Biodiversity, Ecosystems, and

Resilience

Learning Objectives

▪ Explain the types of biodiversity.

▪ Identify the benefits of biodiversity.

▪ Identify some important ecosystem benefits.

Types of Biodiversity

Biodiversity is the total of all genetically based variation in all

organisms in the biosphere.

Types of biodiversity:

• ecosystem diversity

• species diversity

• genetic diversity

Biodiversity Benefits

• Contributes to medicine and agriculture

• Enables organisms and ecosystems to adapt to

environmental change

Biodiversity, Medicine, and Agriculture

Many medicines were first

discovered in wild species.

Genetic diversity is

important in agriculture.

Wild plants may carry

useful genes.

Biodiversity and Ecosystem Resilience

• Resilience describes a natural or human system’s ability

to recover after a disturbance.

• The more biodiversity an ecosystem has, the more

resilient it is likely to be.

Ecosystem Services and Biodiversity

Ecosystem services are the benefits provided by

ecosystems to humans.