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The Earth's biodiversity supports human life and society. We depend on other organisms, at least to some degree, for virtually every element of our lives. Our food, our medicines, chemicals, a variety of building materials, and much of our clothing derive from living things. Even fossil fuels such as coal and oil, which supply most of the world's power, are formed from organisms that lived millions of years ago. About 90 percent of all the calories that people consume are supplied by only about 100 kinds of plants, though there are tens of thousands of kinds of plants we might use as food. As the human population continues to grow, and as agricultural land becomes increasingly limited, the few species of plants that supply our food may no longer be sufficient. Soon people may need to look to other species to find food crops for the future. But by then, biodiversity may have diminished beyond hope. Previous Section: Realm of Ecology | Go back to: Background |