A sign in the Hall of Biodiversity defines biodiversity as the sum of all species living on earth, involving a global system in which each organism plays a role in the local environment. Today biodiversity is in crisis because humans are degrading ecosystems all over the planet and driving thousands of animals to extinction. There have been recent measures to curtail this mass extinction, most notably the Endangered Species Act of 1973.
Biodiversity is important for a number of reasons. Humans depend on healthy ecosystems and the plants, animals, fungi, and microbes in these ecosystems for a great number of resources and products. Plants, through photosynthesis, produce the oxygen humans need to breathe. Thriving ecosystems effectively purify
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water and cycle carbon, nitrogen, and other elements necessary for life. Humans rely on these areas for food, medicine, clothing, and shelter. In particular, the exhibit mentioned the use of shark eyes for cornea transplants. Biodiversity is also important for a less pragmatic reason – it reminds humans of their kinship with the natural world and confirms their moral obligation to prevent the destruction of ecosystems and species. The importance and destruction of tropical forests makes a very apt example in this discussion of biodiversity. Equatorial areas, where tropical forests are located, are especially rich in resources as biodiversity is greatest there. Tropical forests support numerous human cultures and are a rich source of agricultural products. They also stabilize rainfall and prevent erosion, flood, and drought. This biome is current threatened by habitat destruction and deforestation. Essay II: Other Parts of the Museum In addition to the Hall of Biodiversity, I also went to the Hall of Saurischian Dinosaurs and the Hall of North American Birds.
The Hall of Saurischian Dinosaurs presents dinosaurs characterized by grasping hands and offset thumbs. The groups within this family are Theropods, Tetanurans, and Coelurosaurs. The exhibit is organized around these categorizations. The bulk of the exhibit features dinosaur fossils, many of which were arranged to appear as though the skeletons of the animals are standing in the room. These installations are huge, and it is an awe-inspiring sight. Plaques in the room share information about the dinosaur, and where the fossil was …show more content…
collected. The Hall of North American Birds displays North American birds in labeled glass cases and elaborate dioramas.
These diorama depict North American bird species in diverse habitats, from eastern marshes to the Canadian Rockies. Some show the multiple species that exist in an ecosystem and others depict single species, like the Bald Eagle and the Sandhill Crane. A plaque, with information about the species and habitat represented, accompanies all the dioramas.
The differences between these two exhibits were obvious. The dinosaur exhibit provided more speculative information and the specimens were not placed, with certainty, in their ecological context. The specimens themselves were fossils. Information in the bird exhibit was more definitive, ecologically based, and visually transmitted. The specimens were taxidermies and well preserved.
Modern birds are descended from Saurischian dinosaurs, the Coelurosaurs group in particular. The skeletal and behavior traits that define birds first arose in dinosaurs. Some scientists even believe that dinosaurs possessed feathers. It is likely that dinosaurs and birds descended from a common ancestor. The differences between these groups are obvious. Modern birds are smaller and mostly airborne. Dinosaurs are evolutionarily older and are extinct
today. Essay III: What’s missing? The exhibits in the American Natural History Museum cover a wide range of topics, from planetary sciences to human culture. However, during my visit I noticed that information one of the major scales of life, microorganisms, is severely lacking. In particular there is no information about microorganisms in The Hall of Biodiversity. And, I think we can all agree that ideas about biodiversity are severely diminished when one does not consider life on this smaller level. Therefore I believe that the museum has a responsibility to build a new wing that focuses on the importance and impact of microorganisms. In addition to giving background information about microorganisms, the wing would emphasize the effect of microorganisms on three broad topics: the origins of life, environmental ecology, and human health. The section on the origins of life would trace the development of life on Earth from single celled organisms, with particular emphasis on the role of bacteria in the creation of the atmosphere. The second section would focus on the influence of microorganisms in ecological communities. This would cover microorganisms’ role in decomposition and nutrient cycling, and ecological relationships between microorganisms and macroorganisms (i.e. symbiosis and parasitism). The last section would discus bacteria and disease, as wells as ongoing research about the importance of microbiotic communities in human health, in such areas as the skin and the gut.
Ceratopsians and Pachycephalosaurs Around 144 million years ago, began the emergence of the Ornithischian dinosaurs during the Cretaceous period and diversified into North America and Asia. Ornithischians were classified as having a hip structure similar to that of birds, although they are not the descendants of birds. Marginocephalians, meaning "fringed heads" are a group of Ornithischians that have a distinctive skull structure, consisting of a slight shelf or bony frill on the back of the skull, a unique palate, and a short hip structure. These herbivores include two major groups: the Ceratopsians and the Pachcephalosaurians. These plant-eaters include the Ceratopsians, horned dinosaurs such as the Triceratops, Styrachosaurus, Pentaceratops, and the Protoceratops.
Paul, Gregory S. (2002). "Looking for the True Bird Ancestor". Dinosaurs of the Air: The Evolution and Loss of Flight in Dinosaurs and Birds. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. pp. 171–224. ISBN 0-8018-6763-0.
5 The Field Museum. (2002). New Species Clarifies Bird-Dinosaur Link. Science Daily [online], 14 Feb 2002. Available at http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2002/02/020214080242.htm
Yolen, J., & Teague, M. (2007). How do dinosaurs go to school? New York, NY: Scholastic.
