4.11.7) Reasons for maintaining biodiversity

Key information required for this part of the Biodiversity topic for OCR A Level Biology

What are the aesthetic reasons for maintaining biodiversity

Presence of a variety of plants and animals provides an education and enriches lives; provides inspiration for writers and musicians, who then provide entertainment; patients recover more rapidly from stress when surrounded by wildlife

What economic reasons are there for maintaining biodiversity

Reduced soil erosion and desertification; raw materials can be regenerated; preserves species of economic importance which may not have been discovered; increases resilience to environmental change; can promote tourism; genes of undiscovered species may be usable in genetic engineering

What are the ecological reasons for maintaining biodiversity

Species are dependent on each other (eg: flowers depend on bees for pollination), so loss of one species may disrupt an ecosystem; removal of a keystone species would dramatically change a habitat

What is a keystone species

A species in an ecosystem which has a disproportionately large effect on it