Before I talk about biodiversity in Japan, I'd like to talk a bit about biodiversity in general. Basically, Biodiversity is the variety of all living things (plants, animals, fungi etc.) in a given area. Our world has an insane amount of diversity. Think about all the plants and animals you see on a daily basis outside your home. Maybe you'll see 20, 50, a couple hundred? The Earth contains millions of species; and that's just what we've been able to find.
All this biodiversity isn't just aesthetic. All living things are connected in a great web of resources and feedback systems. An ecosystem is thought to be in a healthy state if its biodiversity level is high. This is because ecosystems with a greater variety of species tend to be more resilient; the more strings that support the system, the less likely it is to collapse after a disturbance occurs.
Biodiversity varies a lot depending on where you are. Some places are naturally overflowing with an immense amount of species. These "hotspots" for diversity can be found in lots of places from Australia, to Madagascar to Japan. Since I'm currently living in Japan, I think it's appropriate that I tell you what I learned about Japan's biodiversity.
All this biodiversity isn't just aesthetic. All living things are connected in a great web of resources and feedback systems. An ecosystem is thought to be in a healthy state if its biodiversity level is high. This is because ecosystems with a greater variety of species tend to be more resilient; the more strings that support the system, the less likely it is to collapse after a disturbance occurs.
Biodiversity varies a lot depending on where you are. Some places are naturally overflowing with an immense amount of species. These "hotspots" for diversity can be found in lots of places from Australia, to Madagascar to Japan. Since I'm currently living in Japan, I think it's appropriate that I tell you what I learned about Japan's biodiversity.
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