What is Biodiversity?

Hello Reader,

My name is Fran Darnall and I created this blog to discuss different things I learn about Georgia's Chattahoochee River, an area I am going to be researching this semester.

Before we dive into that though, I will define biodiversity, since it is such a crucial piece of any environment.

Biodiversity refers to the variety and abundance of flora and fauna in a given biographical region. In other words, it encompasses all living things in an ecosystem, from animals and plants to fungi and bacteria. 

With this definition in mind, I will now discuss my thoughts on the importance of biodiversity at the local, regional, national, and international levels. Essentially, as someone with relatively little experience studying biodiversity thus far, but an understanding of it's importance, I would argue that biodiversity is important at every level. This is because no matter how big or small the ecosystem is in question, there are still numerous examples of wildlife, some of which with very unique needs, that are dependent on the specific biodiversity of particular areas. Maintaining healthy biodiversity also decreases the likelihood that the extinction or removal or one species will cause the downfall of another. 

With all that in mind, I will most certainly be discussing the biodiversity of the Chattahoochee River in posts to come, as well as numerous other important aspects of it. 

Thank you! 

Fran