Biodiversity – Definition, Examples and Threats

The abundance of different forms of life on earth is referred to as its “biodiversity.” It is the aspect of our planet that is the most intricate and significant. Without the existence of biodiversity, life would not be able to continue.

In 1985, the term “biodiversity” was first introduced. Both natural and artificial ecosystems benefit from its presence to varying degrees. It focuses on the diversity that may be found in nature and the biosphere. It is a term that refers to differences that exist between different species of plants, animals, and microorganisms.

Various Categories of Biodiversity

The following are the various kinds of diversity:

Species diversity

The number of various kinds of a given species that can be found in one location is referred to as the area’s “species diversity.” It is the biodiversity reduced to its most fundamental level. It encompasses everything from plants to various kinds of microbes and everything in between. There is no individual member of a species that is identical to any other. People, for instance, exhibit a great deal of variety within their own species.

Genetic diversity

It is a term that refers to the differences that can be found among the genetic resources of different species. The genetic make-up of each individual member of a given species is unique to themselves and to no other member of that species. Because of this, no two humans are ever going to have the same appearance. Rice, wheat, maize, barley, and other grains are all examples of species that have multiple varieties within the same species.

Ecological diversity

A collection of living and nonliving organisms, as well as the ways in which they interact with one another, constitutes an ecosystem. The term “ecological biodiversity” refers to the variety of plant and animal species that coexist on the same ecosystem and are linked to one another by food chains and food webs. It refers to the variety of forms of life that can be found in a region’s many ecosystems. Ecological diversity refers to the variety of life that may be found in various environments, such as deserts, rainforests, mangroves, and so on.

Threats to Biodiversity

The most important factors contributing to biodiversity loss are discussed in more detail below.

Loss of habitat and fragmentation of existing habitats : These are two of the primary factors that contribute to the decline in species diversity within an ecosystem. The concept of habitat loss can be viewed in straightforward words as the loss of one’s own home. The reduction in the amount of land covered by forests is one example of the many factors that contribute to the loss of biodiversity. The disappearance of tropical rainforests is the most extreme and dramatic illustration of this trend. They are going extinct at an alarming rate. They once covered 14 percent of the land surface of the earth, but now only cover around 6 percent of the land surface.

Overexploitation: As a result of overexploitation, natural resources that, a thousand years ago, appeared to have an infinite supply, today appear to have a very limited supply. This is primarily attributable to the growth in human population. In addition, over the course of several centuries, human enterprise and endeavour have been motivated by greed, which has resulted in the excessive exploitation of natural resources, which has, in turn, led to the loss of biodiversity.

Invasion of Foreign Species: An invasion of foreign species can be described as the introduction of a species into a habitat that it was not initially native to or that has not evolved in over the course of its history in that particular ecosystem. When a non-native species is brought into a certain territory, either purposefully or unknowingly, it runs the risk of becoming invasive and contributing to the loss of biodiversity. The introduction of Nile perch led to the extinction of more than 200 different species of cichlid fish in Lake Victoria, which is located in east Africa. This caused a loss in the biodiversity of the lake. Not only do newly introduced species have the potential to become invasive, but when they compete with native species for available niches and eventually supplant them, the entire ecosystem that is dependent on native species and is surrounded by them suffers as a result.

Co-Extinctions: The loss of biodiversity is caused by human actions that increase the rate of factors that contribute to the loss of biodiversity. These factors include the loss of habitat as a result of overexploitation of the resources and invasion by species that are not native to the area. In this context, the term “biodiversity loss” refers to the disappearance of species that were once native to an area, which in turn led to the disruption of the ecosystem and the food chain that depended on those species. The phrase “loss of biodiversity” refers to the phenomenon in which the plant and animal species that were associated with an extinct species likewise become extinct along with that species.

Conclusion

The number of unique organisms present in an ecosystem as well as the relative abundance of those organisms are both components of biodiversity. In addition to this, it reveals how organisms are organised on a hierarchy of levels.

The concept of biodiversity is important for both the environment and the economy. It offers us a variety of resources including sustenance, a place to live, fuel for our vehicles, and clothing. Tourism is another industry that contributes to its economic success. For this reason, having a solid understanding of biodiversity is absolutely necessary for maintaining a sustainable way of life.