Earth is a beautiful planet. With a warm sun and oceans of water, life has flourished on it. Wherever you go on this planet, something will catch your eye, be it plants, flowers, or animals. There are mainly two important components of any ecosystem.
Of all the life forms on the planet, two of them (plants and animals) are the most prevalent, accessible, and observable.
Of course, there are other life forms on Earth that are less prevalent and that we cannot see with the naked eye. That is why the flora (plants) and fauna (wildlife) of our planet is fascinating.
In this age of intense technology, humans interact with gadgets in record numbers, and at the same time are arguably becoming more dissociated with the real thing, accepting a digital interface to engage with nature.
When the time for vacation rolls around, they satisfy that urge by visiting turbulent areas of the world to have the opportunity to hike up wild trails or set out on day trips to see hordes of fearless animals.
The presence of flora and fauna serves to permit those opportunities in locales around the world.
Flora and fauna are Latin words. Flora refers to the goddess of flowers and also can be derived from the word floral, which is related to flowers. Therefore, flora is a class of indigenous plants in an ecosystem of a geographic region.
The word fauna has a much misty origin. Fauna refers to a goddess of fertility from Roman mythology and is sometimes referred to as fauns, which means simply forest spirits. Thus, fauna is a class of indigenous animals of any geographic region.
In summation, floral and fauna were the words coined by biologists to refer to the aggregate of plants and animals native to a certain geographic region.
You may hear a reference in this manner, for example, the flora and fauna of India, you may hear the flora and fauna of Indonesia, and so forth.
What is Flora?
Flora is the term for the plant life that either grows or grew in a particular region or at some point in time. Flora usually refers to the native plant life in a certain area, but it may also include newly introduced species. Flora and fauna are both words of Latin origin.
In Latin, “Flora” was the goddess of flowers and plants. She was also the goddess of fertility in Roman mythology.
So, the term for the plant kingdom became Flora. The investigation of plant life on a global basis is interesting, since it leads to different classifications of flora.
Plant life on this earth can be separated in different ways, but the simplest is by region. Plants that grow only in the mountains will be very different from those that grow only in the desert.
Likewise, plants that grow exclusively submerged in water are also considered a unique form of flora. Scientists can also study ‘Fossil Flora,’ which includes plant life found in prehistoric times.
Current flora and fauna can also be categorized by what environment they are growing in, or where one would find their life cycles occurring naturally.
When we use the term ‘Native Flora’, we are discussing the plant life native to a specific region. Cacti are the native flora of deserts all over the globe.
Cacti can actually grow in most climates, but they are endemic, or native, to the arid sandy desert landscape. When we refer to ‘Agricultural Flora’, we are referring to plants that humans have cultivated for some particular purpose.
They may or may not be native to that region, but humans raised them for human consumption or some other reason. Garden Flora, or Horticultural Flora, is the term used for a plant that has been cultivated mainly for aesthetic purposes.
And then there is Weed Flora, or simply ‘weeds’, which are plants that are either considered undesirable to a landscape, or invasive to the native plant life within that habitat.
What is Fauna?
Fauna refers to the collective animal life that once inhabited an area or time. The word has three beginnings in Latin. Fauna was the name of a Roman goddess associated with fertility and the earth, and there was a god named Faunus, along with fauns (forest spirits).
Both flora and fauna of the earth are organized as well. Fauna is categorized into many subdivisions. However, these subdivisions are much more complex than floral subdivisions because animal life has evolved into many more forms.
The starting point is the Animal Kingdom alone is Fauna. However, it is composed of “Avifauna,” birds and “Piscifauna,” fish as the basic classifications.
These are easy classifications, because they do not represent the small single-celled life forms of bacteria and viruses that comprise animal life.
They also do not include microscopic life forms that are everywhere, but simply not visible to the human eye. These organisms are grouped with the term “Microfauna.”
The community we see of accounts for plenty of earth’s flora and fauna, but there is an enormous amount that has not been even discovered or scientifically classified.
This laid foundation for scientific classifications like “Cryptofauna,” like animals that exist at extremely low populations counts or the non-extant of mythological beings.
