5: Unit V- Biological Diversity
- Page ID
- 97112
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\(\newcommand{\avec}{\mathbf a}\) \(\newcommand{\bvec}{\mathbf b}\) \(\newcommand{\cvec}{\mathbf c}\) \(\newcommand{\dvec}{\mathbf d}\) \(\newcommand{\dtil}{\widetilde{\mathbf d}}\) \(\newcommand{\evec}{\mathbf e}\) \(\newcommand{\fvec}{\mathbf f}\) \(\newcommand{\nvec}{\mathbf n}\) \(\newcommand{\pvec}{\mathbf p}\) \(\newcommand{\qvec}{\mathbf q}\) \(\newcommand{\svec}{\mathbf s}\) \(\newcommand{\tvec}{\mathbf t}\) \(\newcommand{\uvec}{\mathbf u}\) \(\newcommand{\vvec}{\mathbf v}\) \(\newcommand{\wvec}{\mathbf w}\) \(\newcommand{\xvec}{\mathbf x}\) \(\newcommand{\yvec}{\mathbf y}\) \(\newcommand{\zvec}{\mathbf z}\) \(\newcommand{\rvec}{\mathbf r}\) \(\newcommand{\mvec}{\mathbf m}\) \(\newcommand{\zerovec}{\mathbf 0}\) \(\newcommand{\onevec}{\mathbf 1}\) \(\newcommand{\real}{\mathbb R}\) \(\newcommand{\twovec}[2]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\ctwovec}[2]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\threevec}[3]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\cthreevec}[3]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\fourvec}[4]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\cfourvec}[4]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\fivevec}[5]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \\ #5 \\ \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\cfivevec}[5]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \\ #5 \\ \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\mattwo}[4]{\left[\begin{array}{rr}#1 \amp #2 \\ #3 \amp #4 \\ \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\laspan}[1]{\text{Span}\{#1\}}\) \(\newcommand{\bcal}{\cal B}\) \(\newcommand{\ccal}{\cal C}\) \(\newcommand{\scal}{\cal S}\) \(\newcommand{\wcal}{\cal W}\) \(\newcommand{\ecal}{\cal E}\) \(\newcommand{\coords}[2]{\left\{#1\right\}_{#2}}\) \(\newcommand{\gray}[1]{\color{gray}{#1}}\) \(\newcommand{\lgray}[1]{\color{lightgray}{#1}}\) \(\newcommand{\rank}{\operatorname{rank}}\) \(\newcommand{\row}{\text{Row}}\) \(\newcommand{\col}{\text{Col}}\) \(\renewcommand{\row}{\text{Row}}\) \(\newcommand{\nul}{\text{Nul}}\) \(\newcommand{\var}{\text{Var}}\) \(\newcommand{\corr}{\text{corr}}\) \(\newcommand{\len}[1]{\left|#1\right|}\) \(\newcommand{\bbar}{\overline{\bvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\bhat}{\widehat{\bvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\bperp}{\bvec^\perp}\) \(\newcommand{\xhat}{\widehat{\xvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\vhat}{\widehat{\vvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\uhat}{\widehat{\uvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\what}{\widehat{\wvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\Sighat}{\widehat{\Sigma}}\) \(\newcommand{\lt}{<}\) \(\newcommand{\gt}{>}\) \(\newcommand{\amp}{&}\) \(\definecolor{fillinmathshade}{gray}{0.9}\)Biodiversity is the variety of different types of life found on the Earth and the variations within species and is a measure of the variety of organisms present in different ecosystems. This can refer to genetic variation, ecosystem variation, or species variation (number of species) within an area, biome, or planet. Terrestrial biodiversity tends to be greater near the equator, which seems to be the result of the warm climate and high primary productivity. In Unit 5, the diversity of life is explored with detailed study of various organisms and discussion of emerging phylogenetic relationships. This unit moves from viruses to living organisms like bacteria, discusses the organisms formerly grouped as protists, and devotes multiple chapters to plant and animal life.
- 5.1: Viruses
- Viruses are acellular, parasitic entities that are not classified within any kingdom. Viruses are not cells and cannot divide. They infect a host cell and use the host’s replication processes to produce identical progeny virus particles. Viruses infect organisms as diverse as bacteria, plants, and animals and exist in a netherworld between a living organism and a nonliving entity. Living things grow, metabolize, and reproduce.
