Question

Write an answer to the following question in your own words.

Why is the diversity of plants and animals in the forests declining?

Answer 1

The diversity of plants and animals is declining in the forests because of several reasons. These reasons can be summed up in the following factors:

1. Habitat loss and fragmentation: This is the major cause of loss of biodiversity. Habitat destruction is caused by human activities such as deforestation and increasing pollution, leading to the loss of many plants and animals. Habitat fragmentation is the breaking up of the habitat of a particular species into fragments.

2. Over-exploitation: Humans, because of their greed and increased exploitation of natural resources, have contributed to the endangerment of commercially important species of plants and animals. Species such as the Steller’s sea cow and passenger pigeons have become extinct as a result of overexploitation by humans.

3. Alien-species invasion: The unintentional or deliberate introduction of alien species causes a decline in the number of indigenous species. Alien species prove invasive and affect the survival of native species in a grave manner. Also, sometimes they compete with native species that eventually lead to their destruction. For example, the Nile perch, introduced in Lake Victoria, led to the extinction of more than 200 species of cichlid fish in the lake.

4. Co-extinction: When plants or animals become extinct, other plants or animals that are dependent on them in an obligatory way also become extinct.