BIODIVERSITY OF THE UNITED KINGDOM

Animal diversity is modest, as a result of factors including the island's small land area, the relatively recent age of the habitats developed since the last Ice Age and the island's physical separation from continental Europe, and the effects of seasonal variability. Great Britain has also gone through industrialisation and increasing urbanisation, which have contributed towards the overall loss of species. Study from 2006 suggested that 100 species have become extinct in the UK during the 20th century, about 100 times the background extinction rate. However, some species, such as the brown rat, red fox, and introduced grey squirrel, are well adapted to urban areas.

Rodents make up 40% of the total number of mammal species in Great Britain. These include squirrels, mice, voles, rats and the recently reintroduced European beaver. There is also an abundance of rabbits, hares, hedgehogs, shrews, moles and several species of bat. Carnivorous mammals include the fox, badger, otter, weasel, stoat and elusive wildcat. Various species of seal, whale and dolphin are found on or around British shores and coastlines. The largest land-based wild animals today are deer. The red deer is the largest species, with roe deer and fallow deer also prominent; the latter was introduced by the Normans. Habitat loss has affected many species. Extinct large mammals include the brown bear, grey wolf and wild boar; the latter has had a limited reintroduction in recent times.

There is a wealth of birdlife in Britain, 583 species in total, of which 258 breed on the island or remain during winter. Because of its mild winters for its latitude, Great Britain hosts important numbers of many wintering species, particularly ducks, geese and swans. Other well known bird species include the golden eagle, grey heron, kingfisher, pigeon, sparrow, pheasant, partridge, and various species of crow, finch, gull, auk, grouse, owl and falcon. There are six species of reptile on the island; three snakes and three lizards including the legless slow worm. One snake, the adder, is venomous but rarely deadly. Amphibians present are frogs, toads and newts.

In a similar sense to fauna, and for similar reasons, the flora of Great Britain is impoverished compared to that of continental Europe. Great Britain's flora comprises 3,354 vascular plant species, of which 2,297 are native and 1,057 have been introduced into the island. The island has a wide variety of trees, including native species of birch, beech, ash, hawthorn, elm, oak, yew, pine, cherry and apple. Other trees have been naturalised, introduced especially from other parts of Europe (particularly Norway) and North America. Introduced trees include several varieties of pine, chestnut, maple, spruce, sycamore and fir, as well as cherry plum and pear trees. The tallest species are the Douglas firs; two specimens have been recorded measuring 65 meters or 212 feet. The Fortingall Yew in Perthshire is the oldest tree in Europe.

There are at least 1,500 different species of wildflower in Britain. Some 107 species are particularly rare or vulnerable and are protected by the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981. It is illegal to uproot any wildflowers without the landowner's permission. A vote in 2002 nominated various wildflowers to represent specific counties. These include red poppies, bluebells, daisies, daffodils, rosemary, gorse, iris, ivy, mint, orchids, brambles, thistles, buttercups, primrose, thyme, tulips, violets, cowslip, heather and many more. There are also many species of algae, lichens, fungi and mosses across the island.

Oral Topic

BIOLOGY

Biology is the scientific study of living things. There are more than 2 million species of living things on the earth. They range in size from microscopic bacteria to huge blue whales and towering redwood trees. Living things also differ greatly in where and how they live. However, all forms of life share certain characteristics that set them apart from nonliving things. These characteristics include the ability to reproduce, to grow, and to respond to changes in the environment.

Traditionally, biology has been divided into two major fields. Botany deals with plants, and zoology - with animals. Botany and zoology are further divided into various branches and specialized areas of study. But most branches of biology, for example, anatomy (the study of the structure of living things) and genetics (the study of heredity) apply to both plants and animals.

Biology may also be divided into ecology, physiology, and systematics. Ecology deals with the relationships among living things and between organisms and their environment. Physiology concerns life functions, such as digestion and respiration. Systematics, also called taxonomy, is the scientific classification of plants and animals.

Biologists often make use of the methods and findings of other sciences. For instance, they rely on physics and chemistry to help them understand the processes that occur in living plants and animals. They use statistics in studying changes in the size of an animal or plant population, that is, the number of organisms of a particular species in an area. Exobiologists work with astronomers in searching for life elsewhere in the universe.

Biological research has greatly affected people’s lives. For example, farm production has soared as biologists have helped develop better varieties of plants and new agricultural techniques. Discoveries in biology have enabled physicians to prevent, treat, or cure many diseases. Research on the relationships between things and their environment has helped in the management of wildlife and other natural resources.

