Biodiversity Loss and Causes: Causes, Effects, & Facts

What Is Biodiversity?

Bio-diversity is the distribution of all the forms of life in the context of the prevailing ecosystem and biotic regions as well as the globe at large this includes intra-, inter- and eco-systemological diversities. It is necessary for sustaining organism and community adaptive potential, habitat, and the myriad of existent goods that people rely on including food, water, treatments and regulation of climate. However, the global composition of species is currently threatened by different human endogenous activities like deforestation, pollution of ecological systems, over-exploitation, and most recently, climate change.

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This Story also Contains

1. What Is Biodiversity?
2. Levels Of Biodiversity
3. The levels of Biodiversity are described below-
4. Causes Of Biodiversity Loss
5. IUCN
6. Recommended video on Biodiversity Loss
7. Biodiversity Loss

These factors play a role in the depletion of the species diversity that results in deterioration of the ecosystems and non-optimal quality of life of people. This paper aims to describe what biodiversity is and why it is significant, the factors leading to its degradation as well as its impacts on humanity and the earth’s environment, and finally, the ways and measures employed to protect this crucial asset.

Levels Of Biodiversity

The levels of Biodiversity are described below-

Genetic Diversity

Genetic diversity simply means the variation of genes in species. It comprises variations in DNA sequences of two individuals of the same species and is very essential for species’ flexibility and existence. Minimising inbreeding also enhances species’ capacity to fix new declined genetic variations to demographic and disease stresses that are imperative for the revitalization of species.

Species Diversity

Species diversity is therefore defined as the number and distribution of species in a specified area or habitat. It includes two components: diversity, that is the number of species and density of specific species or the proportional distribution of each species in any location. This implies that a high number of species is likely to boost the productivity and stability of the ecosystem since each species contributes to its specific role in an ecosystem.

Ecosystem Diversity

This was the extent of the ecosystem diversity which is defined as the distribution of different ecosystems in geographical space. This is composed of a variety of physical environments, species populations and structures as well as biological phenomena. Forests, wetlands, grasslands, and coral reefs, each of these areas are inhabited by different species, and at the same time satisfy various functions and services. Thus, the protection of ecosystem diversity contributes positively to the sustainability of these services and the stability of the biosphere.

Causes Of Biodiversity Loss

The causes of the loss of Biodiversity are described below-

Habitat Destruction

Among the causes of the reduced rate of biological diversity, the issue of habitat degradation is on the primary list since the area of the offered natural dwelling places is mostly restricted.

Deforestation: Deforestation for timber production, conversion of land to agriculture and for human settlement, kills off several species’ habitats. It does not only refer to the elimination of trees but also the alteration of habitats that result in the elimination and extinction of species living in the forest.

Urbanization: As people built their cities larger and larger, this pressured the natural ecosystems restricting them in terms of space and isolating wildlife. Urbanization is usually followed by pollution, changes in land cover, and the introduction of species that are new to the area all of which pose more threat to biological diversity.

Agriculture: Land transformation cultivates and intensifies the area of agriculture at the expense of the natural environment. Some agricultural practices like monoculture farming systems, pesticide applications, and the use of irrigation water negatively affect soil health by reducing habitat heterogeneity as well as species diversity. Agriculture taking over natural habitats affects species that originally inhabited those ecosystems in the worst of ways.

Climate Change

Weather change is one of the biggest risks to species and types of natural habitats affecting species’ existence and geographic distribution.

Global Warming: Having already been stated, was that global warming caused by greenhouse gases alters the physiologic conditions, phenology and geographic distribution of the species. Organisms that are best suited to the prevailing temperatures may experience a decline in populations and or changes in species representation in the community.

Ocean Acidification: The increased amount of CO2 in the atmosphere dissolves in seawater resulting in ocean acidification. Acidification leaves the water solution low in carbonate ions that are crucial in the formation of shells within the ocean’s life forms, corals, molluscs and some species of plankton. This also has negative impacts on aquatic organisms and their distribution altering the species' abundance in the coastal and ocean habitats.

Pollution

Environmental pollution is a major menace to biological diversity because it impacts abiotic components and depresses the living conditions of species.

Air Pollution: Carbon monoxide, hydrocarbons and nitrogen dioxides from cars, factories and farming damage plants and animals through photochemical smog.

Water Pollution: In industrial processes, the direct disposal of waste products, agricultural effluents and the disposal of plastics into water bodies affects the concentration of dissolved oxygen and is detrimental to water-borne creatures.

Soil Pollution: Chemicals used in agriculture and industries pollute the soils which in turn reduce the plant growth and the overall diversity in the soil.

