Biodiversity in the Klamath Region

Welcome to the wonderful world of Biodiversity. Here you will journey through the Klamath region discovering the unique and amazing diversity that makes this area one of the biodiversity hot spots in the world. Experience the uniqueness of the six National Parks within the Klamath Region and learn how they contribute to and conserve the breathtaking biodiversity of the area.

What is Biodiversity?

Biodiversity is short for Biological Diversity, and is defined as,

ALL THE INDIVIDUALS AND SPECIES LIVING IN AN AREA AND THEIR INTERACTIONS WITH THEIR ENVIRONMENT!

No one really knows the exact number of species in the world. Scientists believe the total number of species on Earth could range from 1.75 million to 100 million. Many of the world’s species are known to occur in the tropical rainforest of South America, Africa and Asia, but what’s interesting is that right here in our own backyard we have an area of extraordinary biodiversity known as the Klamath Region, one of the biodiversity treasure troves of the temperate latitudes. Although biodiversity implies complexity in all its forms, we will explore the three different levels of biodiversity below, more fully in the following pages:

1. Ecosystems- these are the homes or habitats that plants and animals live in, such as rainforests, coral reefs, or streams. Ecosystems include both the living and nonliving parts. A stream ecosystem includes the fish, plants, and invertebrates as well as the water, rocks and dead wood. The biodiversity of an ecosystem can be thought of as the number of species, the major physical features, and the connections between them.

2. Species – these are the different types of organisms you see when walking through a forest, grassland, or marsh, such as butterflies, fish, birds or pine trees. When scientists ask, “what is the species biodiversity in an area?” they want to know how many different plants and animals live in an area.

3. Genetic – this is the variety of genes that make up a plant or animal. Genes decide what an organism looks like and allows them special ways to adapt to their environment. Genetic biodiversity gives us a variety of fruits and vegetables, diversity of bird songs to listen to and an assortment of tall conifer trees to admire.

Now you are equipped with some starting knowledge to begin your adventure. You will learn about the biodiversity of the Klamath region, why biodiversity is important, and what threatens biodiversity. You will also take a peek at how the national parks in the area are conserving biodiversity. We are all interconnected in this world and what affects our environment effects us.

Photos by the National Park Service except where credited

An Outreach and Education Project made possible by the National Park Service, Klamath Network Inventory and Monitoring and Southern Oregon University