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Related Concept Videos

What is Biodiversity?01:19

What is Biodiversity?

33.9K
Biodiversity describes the variety of living things at multiple organizational levels: genetic, species and ecosystem diversity. Species diversity includes all branches of the evolutionary tree from single-celled prokaryotic organisms, bacteria, and archaea, to the eukaryotic kingdoms: plants; animals; fungi; and protists. To date, there have been about 1.75 million species identified, and new species are discovered every week.
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Threats to Biodiversity01:50

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There have been five major extinction events throughout geological history, resulting in the elimination of biodiversity, followed by a rebound of species that adapted to the new conditions. In the current geological epoch, the Holocene, there is a sixth extinction event in progress. This mass extinction has been attributed to human activities and is thus provisionally called the Anthropocene. In 2019 the human population reached 7.7 billion people and is projected to comprise 10 billion by...
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Biodiversity and Human Values01:24

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Human civilization relies on biodiversity in many ways. Sudden changes in species biodiversity result in environmental changes that can modify weather patterns and therefore human civilizations.
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What is Conservation Biology?01:57

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Conservation biology is a scientific field that focuses on the preservation of biodiversity in order to protect ecosystems while meeting the needs of the human population. Humans require properly functioning ecosystems to maintain our supply of natural resources, including food, medicines, and building materials.
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Keystone Species01:39

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Measures of species biodiversity, such as richness (i.e., the number of species present) and evenness (i.e., their relative abundance), describe an ecological community’s structure. Many factors affect community structure, including abiotic factors (e.g., sunlight and nutrients), disturbances (e.g., fire or flood), species interactions (e.g., predation or competition), and chance events (e.g., foreign species invasion). Certain species—such as keystone species—also play a...
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Sustainable Development01:43

Sustainable Development

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As the human population continues to grow and use resources, we must be mindful of our planet’s natural limits. Sustainable development provides a pathway to maintain and improve human life now while also ensuring that future generations will have the resources that they need. The long-term success of sustainability efforts rests on understanding the interplay between human actions and ecological systems.
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A Method to Define the Effects of Environmental Enrichment on Colon Microbiome Biodiversity in a Mouse Colon Tumor Model
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In defence of biodiversity.

Joanna Burch-Brown1, Alfred Archer2

  • 11Department of Philosophy, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK.

Biology & Philosophy
|March 23, 2018
PubMed
Summary

The classic multidimensional view of biodiversity is scientifically useful and valuable for conservation efforts. This concept plays key explanatory roles in ecology and remains a central conservation aim.

Keywords:
BiodiversityConservationEcologyEliminativismEnvironmental ethicsPhilosophy of biologyPhilosophy of ecology

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Area of Science:

  • Conservation Biology
  • Ecology
  • Philosophy of Science

Background:

  • The concept of biodiversity is central to conservation biology but its definition and utility are debated.
  • Recent arguments question the scientific usefulness and conservation value of the biodiversity concept.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To defend a "classic multidimensional" conception of biodiversity.
  • To address and refute arguments against the scientific usefulness and conservation value of biodiversity.

Main Methods:

  • Philosophical analysis of the concept of biodiversity.
  • Critique of arguments presented by Santana (2014) against the biodiversity concept.

Main Results:

  • The "classic multidimensional" conception of biodiversity is scientifically useful, playing important explanatory roles in ecology.
  • Objections against the scientific utility and conservation value of biodiversity are unsuccessful when applied to this conception.

Conclusions:

  • Biodiversity, understood multidimensionally, remains scientifically important and a valid target for conservation.
  • Biodiversity should be recognized as one of several grounds of value in ecosystems, supporting its role as a central conservation aim.