Biological diversity makes life on Earth possible because living things are interconnected like pieces of a puzzle. Plants are the basis of all life, and without them animals such as the water beetle, frog, crayfish, and raccoon could not survive in the chain of feeding and decay that links them. If even one part of plant diversity is lost, much more than a single piece is lost with it. The quality of human life depends on protecting clean water, clean air, and a diversity of plant and animal life for present and future generations.