Biodiversity is defined as the variety of all living things, plants, animals, microorganisms, their Genetic information and Ecosystems they form. Biodiversity is very essential for the processes that support all life on Earth. We can't have a healthy Ecosystem without plants, animals and microorganisms. So Biodiversity is essential for all living things on Earth. So let's discuss about the biodiversity loss and it's impact on Ecosystem.
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As We know Biodiversity loss can destroy the ability of an Ecosystem to function effectively and efficiently thus undermines the ability of nature to support a healthy Environment. Biodiversity loss is the decline in the number, genetic variability, and variety of species and the biological communities in a given area. This loss in the variety of life can lead to a breakdown in the functioning of ecosystem where decline has happened.
Biodiversity loss and its cause:
The main causes for the Biodiversity loss are human activities such as land use changes, pollution and climate change, habitat loss and invasive species are associated with global warming.
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Biodiversity loss and its impact on Ecosystem:
The Biodiversity loss has a huge impact on Ecosystem.It can reduce agricultural productivity and can increase the vulnerability of food systems to pests, diseases and climate change. The biggest factor for the loss of Biodiversity is the habitat destruction with the exploitation of natural resources, agricultural conversion and urbanisation.
A new study by an international research team funded directly by the National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis by National Science Foundation's Division of Environmental Biology.
Henry Gholz, the division's program director, stated, "This analysis concluded that loss of biodiversity can affect ecosystems at levels comparable to those of air pollution and global warming."
One of the paper's co-authors, ecologist Bradley Cardinale of the University of Michigan, stated, "We need to prepare ourselves to deal with the major effects of loss of biological diversity due to species extinctions on our planet." "These extinctions may well rank as one of the top five drivers of global change."
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A study by Hooper, Cardinale, and colleagues compared the effects of various global environmental stressors on plant growth and the decomposition of dead plants by bacteria and fungi. The researchers used data from 192 peer-reviewed publications to construct a database that analyzed species richness and their impact on ecosystem processes. The study found that in areas where local species loss falls within the lower range of projections, negligible effects on ecosystem plant growth will result, and changes in species richness will rank low relative to the effects projected for other environmental changes. However, in ecosystems where species losses fall within intermediate projections, species loss is expected to reduce plant growth by 5 to 10%, comparable to the expected climate warming effects and increase in ultraviolet radiation due to stratospheric ozone loss.
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At higher levels of extinction, the effects of species loss rank with those of many other major drivers of environmental change, such as ozone pollution, acid deposition on forests, and nutrient pollution. The strength of the observed biodiversity effects suggests that policymakers should be aware of potential adverse effects on biodiversity. The biggest challenge is to predict the combined effects of these environmental challenges to natural ecosystems and society.
Conclusion:
Thus Biodiversity loss is important in its own right because it has spiritual, aesthetic, recreational and other cultural values.
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| Source: Getty images |