What is Biodiversity and why is it Important?


Biodiversity represents the amount of biological variety within all ecosystems. This includes the number of unique species, the amount of genetic variation within a species, and species diversity between ecosystems (adapted from Primack, 2014).

Although many people try to separate themselves from the environment, we are inherently linked and reliant upon the services provided within our ecosystem. As consumers (both in the biological and social meaning), we are unable to create our own food and must rely on ecosystem services to support us. Biodiversity helps to support the ecosystem functions we use, as different species fill varying roles within our environment. As diversity drops within an ecosystem, we lose critical resiliency that protects our systems from disturbances. Relying on only a few species to fill needed roles is like trying to put all your eggs into one basket, which leaves us one disaster away from losing resources.

 

Primack, R. B. (2014). Essentials of conservation biology (6th ed.). Sinauer Associates.


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