In The Diversity of Life, Edward O. Wilson reflects on how the living world became diverse and how humans are destroying that diversity. In the book’s preface, Wilson defines biodiversity as “the totality of inherited variation in all organisms in a selected area” (Wilson ix). He adds that modern technology will allow for us to find many new species that were previously unknown to be in existence.
As I walk into the museum onto the first level, there are many different halls surrounding. To my left there is the African mammal exhibit. There are so many different creatures displayed, ranging from desert to rainforest. Some of the animals that are displayed are the Arabian Oryx, Savanna Elephant, Spotted Hyena, Hippopotamus and Okapi. When you browse there exhibits you are able to study and learn detail information. I learned that due to human encroachm...
One cannot talk about dinosaur and bird lineage without mentioning Archaeopteryx. Most paleontologists agree that Archaeopteryx was the first bird. Archaeopteryx thus represents what paleontologists would call a “transitional form” between two major groups of animals, the reptiles (dinosaurs) and birds. The main difference between the theropods and Archaeopteryx were the long arms of the Archaeopteryx, adapted as wings, the feathers, and the presence of a wishbone that the theropods did not have. All of these features tie it to birds and its other characteristics tie it to theropods. One might say it was the “missing link” between the ...
== = = Human beings are dependent on the Earth's diversity of species for our survival. Wild species play a vital role in the maintenance of the planets ecological functions, yet everyday on the planet 40-100 species become extinct.
Scientists have begun to say that we have to do more to protect our ecosystem, because our very existence is depending upon it. When the ecosystem is not functioning properly the continuation of plant, animal and human life ecosystems would be impossible. Life cycles can not function without ecosystems. The ecosystem provides us with clean air, water, habitats for fish and other services. They also aid in the mod...
Reptiles are vertebrate, or backboned animals constituting the class Reptilia and are characterized by a combination of features, none of which alone could separate all reptiles from all other animals.The characteristics of reptiles are numerous, therefore can not be explained in great detail in this report. In no special order, the characteristics of reptiles are: cold-bloodedness; the presence of lungs; direct development, without larval forms as in amphibians; a dry skin with scales but not feathers or hair; an amniote egg; internal fertilization; a three or four-chambered heart; two aortic arches (blood vessels) carrying blood from the heart to the body, unlike mammals and birds that only have one; a metanephric kidney; twelve pairs of cranial nerves; and skeletal features such as limbs with usually five clawed fingers or toes, at least two spinal bones associated with the pelvis, a single ball-and-socket connection at the head-neck joint instead of two, as in advanced amphibians and mammals, and an incomplete or complete partition along the roof of the mouth, separating the food and air passageways so that breathing can continue while food is being chewed. These and other traditional defining characteristics of reptiles have been subjected to considerable modification in recent times. The extinct flying reptiles, called pterosaurs or pterodactyls, are now thought to have been warm-blooded and covered with hair. Also, the dinosaurs are also now considered by many authorities to have been warm-blooded. The earliest known bird, archaeopteryx, is now regarded by many to have been a small dinosaur, despite its covering of feathers The extinct ancestors of the mammals, the therapsids, or mammallike reptiles, are also believed to have been warm-blooded and haired.
Biodiversity loss can lead to extinction, and hurt human life. It is our responsibility to take care of the environment. We bring in machines that harm the environment and destroy animal life. We need to limit ourselves on how much land and resources we consume. There are major issues that are causing species to become extinct and hurt our way of life and other animals do to the change in food chain.
Biodiversity is the diversity of all living things: plants, animals living in a particular region or area. Many think Biodiversity is just about animals and wildlife we see every day, but a big part of it is microscopic bacteria. Biodiversity is known to many as a totality of genes, species, and ecosystems of a region. There are three types of Biodiversity, genetic diversity, species diversity, and ecosystem diversity. Genetic diversity is the number of genetic characteristics in the genetic makeup of a species. It is used to distinguish one animal or specie from another as they are all genetically different. Species diversity is the number of species and amount of each specie in a particular area. This can also be called Species Richness.
The United Nations designated 2011-2020 as the United Nations Decade on Biodiversity. In biodiversity, each species, no matter how big or small has an important role to play in ecosystem. Various plant and animal species depend on each other what each offers and these diverse species ensures natural sustainability for all life forms. A healthy and solid biodiversity can recover itself from variety of disasters. It is estimated that the current species extinction rate is between 1,000 and 10,000
NEED AND PURPOSE FOR CONSERVATION OF BIODIVERSITY: Biodiversity, a contraction of “biological diversity,” generally refers to the variety and variability of life on Earth. The very existence of human species and sustainable development depend on biodiversity conservation, therefore the need for conservation of biodiversity is basically for this reason that all living creatures need other creatures and plants in one way or the other. At least 40 per cent of the world’s economy and 80 per cent of the needs of the poor are mainly derived from biological resources. Biodiversity is necessary for our existence as well as valuable in its own right as it provides the fundamental building blocks for the many goods and services which are essential
Nowadays it is common to read articles in newspapers and magazines regarding biodiversity issues. Human beings have been knowingly and unknowingly destroying biodiversity since their existence. Biodiversity is the measure of the variety of species of animals living in an area. Forests are usually areas with high biodiversity while deserts are the opposite. Human beings have always destroyed biodiversity either by deforestation, or by some other means. Biodiversity depletion is a natural phenomenon. But the present levels of biodiversity depletion are many times higher than the natural rate. Recently the levels of loss in biodiversity have started causing global concern. Some of the main causes for loss in biodiversity are alteration of habitats, increasing levels of pollution and human population growth.