KhizooologyThe Diversity of Life
Life’s variety has a history and a future.
Big Idea
Wilson explains biodiversity as the result of evolutionary change and argues that humans must protect the ecological conditions supporting it.
Species Are Related
The variety of living things reflects branching histories of common ancestry and change.
New Opportunities
Adaptive radiation means related species diversify as they occupy different ecological roles.
Extinction Changes the Tree
Past catastrophes removed lineages and reshaped the possibilities for later life.
Much Remains Unknown
The living world includes vast numbers of organisms that people have scarcely studied.
Protect Systems
Wilson’s conservation argument concerns habitats and relationships as well as individual endangered species.
Khizooo Take
When considering conservation, ask which habitat and relationships sustain a species instead of focusing only on its name.
Remember
A living system is more than a list of species.