termite mound ( Figure ).
    ::大自然激发了当今使用的许多技术。 生物力学(又称生物机学或生物造型 ) , 利用生物来激励技术或工程项目。 通过研究动物及其特性,我们能够获得可以用来帮助我们的宝贵信息。 比如,响尾蛇热感应井帮助激发红外传感器的发展。 津巴布韦的东门中心(Figure ) 受白蚁丘(Figure ) ( Fiture ) 空调效率的启发。

    Eastgate Centre in Zimbabwe, an energy-efficient building inspired by termite mound design.

    Design of the Eastgate Centre (brown building), in Zimbabwe, which requires just 10% of the energy needed for a conventional building of the same size, was inspired by a biological design.
    ::津巴布韦东门中心的设计(褐色建筑)仅需要同一大小的常规建筑所需能源的10%,设计是受到生物设计启发的。

    Termite mound resembling natural architecture, showcasing the design inspiration for Eastgate Centre.

    The air-conditioning efficiency of this termite mound was the inspiration for the Eastgate Centre.
    ::这个白蚁丘的空调效率是东门中心的灵感所在。

    Ecological Importance
    ::生态重要性

    Biodiversity also has many benefits to ecosystems. High biodiversity makes ecosystems more stable. What can happen to an ecosystem if just one species goes extinct? What if that one species was a or decomposer ? Would the loss of a producer have an effect on all the organisms that relied on that producer? If a decomposer vanishes, are there other decomposers to fill the void? Maybe the resulting species will adapt. Other species may fill in the niche left by the extinct species. But the extinction of one species could have a "domino" effect, resulting in the extinction of other species. This could greatly effect the stability of the whole ecosystem.
    ::生物多样性也给生态系统带来许多好处。 高度生物多样性也给生态系统带来许多好处。 高度生物多样性可以使生态系统更加稳定。 如果只有一种物种灭绝,生态系统会怎样呢? 如果一个物种灭绝? 如果一个物种灭绝或分解? 生产者的消失是否会对所有依赖该生产者的有机体产生影响? 如果一个分解者消失,是否有其他分解者来填补空白? 由此产生的物种可能会适应变化。 其他物种可能会填补灭绝物种留下的位置。 但是,一个物种的灭绝可能会产生“多米诺”效应,导致其他物种灭绝。 这可能会极大地影响整个生态系统的稳定。

    One important role of biodiversity is that it helps keep the nutrients , such as nitrogen, in the soil . For example, a diversity of organisms in the soil allows nitrogen fixation and nutrient recycling to happen. Biodiversity also allows plants to be pollinated by different types of insects. And of course, different species of fungi are necessary to recycle wastes from dead plants and animals. These are just a few of the many examples of how biodiversity is important for ecosystems.
    ::生物多样性的一个重要作用是它有助于将氮等养分留在土壤中。例如,土壤中生物的多样性允许进行氮固化和养分回收。生物多样性还允许植物被不同种类的昆虫授粉。当然,对于从死植物和动物中回收废物来说,需要不同种类的真菌。这些只是生物多样性对生态系统的重要性的许多例子中的几个例子。

    Science Friday : The Unlikely Tale of a Tenacious Snail
    ::科学星期五: 坚固的斯奈尔的奇特故事

    For over 70 years, no one had seen the oblong rocksnail. Declared extinct in 2000, the species was considered to be another native Alabaman gone and forgotten. But one day in the spring of 2011, biology grad student Nathan Whelan picked up a tiny rock and got a big surprise.
    ::70多年来,没有人见过那块长长的岩石。 2000年,该物种被宣布灭绝,被认为是另一个亚拉巴马人被遗忘的原生。 但2011年春天有一天,生物学研究生内森·惠兰(Nathan Whelan)捡起一块小石头,大吃一惊。

     

     

    Summary
    ::摘要

    • Biodiversity is a measurement of the amount of variation of the species in a given area.
      ::生物多样性是衡量某一地区物种变化程度的尺度。
    • Biodiversity is important because it directly benefits humans and ecosystems.
      ::生物多样性之所以重要,是因为它直接造福人类和生态系统。

    Explore More
    ::探索更多

    Use the resource below to answer the questions that follow.
    ::利用以下资源回答以下问题。

    • In Search of Wild Variety from American Museum of Natural History (1:52)
      ::从美国自然历史博物馆中寻找野外生物(1:52)
    1. As of November 2010, about how many species have been identified on the Earth? How close do scientists feel this number is to the total number of species which exist?
      ::截至2010年11月,地球已查明了多少种物种?科学家觉得这个数字与现有物种总数有多接近?
    2. In what kinds of locations are new species being found?
      ::在什么类型的地点发现新的物种?
    3. Can different species be identified by just looking at them? What techniques are scientists using to identify new species?
      ::科学家用什么技术来识别新的物种?

    Review
    ::回顾

    1. What is biodiversity?
      ::什么是生物多样性?
    2. What does it mean if a place has high biodiversity?
      ::如果一个地方生物多样性高,这意味着什么?
    3. What is an economic impact of biodiversity?
      ::生物多样性的经济影响是什么?
    4. How does high biodiversity help the stability of an ecosystem?
      ::高度生物多样性如何有助于生态系统的稳定?