Aquatic ecology and Biodiversity

Unit 12- Aquatic biodiversity and conservation

12.1.1. Types of biodiversity
Genetic diversity
Genetic diversity includes genetic differences within each species. It is the difference between varieties of crops and breeds of livestocks. Chromosomes, genes and DNA are the building blocks of life, thus they can determine the uniqueness of each individual and each species in an ecosytem.
Species diversity
Species diversity is often understood in terms of the wide variety of plants, animals and microorganisms. So far, about 1.75 million species have been identified, mostly of small creatures such as insects. Scientists estimated that there are about 13 million species in nature.
Ecosystems diversity
Ecosystems diversity of is also important. There are ecosystems that occur in deserts, forests, wetlands, mountains, lakes, rivers, and agricultural landscapes. In each ecosystem, living creatures, including humans form a community interacting with one another and with its surrounding- air, water, and soil around them with casual influences on growth, development, survival and distribution of organisms.