Reasons For Maintaining Biodiversity

Question 1

What are the main reasons for maintaining biodiversity ?

Answer 1

• ecological
• economic
• aesthetic
• social
• moral/ethical
• environmental
• agriculture

Question 2

What are the aesthetic reasons for maintaining biodiversity ?

Answer 2

• the presence of different plants and animals in our environment enriches our lives
• the natural world provides inspiration for people such as musicians and writers who in turn provide pleasure for many others through books and music
• studies have shown that patients recover more rapidly from stress and injury when they are supported by plant and a relatively natural environment

Question 3

What are the economic reasons for maintaining biodiversity ?

Answer 3

• soil erosion + desertification may occur as a result of deforestation = reduce the countries ability to grow crops and feed its people which can lead to resource and economic dependence on other nations
• important to conserve all organisms that we use to make things
• non sustainable removal of resources such as hardwood,timber = lead to the collapse of industry in an area
• once all/enough of the raw material has been lost it does not become economically viable to continue the industry
• large scale habitat and biodiversity losses mean that species with potential economic importance may become extinct before they are even discovered
• undiscovered species in tropical rainforests may be chemically or medically useful
• number of marine species use a chemical based defence mechanism - these are rich potential sources of new and economically important medicines
• continuous monoculture results in soil depletion it happens as the crop takes the nutrients out of the soil year after year and is then harvested not left for the nutrients to be recycled
• this depletion of soil nutrients makes the ecosystem more fragile
• the crops it can support will be weaker = increasing vulnerability to opportunistic insects , plant competitors and microorganisms
• farmer will become increasingly dependent on expensive pesticides,herbicides and fertilisers in order to maintain productivity

Question 4

What are the ecological reasons for maintaining biodiversity ?

Answer 4

• some species play a key role in maintaining the structure of an ecological community
• these are known as keystone species they have a disproportionately large effect on their environment relative to their abundance
• they affects many other organisms In an ecosystem and help to determine the species richness and evenness im the community
• when a keystone species is removed the habitats is drastically changed
• all other species are affected and some may disappear altogether
• all organisms are independent on others for their survival
• the removal of one species may have a significant effect on others
• eg. Decomposers break down dead plant and animal remains releasing nurturers into the soil which plants later use for healthy growth
• plants rely on bees for pollination
• this is important for both wild plant species and commercially produced crops
• fruit farmers use bees to pollinate their crops , a decrease in the wild bee population would decrease crop yields