-----------------------------------------------------------------------
  **U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service**

  -----------------------------------------------------------------------

BioBlitz Press Kit

*Deer Flat National Wildlife Refuge*

13751 Upper Embankment Road, Nampa, ID 83686

208/467 9278 Fax: 208 467-1019 http://deerflat.fws.gov

May 2006

**Background Information about Biodiversity**

Dorothy, the scarecrow, and the tin man watched for "lions and tigers
and bears" as they followed the yellow brick road toward Oz. Like
Dorothy, many of us think mostly about the large, furry, and feathered
when we think about the natural world. However, of the 1.4 million
described species, only about 4,000 are mammals and 9,500 are birds.
What about the dandelions, tiger salamanders, and woolly bears?

The variety of life in all its forms is referred to as biological
diversity, or biodiversity. Unfortunately, biodiversity is declining.
Just in North America, over 600 species have gone extinct since 1642,
from the Passenger Pigeon and the Las Vegas leopard frog to the
Steller's sea lion and the Florida fairy shrimp. The populations of many
other species have declined, making them more vulnerable to extinction.

Should you care about declining biodiversity? You decide after reading
some of the many "services" provided by living things.

-   Biodiversity saves lives. Aspirin, cortisone, digitalis, penicillin,
    and many other prescription and non-prescription drugs are derived
    from living things. Could there be other life-saving drugs we
    haven't yet discovered?

-   Biodiversity produces food. Many native plants and agricultural
    crops would not produce fruits without pollinators like bees,
    butterflies, beetles, bats, and birds. Although honeybees do
    pollinate some crops, domestic hives are vulnerable to parasites and
    diseases. Having a variety of natural pollinators makes us less
    reliant on honeybee populations that might crash.

-   Biodiversity cleans up. Although we don't often stop to appreciate
    worms, bacteria, and other decomposers, without them waste products
    and dead animals and plants would soon be everywhere. Also, wetland
    plants trap pollutants and help clean water.

-   Biodiversity provides resilience. Just as a diverse investment
    portfolio helps protect a portfolio in the financial markets,
    biologically diverse systems are better able to react to
    disturbances ranging from disease to global warming.

-   Biodiversity controls pests. For example, spiders provide an
    important service by keeping insect populations in balance. A
    decline in spider diversity would probably result in many more
    insect-borne diseases like West Nile virus and malaria.

From the air we breathe to the water we drink to the food we eat,
biodiversity benefits people. Biodiversity also inspires awe and wonder,
and the benefit of that is priceless. As she headed toward Oz, maybe
Dorothy should also have been on the lookout for ant lions, tiger
lilies, and water bears!

![](media/image1.png){width="0.4688976377952756in"
height="0.5625984251968504in"}![](media/image2.png){width="0.5937007874015748in"
height="0.5937007874015748in"}\--FWS\--