Oral Topic

BOTANY

Botany is the branch of biology that deals with plants. It involves the study of the structure, properties and biochemical processes of all forms of plant life including trees. Also included within its scope are plant classification and the study of plant diseases and of the interactions of plants with their physical environment. Over the years various specialized branches of botany have developed, and the principles and findings of botany have provided the base on which depend such applied plant sciences as agriculture, horticulture and forestry.

Today the principal branches of botanical study are morphology, physiology, ecology and systematics (the identification and ranking of all plants). Various sub-disciplines include bryology (the study of mosses and liverworts), pteridology (the study of ferns and their relatives), paleobotany (the study of fossil plants) and palynology (the study of modern and fossil pollen and spores).

Morphology deals with the structure and form of plants and includes such subdivisions as cytology, the study of the cell; histology, the study of tissues; anatomy, the study of the organization of tissues into the organs of the plant; reproductive morphology, the study of life cycles; and experimental morphology or morphogenesis, the study of development.

Physiology deals with the functions of plants. Its development as a sub-discipline has been closely interwoven with the development of other aspects of botany, especially morphology. In fact, structure and function are sometimes so closely related that it is impossible to consider one independently of the other. The study of function is indispensable for the interpretation of the incredibly diverse nature of plant structures. Physiology also blends imperceptibly into the fields of biochemistry and biophysics as the research methods of these fields are used to solve problems in plant physiology.

Ecology deals with the mutual relationships and interactions between organisms and their physical environment. The physical factors of the atmosphere, the climate and the soil affect the physiological functions of the plant in all its manifestations, so that, to a large degree, plant ecology is a phase of plant physiology under natural and uncontrolled conditions; in fact, it has been called 'outdoor physiology'. Plants are intensely sensitive to the forces of the environment, and both their association into communities and their geographical distribution are determined largely by the character of climate and soil. Moreover, the pressures of the environment and of organisms upon each other are potent forces, which lead to new species and the continuing evolution of larger groups.

Systematics deals with the identification and ranking of all plants; it includes classification and nomenclature (naming) and enables the botanist to comprehend the broad range of plant diversity and evolution.

In addition to the major sub-disciplines, several specialized branches of botany have developed as a matter of custom or convenience. Among them are bacteriology, the study of bacteria; mycology, the study of fungi; algology or phycology, the study of algae; bryology, the study of mosses and liverworts; pteridology, the study of ferns and their relatives; and paleobotany, the study of fossil plants. Palynology is the study of modern and fossil pollen and spores, with particular reference to their identification; plant pathology deals with the diseases of plants; economic botany deals with plants of practical use to man; and ethnobotany covers the use of plants by aboriginal peoples, now and in the distant past.

Botany also relates to other scientific disciplines in many ways, especially to zoology, medicine, microbiology, agriculture, chemistry, forestry and horticulture, and specialized areas of botanical information may relate closely to such humanistic fields as art, literature, history, religion, archaeology, sociology and psychology.

Oral Topic

ZOOLOGY

Zoology is the study of animals. Zoologists try to answer many questions about animals. They conduct research to determine how animals carry out the activities of their lives, how different species are related to one another and how species have evolved. Many branches of biology deal with a particular kind of animal. Other areas of zoology deal with certain characteristics that many animals have in common.

Entomology is the study of insects, the largest group of animals. Mammalogy deals with those animals that have hair and that feed their babies on the mother's milk. Ichthyology is the study of fish. Taxonomy is the study of naming and classifying animals. Comparative anatomy is the study of differences and similarities in the body structure of different animals. Paleontology is the study of prehistoric organisms,,

Zoologists, who study embryology also called developmental biology, deal with the formation and development of organisms from fertilized eggs to birth. Physiology is the study of the function of animals. Physiologists may observe how the heart pumps blood, how nerves transmit impulses, and how muscles contract.

Other areas of zoology include genetics and ecology. Genetics is the study of heredity, passing on of characteristics from parents to their young. This field of zoology is important in breeding livestock and in understanding certain human diseases. Through genetic engineering scientists have been able to alter the genes of various organisms. Knowledge of ecology helps in managing the limited resources of the earth without harming plant and animal populations.

An important area of zoology developed in the mid-1900s. Ethology is the study of animal behavior. The Austrian naturalist Konrad Lorenz helped found this field with his study of the behavior of geese.

The study of zoology has benefited people in many ways. Human beings and animals have many similar body parts and body functions. As a result, zoology forms a basis for understanding human medicine and other health-related fields. Some animals such as certain insects and worms, can be harmful to people. Zoological research has led to better methods of dealing with such animals. Zoological studies also have helped in the management of wildlife and other natural resources and in the breeding of domestic animals.

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