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Why is Biodiversity so important? - Contenido educativo

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Subido el 31 de enero de 2021 por José Vicente S.

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Our planet's diverse, thriving ecosystems 00:00:01
may seem like permanent fixtures, 00:00:09
but they're actually vulnerable to collapse. 00:00:12
Jungles can become deserts, 00:00:15
and reefs can become lifeless rocks, 00:00:17
even without cataclysmic events like volcanoes and asteroids. 00:00:19
What makes one ecosystem strong 00:00:23
and another weak in the face of change? 00:00:26
The answer, to a large extent, is biodiversity. 00:00:28
Biodiversity is built out of three intertwined features, 00:00:32
ecosystem diversity, species diversity, and genetic diversity. 00:00:35
The more intertwining there is between these features, 00:00:41
the denser and more resilient the weave becomes. 00:00:44
Take the Amazon rainforest, 00:00:48
one of the most biodiverse regions on Earth 00:00:50
due to its complex ecosystems, huge mix of species, 00:00:52
and the genetic variety within those species. 00:00:56
Here are tangled liana vines, 00:00:59
which crawl up from the forest floor to the canopy, 00:01:01
intertwining with treetops and growing thick wooded stems 00:01:05
that support these towering trees. 00:01:08
Helped along by the vines, trees provide the seeds, fruits, and leaves 00:01:11
to herbivores such as the tapir and the agouti, 00:01:15
which disperse their seeds throughout the forest so they can grow. 00:01:19
Leftovers are consumed by the millions of insects 00:01:23
that decompose and recycle nutrients to create rich soil. 00:01:26
The rainforest is a huge system filled with many smaller systems like this, 00:01:30
each packed with interconnected species. 00:01:34
Every link provides stability to the next, strengthening biodiversity's weave. 00:01:38
That weave is further reinforced by the genetic diversity within individual species, 00:01:43
which allows them to cope with changes. 00:01:48
Species that lack genetic diversity due to isolation or low population numbers 00:01:51
are much more vulnerable to fluctuations caused by climate change, 00:01:55
disease, or habitat fragmentation. 00:01:59
Whenever a species disappears because of its weakened gene pool, 00:02:02
a knot is untied, and parts of the net disintegrate. 00:02:06
So, what if we were to remove one species from the rainforest? 00:02:10
Would the system fall apart? 00:02:14
Probably not. 00:02:16
The volume of species, their genetic diversity, 00:02:17
and the complexity of the ecosystems 00:02:20
form such rich biodiversity in this forest 00:02:22
that one species gap in the weave won't cause it to unravel. 00:02:25
The forest can stay resilient and recover from change. 00:02:29
But that's not true in every case. 00:02:33
In some environments, taking away just one important component 00:02:35
can undermine the entire system. 00:02:39
Take coral reefs, for instance. 00:02:42
Many organisms in a reef are dependent on the coral. 00:02:44
It provides key microhabitats, shelter, and breeding grounds 00:02:47
for thousands of species of fish, crustaceans, and mollusks. 00:02:51
Corals also form interdependent relationships with fungi and bacteria. 00:02:56
The coral itself is a loom 00:03:01
that allows the tangled net of biodiversity to be woven. 00:03:02
That makes coral a keystone organism, 00:03:07
one that many others depend on for their survival. 00:03:09
So what happens when destructive fishing practices, 00:03:12
pollution, and ocean acidification 00:03:15
weaken coral or even kill it altogether? 00:03:17
Exactly what you might think. 00:03:21
The loss of this keystone species leaves its dependents at a loss too, 00:03:23
threatening the entire fabric of the reef. 00:03:28
Ecosystem, species, and genetic diversity 00:03:31
together form the complex tangled weave of biodiversity 00:03:34
that is vital for the survival of organisms on Earth. 00:03:37
We humans are woven into this biodiversity too. 00:03:41
When just a few strands are lost, our own well-being is threatened, 00:03:44
cut too many links, and we risk unraveling it all. 00:03:49
What the future brings is unpredictable, 00:03:53
but biodiversity can give us an insurance policy, 00:03:55
Earth's own safety net, to safeguard our survival. 00:03:58
Subido por:
José Vicente S.
Licencia:
Dominio público
Visualizaciones:
63
Fecha:
31 de enero de 2021 - 20:54
Visibilidad:
Público
Centro:
CP INF-PRI LORENZO LUZURIAGA
Duración:
04′ 19″
Relación de aspecto:
1.78:1
Resolución:
1280x720 píxeles
Tamaño:
17.48 MBytes

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