Biodiversity
Welcome to c/Biodiversity @ Mander.xyz!
A community about the variety of life on Earth at all levels; including plants, animals, bacteria, and fungi.
Notice Board
This is a work in progress, please don't mind the mess.
2023-06-16: We invite our users to contribute resources for the sidebar.
2023-06-15: Looking for mods!
About
Biodiversity is a term used to describe the enormous variety of life on Earth. It can be used more specifically to refer to all of the species in one region or ecosystem. Biodiversity refers to every living thing, including plants, bacteria, animals, and humans. Scientists have estimated that there are around 8.7 million species of plants and animals in existence. However, only around 1.2 million species have been identified and described so far, most of which are insects. This means that millions of other organisms remain a complete mystery.
Over generations, all of the species that are currently alive today have evolved unique traits that make them distinct from other species. These differences are what scientists use to tell one species from another. Organisms that have evolved to be so different from one another that they can no longer reproduce with each other are considered different species. All organisms that can reproduce with each other fall into one species. Read more...
Rules
- Don't throw mud. Be kind and remember the human.
- Keep it rooted (on topic).
- No spam.
Quick Links
Resources
- The Convention on Biological Diversity (UN)
- The Biodiversity Heritage Library
- Maps of the World's Biodiversity
- Ecosystems and Human Well-Being (free e-book)
- Falling Fruit: Map of the Urban Harvest
Bypass Paywalls
- On Ethics 1 2 3 4
- WaybackMachine (archive.org)
- Behind the Overlay Browser Extension
- ladder
- Anna's Archive
- Bypass Paywalls Browser Extension (see readme for Chrome & mobile options.)
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Memes
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TL;DR: A highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) strain, H5N1, is causing significant mortality among elephant seal pups in Patagonia, Argentina, with an estimated 17,000 deaths in 2023. This event is notable for its scale and suggests mammal-to-mammal transmission, raising concerns about the virus's potential to spread among other mammals, including humans.
Massive Elephant Seal Mortality: Nearly 96% of elephant seal pups at three breeding sites in Patagonia died due to H5N1, contrasting sharply with the previous year's successful weaning of 18,000 pups.
Mammal-to-Mammal Transmission: The seals likely had little interaction with infected birds, indicating a possible mammal-to-mammal transmission route.
Global Impact of H5N1: The virus has affected over 150 bird species worldwide, causing significant deaths in bird populations in South America, Greece, and the Netherlands.
Spread Among Mammals: H5N1 has been detected in various mammals, including pumas, foxes, skunks, brown bears, and endangered Caspian seals, with a polar bear death reported in Alaska.
Human Health Concerns: The World Health Organization urges preparedness for potential human spillover. Human infections are rare but could become more common if the virus evolves to transmit more easily between mammals.
Call for Collaborative Approach: There's a need for a global, collaborative effort to monitor bird flu strains and develop vaccines to prevent another pandemic.