Significance of Biodiversity
- Food Webs: Supporting complex food chains and webs that transfer energy and nutrients.
- Nutrient Cycling: Breaking down and recycling organic matter, ensuring essential nutrients are available for all organisms.
- Natural Pest Control: Predators keep prey populations in check, preventing outbreaks.
- Pollination: Many plants rely on animals for pollination, ensuring reproduction.
- Food Security: Provides a variety of food sources, including crops, livestock, and fish.
- Medicine: Many medicines are derived from natural sources like plants and microorganisms.
- Ecotourism: Biodiversity-rich ecosystems attract tourists, generating revenue for local communities.
- Materials: Natural resources like wood, fibres, and biofuels come from diverse ecosystems.
Threats to Biodiversity
- Habitat Loss: Deforestation, urbanisation, and other land-use changes destroy habitats and fragment populations.
- Climate Change: Rising temperatures, changing weather patterns, and ocean acidification disrupt ecosystems and threaten species survival.
- Pollution: Pollution from chemicals, plastics, and fertilisers can harm wildlife and disrupt ecological processes.
- Overexploitation: Overfishing, hunting, and unsustainable resource extraction can deplete populations.
- Invasive Species: Introduced species can outcompete native species for resources and disrupt ecosystems
