Question

What are the roles played by biodiversity in the shaping of nature?

Answer 1

Species of many kinds perform some function or the other in an ecosystem. Nothing in an ecosystem evolves and sustains without any reason. It implies that every organism, besides extracting its needs, also contributes something of useful to other organisms. Human beings contribute a great deal to the sustenance of ecosystems.

• Species capture and store energy, produce and decompose organic materials, help to cycle water and nutrients throughout the ecosystem, fix atmospheric gases and help regulate the climate. These functions are important for ecosystem function and human survival.
• The more diverse an ecosystem, better are the chances for the species to survive through adversities and attacks, and consequently, is more productive.
• Hence, the loss of species would decrease the ability of the system to maintain itself. Just like a species with a high genetic diversity, an ecosystem with high biodiversity may have a greater chance of adapting to environmental change.
• In other words, the more the variety of species in an ecosystem, the more stable the ecosystem is likely to be.