This paper is devoted to the issues of biodiversity. It is going to dwell upon its importance and benefits. Besides, it will outline the problem of extinction. Apart from that, the paper is going to speculate on the most and least diverse species in the local area. What is more, it will provide suggestions on what individuals can do to assist in preserving biodiversity.
To start with, it is necessary to state that biodiversity is important. This is because all species of animals, plants, and microorganisms are acknowledged to be interconnected. They comprise local ecosystems and appear to be an integral part of the universal ecosystem. Each species plays its unique role in the sustainability of life on earth. The benefits of biodiversity are as follows:
- the possibility of maintaining life on earth,
- economic benefits, and
- many different species of animals, plants, and microorganisms, which is gripping for investigation.
The biodiversity can be measured in terms of the number of different species in the area, as well as in terms of the number of representatives in each species (Gaston & Spicer, 2013).
Extinction is defined as a phenomenon in biology and ecology which is a complete disappearance of a certain species. Extinction might have natural and anthropogenic reasons. In the most frequent causes of extinction of species within a short period, it is possible to speak about mass extinction. Species disappear when their birth rate is lower than their death rate during a period. The reasons for extinction are as follows:
- the number of population,
- genetic monotony,
- life duration,
- predators,
- competitiveness with other species,
- infections and other diseases,
- catastrophes,
- changes in the environment,
- human factor (Smith, 2013).
Endangered Species Act is acknowledged to be a legal set of regulations that have accepted to protect endangered species from extinction. It is meant to prohibit killing animals, destroying plants and microorganisms which are endangered. Besides, it aims to protect them and create conditions for growth in their number. From the economic viewpoint, this act might prevent certain sectors from carrying out their activities, as well as hunters and fishermen from earning their living. Besides, it might entrain the development of artificial substitutes of natural materials (Gaston & Spicer, 2013).
As for the local area, the most diverse special are mosquitoes, whereas the least diverse are palms. It does not surprise me since it feels like the mosquitoes are abundant here, and each of them is willing to bite me. However, once we have been reflecting on the importance of biodiversity, I will try to do my best not to kill them. Besides, I have chosen Seychelles to look at their biodiversity. I am rather amazed to see that they have only 93 species of birds there. Below is a chart which was created on the site “Map of Life” to demonstrate the biodiversity of Seychelles (Map of Life, n.d.):
To preserve biodiversity, we should be careful about nature. We should not damage ecosystems, pollute, and kill animals. Besides, we should help extinct species to survive on our beautiful planet. It is necessary to organize some special events to teach the younger generation how to take care of our world.
This paper has been devoted to the issues of biodiversity. It has dwelt upon its importance and benefits. Besides, it has outlined the matter of extinction. Apart from that, the paper has speculated on the most and least diverse species in the local area. What is more, it has provided suggestions on what individuals can do to assist in preserving biodiversity.
References
Gaston, K. J., & Spicer, J. I. (2013). Biodiversity: Introduction. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.
Map of Life. (n.d.). Web.
Smith, G. (2013). Biodiversity. London, UK: Pearson.