ABSTRACT
Food production and harvesting of wild species comprise the largest burden on global biodiversity of any human activity. The replacement of native ecosystems with highly simplified agricultural ecosystems displaces or eliminates native plants, animals, and habitats. The term “biodiversity,” or biological diversity, includes several aspects of biological organization that occur in wild nature and in human-dominated ecosystems. Genetic d iversity refers to individual variation in genetic makeup within species and its expression in different environmental contexts. The genetic diversity of crop and livestock species provides the basis for adaptations of local populations to the climate, soils, pests, and agronomic practices of different regions. In biology, a species is a basic unit of biological organization involving multiple, closely related individuals. Biological diversity in its several dimensions contributes to ecological processes that are essential for healthy agroecosystems. The microbial ecosystem in soils provides essential macronutrients to plants.
