Word: ecosystems
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...need to monitor coral so closely? Coral reefs constitute a complex and vast global ecosystem, home to millions of species of plants and fish that people depend on for food and tourist revenue; in some areas, healthy reefs help protect the shore from potentially destructive waves. But arguments about the preservation of biodiversity make eyes glaze over, so Hodgson, who's trying to get coral on the World Conservation Union's red and endangered species lists, likes to point out that several anticancer drugs are derived from reef species. "Maybe one day a coral will save your life," Hodgson tells...
...level predators, dolphins like the baiji are an "indicator species" - bellwethers of the general health of an ecosystem. Their disappearance bodes ill for the Yangtze, which supports more than 400 million people, roughly 6% of the world's total population. Wang says the Yangtze is relatively unpolluted. But untrammeled commerce and massive hydrological projects like the Three Gorges Dam have dramatically altered the river's landscape. With as many as 60 boats per km of river in some areas, the Yangtze already looks less like a river than a highway during rush hour. "Baiji...
...20th century, trashing eons of delicate natural plumbing to make way for Florida sugar farms and ranch houses. Only in 2000 did the Florida and federal governments finally seem to acknowledge that the 18,000-square-mile "River of Grass" was not a swamp but a unique and vital ecosystem. They embarked on a $10 billion, 20-year project to restore the Everglades to something like its original state...
...they melt, the bergs are releasing that highly nutritious dust, which feeds phytoplankton, a microscopic form of oceanic plant life on which shrimplike krill feed. The result, says Smith: "There is an accumulation of organisms around icebergs, and this goes through the food chain up to seabirds." The iceberg ecosystem could extend to seals and penguins as well, although there's no proof of that yet. With an estimated 1,000 icebergs in the Weddell Sea, the overall boost in biological productivity in the chilly waters could be enormous...
According to Smith, the regions of the country where invasive plant species are most widespread are those under the most pressure to develop, such as suburban communities, summer vacation spots or natural-resource extraction sites. Like a body with a weak immune system, Smith says, "An ecosystem under stress is ripe for invasion by non-native plants...