WEBVTT Kind: captions Language: en-US 00:00:01.001 --> 00:00:03.003 Hi, I’m DyShauna, and I live in Northern Michigan. 00:00:04.004 --> 00:00:07.408 Home to lots of snow, and lots of trees. 00:00:08.008 --> 00:00:14.014 Despite the fact that I’m surrounded by nature, I never really took the time to truly understand the variety of life around me. 00:00:15.015 --> 00:00:16.917 Until curiosity got the best of me. 00:00:17.685 --> 00:00:20.121 After a quick Google search, I had my answer. 00:00:22.022 --> 00:00:24.892 What is biodiversity, you ask? 00:00:24.892 --> 00:00:32.076 Well here’s the definition: The variety of life in the world or in a particular habitat or ecosystem 00:00:32.076 --> 00:00:37.267 So now I have my definition, but why is it important? 00:00:37.267 --> 00:00:44.902 There are about three trillion trees on planet earth, according to a former employee at Yale’s school of forestry and environmental studies 00:00:45.901 --> 00:00:47.901 Three Trillion. 00:00:47.901 --> 00:00:51.479 11.4 billion of those trees are found in Michigan. 00:00:51.479 --> 00:00:57.101 Despite the various trunks, branches, and even leaves of these trees, 00:00:57.101 --> 00:01:02.707 every single one grows the same way, using the same mechanisms to grow tall and strong 00:01:02.707 --> 00:01:08.461 They begin their journey with a single seed, carried by: 00:01:08.461 --> 00:01:10.728 wind, water, or animals 00:01:10.728 --> 00:01:17.601 Once it finds a suitable environment, it will begin to germinate using the nutrients brought with it from its parent tree 00:01:17.601 --> 00:01:23.034 Soil nutrients, water, and correct temperature are required for the growth of a seed 00:01:23.034 --> 00:01:26.690 Tree growth does not occur at the base of a tree like many would think 00:01:26.690 --> 00:01:30.394 rather it grows from the tips of the branches and through the root system. 00:01:30.394 --> 00:01:36.301 It advances through the stages from seed, to seedling, to sapling, according to its height for the species 00:01:36.301 --> 00:01:41.760 a tree is not classified as such until it reaches just under twelve inches in diameter 00:01:43.334 --> 00:01:47.201 These trees are so different, yet they bring every form of life together. 00:01:47.201 --> 00:01:50.377 They become a home for birds and small animals alike 00:01:50.377 --> 00:01:58.701 They’re forested into lumber to provide building materials that create: benches, flooring, and even homes 00:02:00.000 --> 00:02:04.634 dead trees are also put to good use by igniting campfires and warming homes. 00:02:04.634 --> 00:02:10.701 Forests become a camouflage for animals hiding from prey, whether it be hunters or other predators. 00:02:10.701 --> 00:02:17.267 Oxygen is directly dispersed from the trees, allowing life for every human and animal. 00:02:17.267 --> 00:02:24.050 From the smallest of sprouts to the tallest of trees, we are united by them. 00:02:24.050 --> 00:02:27.835 So, what does biodiversity mean to me? 00:02:27.835 --> 00:02:31.501 It allows us to laugh together 00:02:31.501 --> 00:02:34.401 to live together 00:02:34.401 --> 00:02:37.267 to play together 00:02:37.267 --> 00:02:39.835 and even to breathe together 00:02:39.835 --> 00:02:45.354 So to me, biodiversity is unity.