biodiversity
One of the main reasons for protecting endangered species is their role in maintaining biodiversity, our planet's most important and complex feature. It comprises the variety of life at all its levels and interactions from gene to ecosystem. Biodiversity encompasses the cultural, ecological and evolutionary processes that endure life. It includes not only endangered species but all living organisms in existence, from microbes to mammals and all types ofecosystems, from rainforests, deserts, mountains, and coral reefs. All are part of a diverse ecosystem.