Home
Biodiversity

About This Collection

Biodiversity refers to the variety of life in the world or in a particular habitat or ecosystem. It is necessary for life to thrive on Earth.

Aldo Leopold, one of the great thinkers of conservation, observed more than half a century ago the importance of protecting species. "To keep every cog and wheel is the first precaution of intelligent tinkering," he wrote. Losing species is like throwing away one by one the engine parts of an airplane while flying.

Biodiversity is a major initiative of Conservation International.

Biodiversity conservation provides substantial benefits to meet immediate human needs, such as those for clean, consistent water flows; protection from floods and storms; and a stable climate. 

Curated by mokiethecat

Wasps Fight Back With Spiky Genitalia
January 25, 2023
Researchers discovered that male mason wasps have evolved a self-defense trick to ward off hungry predators: using spiked genitals to mimic a female sting. Females of this wasp species have egg-laying organs called ovipositors, from which their venomous stingers evolved. Male wasps don’t have stingers, but tree frogs — who love to chomp on wasps — can’t usually tell their sex right away. So males can fake a stinger using spines on their reproductive organs, called aedeagi (the insect versions of penises). A 2022 study showed this fake-it-till-you-make-it strategy worked about 35% of the time. Not bad, unless you compare it to the 87% escape rate of females with the real deal. ************** About the Center: The Center for Biological Diversity is a 501c3 nonprofit headquartered in Tucson, Arizona. At the Center, we believe that the welfare of human beings is deeply linked to nature — to the existence in our world of a vast diversity of wild animals and plants. Because diversity has intrinsic value, and because its loss impoverishes society, we work to secure a future for all species, great and small, hovering on the brink of extinction. We do so through science, law and creative media, with a focus on protecting the lands, waters and climate that species need to survive. We want those who come after us to inherit a world where the wild is still alive. Where to find us: WEBSITE: https://www.biologicaldiversity.org/ TWITTER: https://twitter.com/CenterForBioDiv FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/CenterforBioDiv/ INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/centerforbiodiv/ TIKTOK: https://www.tiktok.com/@centerforbiodiv TAKE ACTION: https://www.biologicaldiversity.org/action/alerts/ For questions or media inquiries, email us at center@biologicaldiversity.org.