Overexploitation

This means that species are taken or collected from the wild at a pace that does not allow their populations to replenish their numbers, and therefore the negative impact on the general biological diversity.

Overfishing: Currently, destructive forms of fishing like trawling and other forms of poaching lead to the loss of fish stocks and the destruction of the stocks’ habitats. This has the effect of reducing the stock of fish and other species that depend on them as a source of food hence disorganizing the marine ecological structure.

Hunting: Hunting both legal and illegal, especially poaching for bush meat, traditional Asian medicines markets and other trophies impacts particularly endangered species. There is nothing more damaging than the hunting influence exerted on the existence of certain species the and balance of the ecosystem.

Logging: Some of the problems include, selective and destructive methods of logging which include clear-cutting and unauthorised or illegal logging of forest habitat and low species diversity. Logging poses a major threat to the habitats of many species that are unable to adapt to the change because of their large size or other factors.

Invasive Species

The members of an invasive species are organisms that introduce themselves into new geographical locations which are not originally occupied by them and such is usually destructive to the impacted ecosystem.

Definition and Examples: The introduced species can well match the plant, animals or microorganisms that move to a new place intentionally or involuntarily. Examples include; Zebra mussels within the North American regions and cane toads within the Australian regions.

Impact on Native Species: They can ‘interfere with the native species’ means of food and shelter and other absolute prerequisites in habitation as well. It also introduces diseases, parasites and other predators that the native species have never encountered and cannot handle, thereby causing a decline in numbers, and then extinction of some of the species. It also added that invasive species with these characteristics affect the ecological processes and can alter an ecosystem; they reduce the number of species as well as the capacity of ecosystems to self-heal.

Disease

Epizootics and specific diseases and various other ailments: For example, emerging infectious diseases are considered a severe threat to wildlife and also lead to the loss of species diversity.

Emerging Infectious Diseases: These are diseases that have originated in a population within the recent past or they have migrated to new regions. Environmental changes like habitat loss, global warming, and various other anthropogenic activities can potentially lead to diseases’ occurrence and spread in the fauna.

Impact on Wildlife: Disease can prove perilous for species when it results in lots of deaths, lowers the production of offspring as well as reduces the capability of animals to resist other ailments. Thus, diseases can sometimes be the reason for the decrease in population and local extinction, especially if the species or certain populations are genetically impoverished.

IUCN

The role of IUCN in today’s world is indefinable as it works towards the conservation of biological diversity internationally. The IUCN is the world’s biggest and most complex conservation organization consisting of governments, non-governmental organizations, scientists, and community inhabitants for the solution of conservation issues and undesirable impacts of uncontrolled growth and development. Key roles of the IUCN in biodiversity include: Key roles of the IUCN in biodiversity include:

Red List of Threatened Species: The IUCN Red List evaluates the status of species existing in different habitats described by their vulnerability and the insights into the future of the species serve as the basis for decisions made in the sphere of protection.

Policy and Advocacy: IUCN acts as an information hub part and offers advisory on effective policies and legal standings to governments and international organizations for better conservation laws and protection.

Conservation Projects: Despite its large-scoping network, the IUCN conducts field projects and makes actions that aim at protecting habitats, species, and ecosystems with the primary areas of interest being hotspots and high-value areas.

Capacity Building: The IUCN strengthens its capacity for the conservation of biological diversity in nature and provides training for its members, exchange of information and support to launch and run local and community conservation activities.

Research and Data: Its primary tasks include promoting cooperation and exchange of data on research in the issues related to the changes in the global diversity of species, their threats and the possible conservation measures.

Recommended video on Biodiversity Loss

Biodiversity Loss

Biological diversity depletion as a general term implies the decrease in the richness and numbers of species within a certain ecosystem or worldwide. This loss encompasses several categories of species vulnerability: This loss encompasses several categories of species vulnerability:

Endangered Species: Endangered species are those species that have a high risk of becoming extinct in the wild either because of their habitats, over-exploitation, pollution or other deemed factors. For this reason, the conservation of these species aims at stopping their extermination and reviving them.

Vulnerable Species: Species that stand in high danger of becoming endangered should the current fading trend be achieved. The second one is species that are threatened by circumstances that may cause substantial changes in their population size or geographical distribution if nothing is done to conserve them.

Rare Species: These are species that have many individuals and restricted geographical accessibility and this puts them vulnerable to extinction. While it may not be threatened or endangered or at any close threat of becoming so, it is still necessary to protect species which are now relatively rare to aid in their staving off from being eliminated from the face of the earth and ecosystems.