- 5.1.1: Introduction
- 5.1.2: Viral Evolution, Morphology, and Classification
- 5.1.3: Virus Infections and Hosts
- 5.1.4: Prevention and Treatment of Viral Infections
- 5.1.5: Other Acellular Entities - Prions and Viroids
- 5.1.6: Key Terms
- 5.1.7: Chapter Summary
- 5.1.8: Visual Connection Questions
- 5.1.9: Review Questions
- 5.1.10: Critical Thinking Questions
- 5.2: Prokaryotes - Bacteria and Archaea
- 5.2.1: Introduction
- 5.2.2: Prokaryotic Diversity
- 5.2.3: Structure of Prokaryotes- Bacteria and Archaea
- 5.2.4: Prokaryotic Metabolism
- 5.2.5: Bacterial Diseases in Humans
- 5.2.6: Beneficial Prokaryotes
- 5.2.7: Key Terms
- 5.2.8: Chapter Summary
- 5.2.9: Visual Connection Questions
- 5.2.10: Review Questions
- 5.2.11: Critical Thinking Questions
- 5.3: Protists
- Most protists are microscopic, unicellular organisms that are abundant in soil, freshwater, brackish, and marine environments. They are also common in the digestive tracts of animals and in the vascular tissues of plants.
- 5.4: Fungi
- The kingdom Fungi includes an enormous variety of living organisms collectively referred to as Eucomycota, or true Fungi. While scientists have identified about 100,000 species of fungi, this is only a fraction of the 1.5 million species of fungus likely present on Earth. Edible mushrooms, yeasts, black mold, and the producer of the antibiotic penicillin, Penicillium notatum, are all members of the kingdom Fungi, which belongs to the domain Eukarya.
- 5.4.1: Introduction
- 5.4.2: Characteristics of Fungi
- 5.4.3: Classifications of Fungi
- 5.4.4: Ecology of Fungi
- 5.4.5: Fungal Parasites and Pathogens
- 5.4.6: Importance of Fungi in Human Life
- 5.4.7: Key Terms
- 5.4.8: Chapter Summary
- 5.4.9: Visual Connection Questions
- 5.4.10: Review Questions
- 5.4.11: Critical Thinking Questions
- 5.5: Seedless Plants
- Seedless plants reproduce and spread through spores, but do not flower or seed to replicate.
- 5.6: Seed Plants
- Seed plants, such as palms, have broken free from the need to rely on water for their reproductive needs. They play an integral role in all aspects of life on the planet, shaping the physical terrain, influencing the climate, and maintaining life as we know it.
- 5.7: Introduction to Animal Diversity
- 5.7.1: Introduction
- 5.7.2: Features of the Animal Kingdom
- 5.7.3: Features Used to Classify Animals
- 5.7.4: Animal Phylogeny
- 5.7.5: The Evolutionary History of the Animal Kingdom
- 5.7.6: Key Terms
- 5.7.7: Chapter Summary
- 5.7.8: Visual Connection Questions
- 5.7.9: Review Questions
- 5.7.10: Critical Thinking Questions
- 5.8: Invertebrates
- Invertebrate animals are those without a cranium and defined vertebral column or spine. In addition to lacking a spine, most invertebrates also lack an endoskeleton. A large number of invertebrates are aquatic animals, and scientific research suggests that many of the world’s species are aquatic invertebrates that have not yet been documented.
- 5.8.1: Introduction
- 5.8.2: Phylum Porifera
- 5.8.3: Phylum Cnidaria
- 5.8.4: Superphylum Lophotrochozoa- Flatworms, Rotifers, and Nemerteans
- 5.8.5: Superphylum Lophotrochozoa- Molluscs and Annelids
- 5.8.6: Superphylum Ecdysozoa- Nematodes and Tardigrades
- 5.8.7: Superphylum Ecdysozoa- Arthropods
- 5.8.8: Superphylum Deuterostomia
- 5.8.9: Key Terms
- 5.8.10: Chapter Summary
- 5.8.11: Visual Connection Questions
- 5.8.12: Review Questions
- 5.8.13: Critical Thinking Questions
- 5.9: Vertebrates
- Vertebrates are among the most recognizable organisms of the animal kingdom. More than 62,000 vertebrate species have been identified. The vertebrate species now living represent only a small portion of the vertebrates that have existed. The best-known extinct vertebrates are the dinosaurs, a unique group of reptiles, which reached sizes not seen before or after in terrestrial animals.
Thumbnail: Phylogenetic-symbiogenetic tree of living organisms. (CC BY-SA 3.0; Maulucioni y Doridí).
- Contributors
-
Connie Rye (East Mississippi Community College), Robert Wise (University of Wisconsin, Oshkosh), Vladimir Jurukovski (Suffolk County Community College), Jean DeSaix (University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill), Jung Choi (Georgia Institute of Technology), Yael Avissar (Rhode Island College) among other contributing authors. Original content by OpenStax (CC BY 4.0; Download for free at http://cnx.org/contents/185cbf87-c72...f21b5eabd@9.87).