As the sum of all species living in the world’s ecosystems, known as biodiversity, dwindles, so too go many of the resources on which we depend. Humans use at least 40, 000 different plant, animal, fungi, bacteria, and virus species for food, clothing, shelter, and medicines. In addition, the fresh air we breathe, the water we drink, cook, and wash with, and the many chemical cycles — including the nitrogen cycle and the carbon cycle, so vital to sustain life — depend on the continued health of ecosystems and the species within them.
- ecosystem [ˈi:kəsistəm] n.生态系统
- biodiversity [ˌbaiəudaiˈvə:səti] n.生物多样性
- dwindle [ˈdwindl] v.减少
- plant [plɑ:nt] n.植物
- animal [ˈæniməl] n. 动物
- fungi [ˈfʌndʒai] n.真菌类(singular: fungus)
- bacteria [bækˈtiəriə] n.细菌(singular: bacterium)
- virus [ˈvaiərəs] n.病毒
- chemical cycle [ˈkemikəl - ˈsaikl] n. 化学循环
- nitrogen cycle [ˈnaitrədʒən - ˈsaikl] n.氮循环
- carbon cycle [ˈkɑ:bən - ˈsaikl] n.碳循环
- vital [ˈvaitəl] adj.极重要的
- sustain [səˈstein] v.维持
