Abstracting and Indexing

  • Google Scholar
  • CrossRef
  • WorldCat
  • ResearchGate
  • Academic Keys
  • DRJI
  • Microsoft Academic
  • Academia.edu
  • OpenAIRE

Some thoughts on Biodiversity and Sustainability

Article Information

Graeme P Berlyn*

School of the Environment, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, USA

*Corresponding Author: Graeme P Berlyn, School of the Environment, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, USA

Received: 01 July 2021; Accepted: 12 July 2021; Published: 22 July 2021

Citation: Graeme P Berlyn. Some thoughts on Biodiversity and Sustainability. Journal of Environmental Science and Public Health 5 (2021): 371-373.

View / Download Pdf Share at Facebook

Abstract

Life began on this planet some four billion years ago. Since that time the planet has experienced many changes in climate and biodiversity. In the view of Vladimir Vernadsky [1] we live in a thin film of biologically processed matter on the surface of the planet. At the present time our planet is changing more rapidly than in any of the previous cycles and this rapidity is primarily due to human activities. Of course in the past there have been many extreme events like meteorite impacts, but in general the natural changes are slow. With the beginning of agriculture after the last ice age the pace of change accelerated. Although organisms have come and gone in the history of our planet our biodiversity is now under a threat of decline that is unprecedented.

Biodiversity articles

Biodiversity articles Biodiversity Research articles Biodiversity review articles Biodiversity PubMed articles Biodiversity PubMed Central articles Biodiversity 2023 articles Biodiversity 2024 articles Biodiversity Scopus articles Biodiversity impact factor journals Biodiversity Scopus journals Biodiversity PubMed journals Biodiversity medical journals Biodiversity free journals Biodiversity best journals Biodiversity top journals Biodiversity free medical journals Biodiversity famous journals Biodiversity Google Scholar indexed journals Sustainability articles Sustainability Research articles Sustainability review articles Sustainability PubMed articles Sustainability PubMed Central articles Sustainability 2023 articles Sustainability 2024 articles Sustainability Scopus articles Sustainability impact factor journals Sustainability Scopus journals Sustainability PubMed journals Sustainability medical journals Sustainability free journals Sustainability best journals Sustainability top journals Sustainability free medical journals Sustainability famous journals Sustainability Google Scholar indexed journals land articles land Research articles land review articles land PubMed articles land PubMed Central articles land 2023 articles land 2024 articles land Scopus articles land impact factor journals land Scopus journals land PubMed journals land medical journals land free journals land best journals land top journals land free medical journals land famous journals land Google Scholar indexed journals Sun articles Sun Research articles Sun review articles Sun PubMed articles Sun PubMed Central articles Sun 2023 articles Sun 2024 articles Sun Scopus articles Sun impact factor journals Sun Scopus journals Sun PubMed journals Sun medical journals Sun free journals Sun best journals Sun top journals Sun free medical journals Sun famous journals Sun Google Scholar indexed journals Energy  articles Energy  Research articles Energy  review articles Energy  PubMed articles Energy  PubMed Central articles Energy  2023 articles Energy  2024 articles Energy  Scopus articles Energy  impact factor journals Energy  Scopus journals Energy  PubMed journals Energy  medical journals Energy  free journals Energy  best journals Energy  top journals Energy  free medical journals Energy  famous journals Energy  Google Scholar indexed journals Metabolism articles Metabolism Research articles Metabolism review articles Metabolism PubMed articles Metabolism PubMed Central articles Metabolism 2023 articles Metabolism 2024 articles Metabolism Scopus articles Metabolism impact factor journals Metabolism Scopus journals Metabolism PubMed journals Metabolism medical journals Metabolism free journals Metabolism best journals Metabolism top journals Metabolism free medical journals Metabolism famous journals Metabolism Google Scholar indexed journals carbohydrates articles carbohydrates Research articles carbohydrates review articles carbohydrates PubMed articles carbohydrates PubMed Central articles carbohydrates 2023 articles carbohydrates 2024 articles carbohydrates Scopus articles carbohydrates impact factor journals carbohydrates Scopus journals carbohydrates PubMed journals carbohydrates medical journals carbohydrates free journals carbohydrates best journals carbohydrates top journals carbohydrates free medical journals carbohydrates famous journals carbohydrates Google Scholar indexed journals food  articles food  Research articles food  review articles food  PubMed articles food  PubMed Central articles food  2023 articles food  2024 articles food  Scopus articles food  impact factor journals food  Scopus journals food  PubMed journals food  medical journals food  free journals food  best journals food  top journals food  free medical journals food  famous journals food  Google Scholar indexed journals biological diversity articles biological diversity Research articles biological diversity review articles biological diversity PubMed articles biological diversity PubMed Central articles biological diversity 2023 articles biological diversity 2024 articles biological diversity Scopus articles biological diversity impact factor journals biological diversity Scopus journals biological diversity PubMed journals biological diversity medical journals biological diversity free journals biological diversity best journals biological diversity top journals biological diversity free medical journals biological diversity famous journals biological diversity Google Scholar indexed journals environment articles environment Research articles environment review articles environment PubMed articles environment PubMed Central articles environment 2023 articles environment 2024 articles environment Scopus articles environment impact factor journals environment Scopus journals environment PubMed journals environment medical journals environment free journals environment best journals environment top journals environment free medical journals environment famous journals environment Google Scholar indexed journals

