[What science can do against biodiversity loss].

Abstract

The earth is currently facing an unprecedented biodiversity loss, which is taking such proportions that it is sometimes considered to be the sixth mass extinction. Human activities are the main cause of this alarming ecological crisis and threaten this biodiversity yet essential to mankind. It is thus necessary to learn more about the different living species, in order to protect and preserve them. In particular, three key scientific fields give us a better insight on biodiversity and its characteristics: ecology, focusing on living species interacting with their environment; ethology, focusing on animal behaviour; and ecophysiology, linking changes at the physiological scale to environmental changes. Together, they allow us to work in favor of biodiversity, by giving us a better understanding of animal species and their ways of life, thus allowing us to act accordingly.