The term ecosystem is used to describe all of the living and nonliving components of a region where populations of different plants and animals interact to utilize the resources that allow them to live, grow, and reproduce. The California Biodiversity Council states: “Everything that lives in an ecosystem is part of the web of life, including humans. Plant, animal, and insect species interact and depend upon one another for what each offers, such as food, shelter, oxygen, and soil enrichment. Maintaining a wide diversity of species in each ecosystem is necessary to preserve the web of life that sustains all living things. In his 1992 best-seller, ‘The Diversity of Life,’ famed Harvard University biologist Edward O. Wilson—known as the ‘father of biodiversity’—said, ‘It is reckless to suppose that biodiversity can be diminished indefinitely without threatening humanity itself.’ ”



Read this article in the Western Morning News:



Walmesley, A. (April 22, 2013). Green spaces mean happier days for people living in big towns and cities. Retrieved from the Trident Online Library.





Answer these questions:



What did the story report about living in greener areas? 



What do you think are the benefits of spending time in the natural world? 



What other benefits besides mental health do components of the natural world provide (consider the resources we obtain from the natural world)?