Article Details

2. Explanation

According to J.B.S Haldane [2] chemical diversity preceded biological diversity in the warmer waters of the planet whose composition he likened to “hot dilute soup”. Charles Darwin [3] postulated that all the organisms that have ever lived on this earth are descended from a single life form. As life systems evolved they eventually reached the status of the last universal common ancestor (“Luca”). As Darwin said, “there is a grandeur in this view of life”. For one thing it means we are all related. As the ultimate time binder sensu Alfred Korzybski [4] our capacity to alter habitats (roads, houses, factories, forest removal, agriculture clearings, etc) it now falls upon humans to protect the remaining biodiversity of life on earth as far as possible. The Biden administration has a target of preserving 30 % of our land area. Whether this goal is achievable remains to be seen. But ecosystems are dynamic and exchange energy, matter, and organisms with the environment. As Heraclitus, the ancient Greek philosopher noted, “no man ever steps in the same river twice because the river is not the same and the man is not the same” [5]. Every thing flows.

Thus, there is a conflict between protection, conservation, preservation, and sustainability. In practice preservation management often opts for a few charismatic species over other less favored communities. Whole lakes have been poisoned with rotenone in order to restock with favored species like certain trout. There is no doubt that hard choices will have to be made about what to preserve.

From an energetics point of view life is characterized

by the following six requirements:

  1. Free Energy Source- The Sun, negentropy (sensu Schrodinger).
  2. Cellular Structure- The basic unit of life, a manifestation of chemical bond energy
  3. Growth and Metabolism- the systematic transfer, transformation, and utilization of energy
  4. Reproduction
  5. Response to environment
  6. Death = recycling as the flow of energy through the biosphere required for sustainability of life. Everything flows sensu Korzybski [1].

Organisms come in a variety of shapes and sizes that comprises the diversity of life. For most organisms there is an optimal size for them to function in their range of habitats. However, the habitat may change due to environmental changes large and small. Organisms may adapt to these changes because of a variety of mechanisms such as natural selection, hybridization, mutation, epigenetics, and random genetic drift. Changes in an organism’s size, shape and physiology can affect the ecosystems they inhabit in many ways including survival of themselves and the other organisms in the community. Organisms can communicate in various ways and even cooperate as keystone species in various communities. Nitrogen fixation and mycorrhizae are also examples of cooperation in plants.

The development and diversification of leaves, although often over looked, was a big factor in the amplification of life on the terrestrial biosphere. Leaves enabled plants to increase photosynthesis and store vast amounts of structural and non-structural carbohydrates. This increase in carbohydrates allowed the herbivores and the carnivores that preyed on the herbivores to “live long and prosper”. Gradually the complex webs of life that we know today emerged. As organisms get larger or smaller because of habitat changes and natural selection their organs may increase or decrease disproportionally if the organ growth rate is larger or smaller than the growth rate of the whole body. This change in relative growth can happen in both phylogeny (allomorphosis) or ontogeny (heterauxesis) sensu Julian Huxley in Evolution: The Modern Synthesis [6].

Many organisms do increase in size over evolutionary time. Cope’s Rule is that in the phyletic line organisms increase in size until they become extinct. There are many examples of this rule, but there are also limits to size. Large size has many advantages in defense, competition for food and mates, survival under low temperature stress due to the decrease in area to volume in colder climates, etc. J.B.S Haldane [2] noted that a small animal may function efficiently with an uncoiled intestine and it suffices. However, if the animal increases in size the intestine must become coiled in order to absorb the additional food required by the larger size.

The environment can also cause reduction in size. The red deer of Scotland (Cervus elaphus scoticus) seldom exceeds 125 kg with antlers of 12 points. There are cave sketches in Scotland that depict a much larger animal and these were thought to be a separate species. However, when the Scottish red deer was introduced in New Zealand the “extinct species” reappeared. In New Zealand the red deer can attain 250 kg with antlers of 25 points. Adaptation can proceed in various ways. Redwoods grow fast, tall, and live long while bristlecone pines grow slow, short, but also live long. There is obviously a genetic component as well as an environmental component to variation in size and longevity. Habitat diversity promotes biological diversity.

3. Conclusion

The diversity of life is our heritage and it enriches our lives and the livability of our planet. It is our history and we need to maintain as much as we can of this marvelous beauty of life for ourselves and the generations to come. How to achieve this goal is our problem. Each case may require a different solution and management dilemmas may not be resolved in a way that satisfies all the stakeholders involved. The answer to the old question is from the sun we come and with the environment we go.

Acknowledgements

The author would like to thank Professor Emeritus Chadwick D. Oliver for his comments.

References

  1. Vernadsky V. The biosphere. Springer-Verlag, New York (1998).
  2. Haldane JBS. On being the right size. Oxford University Press, USA (1985).
  3. Darwin Charles. Origin of species. John Murray, Albemarle Street, London (1859).
  4. Korzybski Alfred. Time binding-the general theory. Institute of General semantics. Lakeville, Connecticut (1924).
  5. Graham Daniel W. Heraclitus,The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy(Summer 2021 Edition), Edward N. Zalta(ed.) Stanford, CA (2021).
  6. Huxley Julian. Evolution the modern synthesis. Harper and Brothers, New York (1943).

Journal Statistics

Impact Factor: * 3.6

CiteScore: 2.9

Acceptance Rate: 11.01%

Time to first decision: 10.4 days

Time from article received to acceptance: 2-3 weeks

Discover More: Recent Articles

Grant Support Articles

© 2016-2024, Copyrights Fortune Journals. All Rights Reserved!