Gen. 1:26-27  "And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth.  So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them."

Some people think that Adam was the name of a race because of the word "them" that is used twice in those verses.  I don't think so, because in Chapter two, the words concerning the creation of Adam and Eve are singular.  The important phrase in these verses is "in our image, after our likeness."  He says those words two more times in verse 27.  We are made like God in some way.  Again I think, to hold his Spirit.

Then God makes man responsible for the earth and all that is in it.  We've messed this up big time.

1.  The fish, and the water
2.  The birds, and the air
3.  Beasts of burden--cattle, and the earth.  The soil.
4.  Creeping things, insects and such.  The entire habitat's clean-up crew.

We have disobeyed God.  We have polluted the water, the air, and the soil.  And with pesticides we have killed important insects.  Bees are vanishing as well.

Another important thought:  he speaks for the second time and gives man the same instructions that he gave for the animals.  Vs. 28 "And God blessed them, and said unto them, Be fruitful and multiply and replenish the earth and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moves upon the earth."  He uses the word replenish.  This is a word that validates what I believe about the distruction of the earth between the first two verses of Genesis.  If there hadn't been living animals before all of this, there would be no need to Re-plenish the earth.  God would have simply said, "Plenish the earth."