11.7 reasons for maintaining biodiversity

what are aesthetic reasons to maintain biodiversity

• enriches our life

• inspiration

• recover from stress injury

what are economic reasons to maintain biodiversity

• maintain soil to grow crops and feed people

• conserve all organisms we use to make things (e.g wood)

• species with potential economic/medicinal importance may become extinct before they are even discovered

how does continuous monoculture result in soil depletion

• crop takes same nutrients and then harvested, not left for nutrients to be recycled

• makes ecosystem weaker

how can a removal of one species have a significant effect on others

all organisms are interdependent on others for their survival

what are keystone species

• species have a large effect on their environment

• when removed, habitat is drastically changed , all other species are affected