“Microfauna,” is used to describe animals that are less than a millimeter in size, and “Megafauna” does correspond to large populations of animal that we all see in our transitory lives.
For multiple reasons planet Earth is indeed a blessed place in more ways than one. We have ecological systems that are complex and consume some of our external resources while making our planet one of beauty.
Many of these cultures would not be surviving today without the world’s extraordinary flora and fauna.
Importance of Flora and Fauna
Flora and fauna represent the true beauty of planet Earth and allow us humans to maximize a variety of benefits, such as:
#1. Maintains ecological balance.
While all species share the same planet, nature can exist without us, but we can’t exist without nature. Plants breed and release oxygen for animals to breathe, and in turn, animals breed and release carbon dioxide for plants to photosynthesize. It’s a symbiotic relationship.
In the same way, we can’t get by without plants or animals. The oxygen that we breathe in comes from plants and the carbon dioxide we release is important for plants.
Even on a small scale, every plant and animal plays a part in the environment that another plant or animal (including humans) will rely upon.
The relationship between every organism or species creates an equilibrium of life that allows the cycle of life to persist.
We also benefit greatly from plants and animals in terms of food, medicine, and water sources. Our primary source of food comes from plants and animals.
Within our medicinal repertoire, over 90% comes from plants. Without plants, there would be no water, which means we would be completely distinct organisms.
We are all connected through a food chain that is based on animals. Animals provide a balance by consuming plant and animal species, preventing a potential uncontrolled population increase.
Animals also enable rare plant species and mushrooms to grow when pollinating the surrounding plants.
Animal waste is fertilizer for plants. When animals die, they provide mineral supplements for plants. Microorganisms gain copious amounts of food from animal waste on the surface of the earth.
#2. Aesthetic value.
Humans clearly enjoy places with nature because of their beauty and aesthetics. Many prefer places of nature, including forests, natural areas, parks, and other areas with greenery.
Humans also enjoy going to water areas, like beaches, lakes, rivers, oceans, and many more, because of the beauty that is at least partially contributed by the vegetation and living things.
Statistics from around the world tell the story: on an annual basis, nearly 8 billion people visit beautiful, safeguarded areas of nature for example, national parks, recreational areas, indigenous forests, historical sites, wildlife refuges, and wild and scenic rivers to see and experience the beauty of these places. This further highlights the value of vegetation and living things in our everyday lives.
#3. Expands local economies.
Flora and fauna are major contributors to the economy of most of the world when it comes to tourism.
For example, the flora and fauna in the Amazon draw numerous scientists and tourists, with estimates of an 8.2 billion dollar contribution to the Brazilian economy, just for the Amazon rainforest.
Exotic vacation spots such as the Caribbean, Bahamas, Panama, Indonesia, among others, offer more tourism than any country due to the wide variety of flora and fauna.
More than just a tourism attraction, flora and fauna will also bolster the local economy by providing jobs, wealth, and income for the local people and population. They are used for food, decorations, pets and consumer products.
Examples of Flora
Having learned different categories of Flora above, we can derive some of its examples which include:
#1. Manchineel tree.
The plant is a flowering plant in the spurge family. The species originates in northern South America and southern North America. It has grapes that can cause rashes when wet.
You shouldn’t shelter under it when it’s raining due to a milk that can burn and blister, also do not eat the fruits, these fruits can cause the same reaction in your mouth and throat.
#2. Giant redwood trees.
We’re familiar with the trees common in our local parks. However, some species exist that grow to amazing sizes. The Giant Redwood tree is one such example.
These trees are the largest and tallest of all trees on the planet. One was reported to be over 350 feet tall. They are listed as endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.
Giant Redwoods are native along the north coast of California, and mostly around the Sierra National Forest. The dampness and heavy rain also are a factor in its amazing growth rate.
The nature of the growth of these trees allows the roads around the Sequoia National Park to actually snake through the trees. The canopy of these trees makes a habitat for many kinds of birds alone, and forest areas like this generally harbor other species as well.
