4.2.1 g reasons for maintaining biodiversity

Question 1

three categories for maintaining biodiversity

Answer 1

aesthetic
economic
ecological

Question 2

what are the aesthetic reasons for maintaining biodiversity?

Answer 2

presence of different plants and animals in our environments enriches our lives
natural world provides inspirations to creatives who provide pleasure for many others
studies have shown patients recover more quickly from stress and injuries when they are supported by a natural environment

Question 3

what are the economic reasons for a country for maintaining biodiversity? (5 points)

Answer 3

a result of deforestation is soil erosion and desertification which reduces a country’s ability to grow crops and feed it’s people
once all raw material has been lost in an area the industry is also lost in that area so economy will suffer
biodiversity loss can lead to species becoming extinct before we have discovered it’s benefits as a medicine or chemical
high biodiverse areas promote tourism bringing the country money
greater the biodiversity, the greater the potential for manufacturing products in the future

Question 4

what are the economic reasons for farmers to maintain biodiversity?

Answer 4

continuous monoculture can result in soil depletion where there is a lack of soil nutrients meaning pesticides and herbicides have to be used and they are expensive
plant varieties need cross-breeding to become disease resistant and to increase yield

Question 5

what is a keystone species?

Answer 5

species that play a key role in maintaining the structure of an ecological community
they affect many other organisms in an ecosystem and help to determine the species richness and evenness in the community

Question 6

what happens when a keystone species is removed from it’s habitat?

Answer 6

all other species are affected and some may disappear altogether

Question 7

why is it essential to protect keystone species?

Answer 7

to maintain biodiversity

Question 8

what are the ecological reasons for maintaining biodiversity?

Answer 8

all species are interdependent on others for their survival so the removal of one species may have an affect on the others
keystone species

Question 9

how can human activity increase biodiversity?

Answer 9

natural habitat can be created by human intervention and management of the land
farming, grazing, planting of hedges, meadows and forest management can change the landscapes, the habitats and the ecology over thousands of years