Savage
Beauty
Orchids boast a profound beauty
- which seems to originate at the beginning of time.
In fact, according to data circulating on the always-well-informed
Internet,
orchids have been around for at least 120 million
years.
Since then they have proliferated
and spread throughout the world, with the exception
of the ice-covered poles or the deserts. They are
most abundant in tropical areas. There are 25,000
to 30,000 varieties of orchids in the forests, that
is, naturally occurring orchids.
When talking about these flowers
it is necessary to clarify whether one is speaking
of natural species because there are numerous varieties
in existence that have been created by humans who
have been captivated by the orchid's savage beauty.
This obsession, one that can
be traced back to ancient civilizations, has generated
an entire ''culture'' surrounding the orchid, and
includes gardening techniques, vast numbers of scientific
classifications, societies
and clubs of orchid hobbyists, trade, expositions,
a specialized
vocabulary, literature and art - especially photography.
The flower from the family orchidaceae,
which possesses a complex
biology, thrives in greenhouse gardens around
the world. But in nature, these beauties face the
same dangers as their natural habitat: the forest.
The world of the orchid is shrinking due to widespread
deforestation.
To enter the world of orchids
on the Internet:
Obsession
with Orchids - PBS
Orchid
House
OrchidWeb.org
Directory:
Orchids on the Internet
All
About Orchids
Inhabitants
of the Water
When we think about fish, we
always imagine water too, their natural world. Fish
have inhabited water nearly since life began on Earth,
when the evolutionary process was initiated that has
led to an enormous family: 20,000 to 30,000 different
species of fish have been recorded.
The Encyclopedia
Britannica defines fish as ''any of a variety
of cold-blooded vertebrate animals (phylum Chordata)
found in the fresh and salt waters of the world.''
Any journey through the Internet's
world of fish found quickly reveals the meaning of
''ichthyology'': the science dedicated to the study
of these cold-blooded aquatic vertebrates. The cyber-excursion
also allows the traveler to explore the worlds of
scientific classifications,
glossaries,
collections,
digital
aquariums, and even mythology.
Fish constitute an essential
part of life on this planet, and they are key to the
aquatic ecosystems that cover more than three-quarters
of the Earth's surface. As far as their connection
to humans, fish provide an important source of protein,
though over-exploitation of this natural resource
has caused profound distortions in the environment.
Following is a guide for beginning
your navigation through the watery world of fish:
Encyclopedia
Britannica: Fish
Australian
Museum: Fish
More
than 100 Aquariums on Yahoo!
Fish:
Frequently Asked Questions
List
of Fish Species
Vital
Systems
Ecosystems are the arena in which
life flourishes on this planet. The relationships
between organisms of any kind and the physical elements
around them reach a state of equilibrium within these
systems, allowing life to sustain itself over time.
But this balance can be disrupted, and is occurring
increasingly often here on Earth.
As far as definitions
go, ecosystems are the connections that are established
between living entities and the physical medium in
a determined location. But an ecosystem can have a
broad scope: the largest of all is our planet, and
the smallest… it could be the tiny drop of water that
is home to microorganisms.
Within an ecosystem, living organisms
interact with the existing physical components: light,
temperature, water, soil, and with each other.
The forest is used most often
to represent an ecosystem, and the degradation that
occurs when trees are cut down provides a clear example
of the impacts of human tampering.
Late last year, the Washington-based
World Resources Institute (WRI) and the United Nations
Environment Program (UNEP) presented a disturbing
report on the health of the world's ecosystems,
showing that they are deteriorating at an alarming
rate.
''Every measure used by scientists
to assess the health of the world's ecosystems tells
us that we are drawing on them more than ever and
degrading them at an accelerating pace,'' stressed
Klaus Töpfer, UNEP executive director.
''We depend on ecosystems to
sustain us, and their continued good health depends,
in turn, on how we take care of them,'' he stated.
People
and Ecosystems - A Report by the World Resources Institute
Tierramérica:
What is an ecosystem?
What
is a Biome?
The
World's Biomes
WildWorld:
Eco-regions of the world - National Geographic
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