Life existing on our planet makes the Earth a very special place.  But the true key to the uniqueness of our planet is found in the diversity of its biomes.  Organisms have adapted to the  distinctive climates and competition levels of the biomes in a wide variety of life forms.  From the massive humpback whale to the microscopic phytoplankton, from the kangaroo rat in the desert to the penguin in Antarctica, from the flamboyant peacock to the hidden chameleon, the fact that life exists on the Earth in such a wide range of variety is something to be celebrated.  

Unfortunately, the biodiversity of our planet is threatened.  While the extinction of a species is believed to be part of the natural process of evolution, the rate at which species are becoming threatened, endangered and extinct has risen dramatically over the last 100-200 years.  Scientists estimate that through hunting, habitat destruction and pollution, that rate of extinction is currently at least 1000 times faster than at any other time in the last 65 million years.  

How will the irreversible loss of species affect the the ecosystems of the biomes you have learned about?  How will it affect our planet?  What, if anything, can we do to slow the rate of extinction and to preserve the biodiversity of the Earth?