When we talk about Flora and fauna, we are referring to all the plants and animals that are found in a certain place or at a certain time, that is, we can talk about the flora and fauna of a country in general or the one that existed in the Paleolithic Era.
What is the definition of flora and fauna?
When we talk about the word Flora We must know that it has a relative importance within Roman mythology, this is because in it, there was a deity who was in charge of flowers, spring and gardens, it was named Flora. Although it may not be relevant for many, we can notice that it has absolutely a lot in common with what flora currently means to us.
Well, now we will know the concept of flora that we have today. Nowadays, when we talk about flora, we are referring to everything plant, whether trees, shrubs, flowers and even fungi and bacteria that can be found located in a specific place and time also fall into this category.
On the other hand, we must also know that even the word fauna comes from Roman mythology, because when we speak of Fauna, we refer to the sister of Fauno, the spirit inhabitant and protector of the forests. Currently, when we refer to fauna, we are talking about all those animals that are located within a specific place and at a specific time.
So we can say that the flora and fauna concept that we currently handle, refers to all living beings belonging to the animal and plant kingdom that are located in a specific region within a specific time.
We must be clear that flora and fauna is not only about animals and plants that coexist in the same place and time, but we are also talking about all those links that they may have with the general environment that surrounds them. However, we must know that this does not only refer to geographical places, that is, we do not only refer to flora and fauna when we talk about specific places and times of a specific geographical place, but we can also use this term when we talk about upper or lower habitats.
A clear example of the above is to talk about the existing flora and fauna on a specific coastal beach, the flora and fauna found within the Caribbean Sea or the Pacific Sea, even, we can say a little more global, the flora and fauna of the oceans in general. Therefore, when we refer to levels, it means that when we talk about an area, some specimens may or may not be included, this will depend on the study being carried out at that time.
Today, biologists and people who love ecology show a deep interest in the study of flora and fauna, this is because knowing them can help us learn much more about the different ecosystems that exist on our planet and What is the relationship between all of them? In addition to that, knowing about them also helps us to conserve and protect the great biodiversity that exists and the natural ecosystems that still remain.
Types of flora and fauna
We have already talked about what is flora and fauna and what it has meant within Roman mythology and what it means today. However, we are going to highlight a little again, what it currently means when we refer to flora and fauna and to know what types of each of them exist.
Flora
When we currently speak of flora, we are referring to all those living beings belonging to the plant kingdom, that is, trees, flowers and plants in general that are distributed within a specific region, these regions can be mountainous, peninsular or even refer to an entire country or continent. In some less specific cases, we can talk about the existing flora on our planet.
As with fauna, flora has different levels at which it can be studied, because although we could talk about the flora of a specific jungle, we could also refer to the flora of an entire country in general. Without leaving anything out, we could even refer to the flora that existed within a geological period or era and compare it with that of others.
Whatever level we decide to study, in the end we would be referring to the distribution of the plant kingdom within that place, how they relate to each other, how they act depending on the climatic changes that exist in the place and finally, how it is the relationship you have with the fauna that shares the same space as yours.
Today there are numerous science romes that are responsible for the study of flora in general, however, the best known is geobotany, which is responsible for the study of the geographical distribution of each of the species of the plant kingdom. Thanks to the studies carried out by this branch of science, we can know that the flora is divided into groups that will depend on the seasons, locations, weather and the environment in general.
Now, we are going to know what are the existing types of flora and which are currently the most distinctive:
- Native or autochthonous flora: These are the ones that come especially from a certain geographical place, that is, they only grow naturally in that place, so they can rarely be found elsewhere unless they are introduced by man.
- Ornamental or garden flora: when we talk about these, we refer to all those plants that man plants in his gardens for aesthetic or recreational purposes.
- Agricultural flora: we refer to all those plants, flowers or trees that man plants for food, that is, after its growth, it will serve as food.
- fossil flora: This type of flora refers to those fossil remains of the plant kingdom that may have existed in ancient times and possibly no longer exists.
In ancient times, within the classification of the flora, those groups of plants that were unwanted or that were rejected by man were taken into account since they were considered "weeds" or parasitic plants ", at that time, the people believed that this weed should cease to exist. However, currently, that thought has been eradicated and these types of plants are no longer considered bad, since studies have shown that they are vital for the balance of the ecosystem.
Fauna
Now, when we refer to fauna, we are talking about those animals that reside or resided in a specific geographic area and that are or were linked to a type of ecosystem. Currently there is a science which is responsible for studying everything regarding fauna and its geographical location, this is zoogeography. Within this study, all the factors that affect it are included, water, temperature, climate and the changes that the various habitats in which they live may suffer.
Although, when we refer to fauna as such, we are generalizing to the entire animal kingdom that lives on the planet, we must bear in mind that fauna can be subdivided into various groups which will depend on the origins of the specimens. and the nature from which they come.
Next we know about these types of faunas:
Wildlife or wildlife
When we talk about this type of fauna, we refer to all those animals that are born, grow and live in their natural state, that is, they have no contact with man or are domesticated by him. Within the study of wildlife, there are those animals that belong to the ecosystem and also those that have been introduced to it, that is, they are foreigners that now belong to this ecosystem.
An example to explain about wildlife are lions, the various types of whales, all wild birds, primates and more. Let us know what are the two types of wildlife that exist:
- Native wildlife: when we refer to it, we are talking about all those animals that naturally belong to that ecosystem, that is, that have always lived there.
- Allochthonous wildlife: If we talk about this fauna, we are referring to all that is foreign, that is, that although it is living in that ecosystem, it does not naturally belong to it. In general, this type of fauna has been brought to that place by human beings, in some cases they do it consciously, but in other cases, it is unconscious.
domestic fauna
When we refer to this type of fauna, we are talking about all those animals that man has managed to domesticate, either by keeping them confined in one place or by letting them free. All these animals share the characteristic that their utility, body or resources are used by man and exploited either to feed, work, create clothing, as pets and more.
Within the domestic fauna we have horses, cows, dogs, cats, rabbits, pigs and other animals that can be used in one way or another.
Importance of flora and fauna
La flora and fauna information more essential is its importance within our planet, because without it, none of us human beings could live.
In the case of plants, they are producers of the oxygen that all of us who belong to the animal kingdom breathe, while animals expel carbon dioxide, which is essential for plants, because with it they can carry out their photosynthesis.
Now, returning to the flora, plants are capable of being the main producers within the food chain. This means that they are capable of producing organic materials from the use of inorganic ones. This is something that the animal kingdom could not do, as they are incapable of it.
In the case of the animal kingdom, they are capable of returning all the nutrients that were ingested by the mimes and leaving them in the soil, where the cycle of creating new plants will begin. So the life cycle continues.
Knowing this, we can clearly say that in order to live, both kingdoms need the other, without one of the two, the other could not exist. This cycle includes us human beings, because we are the ones who take advantage of and use the resources that both animals and plants offer us, so we are part of it and we depend on the existence of both for us to be able to continue with life inside the planet Earth.
So, it remains for us, humans, to be able to preserve and care for our flora and fauna, in this way, the life cycle of each of the species will not be affected and we will be able to maintain our lives as we have done for years. thousands and millions of years.