diverse plant and animal life in the uae .give reasons
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Answer:
Definition of Species Diversity
Imagine chasing a horned lizard, and it uses a bizarre tactic to deter you, squirting blood at you out of its eye. Imagine scuba diving and encountering one of the ugliest fish in the world, called the anglerfish. This is not science fiction; this is real. There are some bizarre creatures that call Earth home. The diversity of creatures roaming Earth is absolutely astounding.
A horned lizard squirts blood to scare predators
An anglerfish smiles for the camera
Species diversity is defined as the number of species and abundance of each species that live in a particular location. The number of species that live in a certain location is called species richness. If you were to measure the species richness of a forest, you might find 20 bird species, 50 plant species, and 10 mammal species. Abundance is the number of individuals of each species. For example, there might be 100 mountain beavers that live in a forest. You can talk about species diversity on a small scale, like a forest, or on a large scale, like the total diversity of species living on Earth.
Species Diversity of Earth
How many species do you think live on Earth? There are approximately 1.8 million different species classified on Earth. Of all the species identified, nearly one million are insects! New species are being discovered each year. Scientists estimate that there may be between 5 to 30 million species that actually live on Earth. Each year, approximately 13,000 more species are added to this growing list of known species. For example, in 2013, a species of a venomous snake called the green palm-pit viper was discovered in the country of Honduras.
A venomous green palm pit viper waits for its prey
In 2014, a carnivorous mammal species called olinguito was discovered in Colombia and Ecuador. Who knows what weird creature might be discovered this year!
The cute olinguito hangs out in a tree
The hottest spots for species diversity are tropical rainforests. Tropical rainforests comprise only 7% of all land on Earth yet are home to nearly 50% of all the species on Earth! In Costa Rica, there are over 1,400 species of orchids, 1,200 species of butterflies, and 600 species of birds! Interesting species of mammals live here as well, like howler monkeys, jaguars, and sloths.
A howler monkey waits in a tree
Importance of Species Diversity
There are numerous reasons why species diversity is essential. Each species has a role in the ecosystem. For example, bees are primary pollinators. Imagine what would happen if bees went extinct. Fruits and vegetables could be next, and subsequently the animals that feed off them - this chain links all the way to humans. Various species provide us not only with food but also contribute to clean water, breathable air, fertile soils, climate stability, pollution absorption, building materials for our homes, prevention of disease outbreaks, medicinal resources, and more. Let's look at some examples.
Species diversity contributes to ecosystem health. Each species is like a thread holding together an ecosystem. If a species disappears, an entire ecosystem can start to unravel. Species diversity is crucial for ecosystem health. For example, in the Pacific Northwest, salmon holds together the entire ecosystem. Salmon carry rich nutrients from the ocean back to the stream environment. When salmon die, those nutrients are gobbled up by insects, plants, mammals, and birds. If salmon were to disappear, the impacts would be felt through the entire food chain
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The country offers a variety of habitats for wildlife on the eastern side of Arabian peninsula. the terrain is so varied, its supports greater number of species of plants and animals in offshore island mangroves areas, sandunes, mountain slopes, wadis and rocky terrain.
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