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Ecosystem Diversity
Ecosystem diversity or habitat diversity refers to the number and variety of ecosystems in a particular area based on variations in climate, topography, soil type and other physical factors.

Levels of diversity within an ecosystem:
 * Species Richness: the number of species per area is a measure of richness
 * Genetic Variations: diversity within a species is necessary to maintain diversity among species and yield survival against changing environments

Flora and Fauna
The interactions between the flora and fauna contribute to the functioning, sustainability and balance (homeostasis) of the ecosystem. For example, a large ecosystem can support a greater quantity of organisms. However, if the forest were to get smaller, the organisms would relocate or become extinct from lack of food resources in the reduced area. Flora and fauna diversity is an important descriptor of ecosystems. The components or species in an ecosystem interact and restrict each other through the flows of energy, materials, and information. The differences in the characteristics of physiology, ecology and distribution of each component and in the interacting patterns among components lead to the diversity of ecosystems.

Rainforest Ecosystem Diversity
A terrestrial ecosystem, such as the rainforest, is a vast forest biome that is characterized by high annual rainfall. They are very dense, warm and wet. Rainforests are havens for a variety of flora and fauna and are vital to the ecology of the Earth; as the plants of them generate much of the Earth's oxygen.

Fundamental Unit of a Terrestrial Ecosystem
Secondary to the sun, the flora in a rainforest are the building blocks of this system because they have adapted to the small amount of sunlight that they receive. Without them, the primary, secondary and tertiary consumers would not be in existence.

Ecosystem Services
Biodiversity of flora and fauna boosts the ecosystem’s productivity where each species, no matter how small, all have an important role to play. According to the United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP) biodiversity provides many services such as :
 * Food, Fuel and Fibre
 * Shelter
 * Detoxifies/Decomposes
 * Renewal
 * Purifies
 * Stabilizes
 * Pollination
 * Reproduction

Functions for Survival
All these components and many others play a significant role in maintaining life support systems for the long term of an ecosystem. However, some of these components are more important than others in influencing specific ecosystem services. For example, tropical forests having a numerous and diverse range of plants aids in maintaining ecosystem integrity. Experiments have shown that the stability of ecosystem function increases with greater community diversity. It has been noted that high levels of biodiversity tend to increase the stability and resilience of ecological systems. Tropical forests play a significant role in the world's climate system because they soak up carbon dioxide and use it to grow leaves, branches and roots. Therefore, having more floras make the rainforest more resilient to the undesirable effects of climate change. (See Figure 2 plot of the residuals of an area/stability relationship aganist the residuals of an area/species-richness relationship )

Challenges
Rainforests provide water, timber, and pulp for residential and industrial use and are an important sink for atmospheric carbon dioxide. Long-term changes in the mean and variance of air temperature, precipitation, atmospheric carbon dioxide, and ozone could have a significant impact on forest processes in the next century. In the face of large-scale disruptions of the ecosphere – logging, mining, damming and pollution, for example – there is a great fear of loss of biodiversity. Deforestation, the clearing of trees and transformation of a forest into empty land, has the greatest impact in tropical areas because of the potentially massive loss of biodiversity. Therefore, less vegetation is remaining to compensate for the loss of flora and extra carbon dioxide. In rainforests, precipitation is heavy (1700–10,000 mm) with either no dry season or a short dry period with fewer than four consecutive months experiencing less than 100 mm. This climatic favourability provides optimum conditions for plant growth. As a result, large populations emerge, which incorporates healthy genetic diversity and reduces extinction.

Interaction of Flora and Fauna for Success
Flora and fauna interactions are substantial in this ecosystem. There are many complex adaptations to facilitate these interactions, which include not only adverse interactions such as herbivory but mutually beneficial ones such as pollination and fruit dispersal. For example, fauna are in part responsible for keeping the rainforest alive, by spreading seeds through defecation. Without them, many plant species cannot propagate, and will disappear. In contrast, through photosynthesis, floras take in carbon dioxide and give off oxygen to provide fauna with oxygen for their survival.

Interaction of Flora and Fauna for Success
Underwater ecosystems are diverse, ranging from a simple meadow, sea forest, or beautiful coral reefs. Each can have their own preference of water temperature, location and provide homes for countless creatures. Coral reefs are the most diverse in ocean systems and have been referred to as the Rain Forests of the Sea. These sprawling underwater landscapes are built mostly from organisms of the Scleractinia family; skeleton-forming relatives of sea anemones.

The utmost basic unit of an ocean ecosystem is the flora, which are the plants that create the coral reefs, sea meadows, and sea forests. Flora produces nutrients via photosynthesis, digestion, and fauna defecation. The nutrients are then distributed through the sea water and fertilize habitats for the sea life. Also, this biome provides shelter to many, as well as hunting grounds for other larger creatures. Furthermore, the flora filter, cleanse and provide oxygen to the water.

Every ecosystem performs certain functions that are critically important for organisms. One of the most important functions of ocean ecosystems is the production of plant biomass from sunlight and nutrients (primary productivity), which represents the basic food source for all life in the ocean. Around half of the worldwide primary productivity is achieved by microscopically small plants, the phytoplankton, which grow and divide in the ocean. Also, coral reefs provide additional services such as:


 * Homes for Fauna
 * Water Filtration
 * Digestion of Old Coral
 * Nutrient Production/Absorption
 * Hunting Waters
 * Oxygen Production
 * Self-Sustainability (reproduction of self)
 * Homoeostasis

The reef’s diverse structure provides a base for fauna to create shelter, obtain food, and, in turn, pollinate the reef. Many different types of algae settle on ocean rocks forming a hard or soft coating. This coating provides food and a new base for reefs to grow, thus providing more food sources to smaller fish. The overall function of a coral reef's survival does not simply lie in the types of coral itself, but it lies within the countless organisms that call them home, all of which contribute to its survival.

Coral reefs are constantly challenged and are unnoticed until it is too late. Some corals can not simply be replanted, as they need to attach themselves to rocks or other bases before they can grow. The biggest threat to coral reefs is from human activities. Human populations often reside near significant coral populations where overfishing and dredging (breaking of coral roots/disturbance of ocean beds) occur. Also, the oil industry has a large effect on the ocean ecosystem. Oil spills are immensely difficult to clean up, which impact the smaller sea plants that can not cope with the harmful repercussions. Coral Disease (degradation of the cells and structure) has emerged as a serious threat to coral reefs worldwide and a major cause of reef deterioration. Disease can easily be spread by fish feeding on the infected coral, then feeding on a healthy coral, and transmission occurs via the fish population. Research suggests that important drivers of coral disease include climate warming, and other anthropogenic stressors such as land-based pollution, sedimentation, overfishing, and human use.

Like many plants, coral reproduces sexually, either by the release of its individual spores or aided by fish eating the plants to loosen the spores into the water. Fauna thrives in a fertile area of substance and rarely leaves the reef for open water. The formation of the coral forms small areas for fish to find shelter from predators, holes for eel’s to hide and hunt in. The flora is, for the most part, self-sustaining and at times depends on the fish around them to loosen or break parts of its coral so that it can grow in a new area. This interaction aids in the reproductive process which in turn brings about ecosystem success.