#3. Nepenthes.
Giant redwood and Manchineel trees use the sun’s rays to produce food through the process of photosynthesis. However, other plant species are more aggressive about how they produce food.
Nepenthe is one example; a member of the pitcher plant group, it is native to the jungles of Borneo and has modified leaves to create a large pitcher.
The pitcher has a sweet-smelling, liquid that attracts insects and small frog species. The insects and frogs fall into the pitcher but cannot climb back out from the smooth, slick, exterior of the pitcher.
The pitcher even has digestive fluids that begin acting immediately, digesting the insects and frogs to get the nutrients from outside the soil.
#4. Welwitschia Mirabilis.
Welwitschia Mirabilis is one such species that does not do well in the rain. It is endemic to the Namib Desert within Angola and Namibia situated on the South-western coast of Africa and occurs in some of the driest conditions on the planet.
Remarkably, it only has 2 large leaves that curl around it, resembling a wilting or dead plant, and the only other organs it contains, in addition to its two leaves, is its taproot and basal stem, and that’s it.
Once uncurled, it can actually have a leaf length of a maximum of 13 feet in length, and it can grow to 4-5’ high. Despite the fact that it is not the most aesthetically pleasing plant, it is estimated to live well in excess of 1500 years.
This is due to its deep rooted root system that can tap into underground water sources even in the driest of conditions.
Examples of Fauna
The Animal Kingdom can be grouped into different categories as described above with examples of each:
#1. Coral.
You may surprise to see coral on this list. Other than typical furry mammals, like bears and wolves, aquatic animals, corals, most of the insects on land and jellyfish make up the fauna.
Coral reefs are those beautiful, colorful landscape you see when you dive beneath the surface of the ocean. You may think that they are plants, but they are actually animal species that make up part of the fauna of the ocean.
Coral is stationary animals, so they pick out prey that swims by – zooplankton for example. Coral are made of thousands of small animals called polyps.
One example of coral is the Great Barrier Reef in Australia, the largest natural coral in the world. It contains thousands of flora and fauna in warm shallow water close to the equator.
#2. Southern Toadlet.
This species is olive to the dark brown body covered with many small warts over its body. It has a black and white marbled belly.
The Southern toadlet lives in moist habitats like drainage lines, woodlands, scrubland, dry forests and grassland. The species is native to south-east South Australia, south Victoria and eastern Tasmania.
Southern toadlets are ground-huggers and tend to walk rather than hop. They can grow to 35mm and have a warty skin surface.
Southern toadlets do not have webbed toes, male toadlets can have a granular belly while female toadlets have smooth bellies. They consume small invertbrates, such as moths, flies and mosquitos and are often found in dry sclerophyll forest, under bark, and leaf litter.
#3. Eltham copper butterfly.
The Eltham Copper butterfly is a threatened species with the densest populations in the Eltham area of Victoria. It was first identified as a species in 1938, but was presumed extinct in the 1950s.
The Eltham copper butterfly is small and shiny with bright copper colouration on the upper side of its wings, making it very conspicuous in summer when it is flying.
#4. Scops Owl and Blue Pigeon.
Both species are found on the islands northeast of Madagascar, which are located off the east coast of Africa; Seychelles.
The Madagascar scops owl rests on a branch with serried dense foliage, which allows it to rest during the day without the threat of predation, and hunts, flies, calls, and engages in all other normal activities during the night.
They also come in three different color morphs (grey, brown, and rufous), and eat mostly moths, beetles, and tiny vertebrates.
Madagascar blue pigeons usually rest on tree tops or fly above the canopy. They primarily eat fruits from shrubs and trees, with bugs and seeds as supplements in their diet.
The species has a total length of 28 centimeters and dark blue upper parts with a silver-grey upper mantle.
There are hundreds of thousands of species of flora and fauna around the planet. Flora and fauna represent the true beauty of mother Earth and allows humans to experience two very distinct worlds in one.
Given flora and fauna’s contributions to keeping a balanced ecosystem naturally leads us to protect its benefits for us indefinitely.