11.7 - Reasons for maintaining biodiversity Flashcards
What would happen to biodiversity if all landscapes were the same?
If all landscapes were the same, biodiversity would be low, as only a few species would be able to survive, leading to a lack of variety in ecosystems.
What are the three main reasons for maintaining biodiversity?
The three main reasons are aesthetic, economic, and ecological.
How does biodiversity enrich our lives aesthetically?
Biodiversity enriches our lives by providing beautiful landscapes, such as woodlands or rainforests, and inspiring musicians and authors who create art that brings pleasure to others.
How can exposure to natural environments affect human health?
Studies show that patients recover more quickly from stress and injury when they are in a natural environment, supported by plants and greenery.
How does maintaining biodiversity contribute to economic stability?
Biodiversity maintains higher levels of long-term productivity, helps prevent erosion and desertification, provides resources for industries, and supports the development of new medicines.
How can deforestation negatively affect a country’s economy?
Deforestation can lead to erosion and desertification, reducing a country’s ability to grow crops, which creates economic dependence on other nations for resources.
Why is it important to conserve organisms that we use for resources like timber?
Sustainable removal of resources like hardwood timber is essential because over-exploitation can collapse industries, and replacing old habitats with new, monoculture areas reduces biodiversity.
How can the loss of biodiversity affect medicine?
The loss of biodiversity could mean the extinction of species that might have provided important chemical or medicinal properties, such as undiscovered species in tropical rainforests or marine life with unique defense mechanisms.
What is soil deprivation, and how does it result from monoculture?
Soil deprivation occurs when monoculture crops are planted repeatedly, depleting the soil of nutrients, which weakens the ecosystem and increases the reliance on pesticides and fertilizers.
How does biodiversity protect crops from abiotic stresses?
High biodiversity provides a buffer against abiotic stresses like extreme weather, disease, and natural disasters. For example, a lack of biodiversity in crops, like the Irish potato famine, can lead to crop failure and economic disaster.
How can biodiversity promote tourism?
Areas rich in biodiversity offer attractive environments that can promote eco-tourism, benefiting local economies and providing jobs.
How does biodiversity increase the potential for future products?
Biodiversity creates a diverse pool of organisms that can be used for food, medicine, and other products, helping improve the financial viability of food production and enabling the development of cures for diseases.
How do wild relatives of cultivated crops contribute to biodiversity and agriculture?
Wild relatives provide genetic material to improve cultivated crops, offering disease resistance, increased yield, and efficiency in food production, all of which help ensure the long-term survival of crops.
How are organisms interdependent in an ecosystem?
Organisms rely on each other for survival, such as plants providing food and habitat for animals, and decomposers returning nutrients to the soil that plants need for growth.
What are keystone species and why are they important for biodiversity?
Keystone species are organisms that play a critical role in maintaining the structure and diversity of their ecosystem. Their removal can drastically change the ecosystem, often leading to the extinction of other species.
How can human activity contribute to biodiversity conservation?
Human activities like farming, grazing, and land management can create and sustain natural habitats, as seen in the UK, where human intervention has maintained ecosystems like heathlands and meadows.
How does sheep grazing help maintain biodiversity?
Sheep grazing on heathlands helps maintain plant diversity by keeping grass levels low, which allows plants that caterpillars feed on to thrive, thus supporting species like the Clanville butterfly.
How does controlled burning of heathland improve biodiversity?
Controlled burning helps maintain biodiversity by preventing the dominance of bracken and pioneer tree species, allowing rarer species like the nightjar and sand lizard to thrive.
