Biodiversity Loss Essay Example

Introduction

The existence of life is a unique feature of Earth while it's the most extraordinary feature of life in its diversity. Approximately 10 million types of animals, plants, fungi, and Protista inhabit the earth as well as 8 billion people. Decades ago, it was suspected that human actions were dismantling the ecosystem, eliminating biological traits, species, and genes at an alarming rate (Newton & Adrian, 18). Biodiversity loss is the extinction of species or reduction of individual species in their habitats. This essay will focus on the loss rate, processes of biodiversity loss, potential impacts of biodiversity loss on humans, responses to mitigate Anthropogenic driven biodiversity loss, synthesis, and future challenges.

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Loss rate

The rate of global diversity loss is estimated to be 200 to 1000 times higher than the background extinction rate (Morand & serge, 135). It is expected to grow in the upcoming years. The losses can be measured using its variation over time and species richness. Besides evenness, heterogeneity and richness are taken as the main dimensions for measuring diversity. Biodiversity is not a single theory but can be split into other various concepts which include biodiversity vs. habitat or Ecosystem diversity vs. habitat. Other different subcategories include species diversity, nucleotide diversity, and phylogenic diversity. The significant factors that have contributed to diversity loss include degradation and habitat loss. This is through direct effects resulting to loss of ecological services, climate change through drought stress and heat stress, excessive nutrient load, overexploitation such as excessive fishing and lastly invasion of alien species replacing indigenous species since they compete for a niche.

Processes of biodiversity loss

Biodiversity losses occur continuously through natural means and mostly accelerated by humans. The natural process involves biodiversity loss occurring without human intervention. Sexual and natural selection results to loss of adaptive genetic variation but mostly happens temporarily. During geological periods, biodiversity loss rates have exceeded background rates. Most notable events to explain this are the mass extinction events namely late Permian, late Triassic, late Devonian and end Cetaceans periods. The causes of these events are likely to be climatic changes including rapid cooling and global warming, asteroid impacts, volcanic explosions, ocean stagnation where there is reduced upwelling, sea level changes and lastly catastrophic methane release.

Asteroids are the strongest contributors where results show around 66 million years ago it was responsible for mass extinction in the end- Cretaceous period (Hames & Rachael, 203). However, research shows that dinosaurs have been in decline by speciation rates dropping below extinction rates ten million years ago before the catastrophic loss occurring. The most shocking diversity loss was the late Permian event where diversity loss wiped out nearly 49% of the marine life and 50% of terrestrial life. From all these events, diversity has tried its recovery though in vain because of the likelihood of evolutionary taxa being altered significantly.

Acceleration of diversity loss by humans

Activities of humans have accelerated diversity loss. Many species are seen to be in a threat of extinction soon. 23% of the world's mammal species and 32% of amphibian species may get extinct or in danger. Destruction relies on species traits, phylogeny, and research aiming at knowing the vulnerability of these species. For example, large-bodied birds, mammals, and reptiles are four times likely to be threatened than small-bodied species. Plants with low fertility preference are likely to be outcompeted under nitrogen deposition.

In the marine sector, calcifying reef-forming corals are prone to be highly threatened due to acidification of the ocean. This is because not all oceans are acidified. Amphibians are more threatened compared to reptiles and mammals and birds showing the lowest level of a threat compared to insects. Insects have been poorly studied hence no basic knowledge on their decline, but recent research have shown that there is a 33% chance of them declining. Patterns of a threat of extinction of species occur depending on geographic regions. Areas with high biodiversity (Availability of endemic species) such as Jamaica, Cuba and the Dominican Republic, amphibians appear as a threat.

Anthropogenic activities erode the loss of abundance though this information is poorly reported and studied where genetic studies have focused mostly on fish, crops and livestock. In fish, diversity has been created through overfishing, livestock is threated through much slaughtering in slaughterhouses and crops through much usage of fertilizers making land more acidic, yet acidic lands endanger some plants. In livestock, various native breeds are mostly replaced by less breeding animals. Genetic diversity has declined over time while in other researches it has retained.

The potential impact of biodiversity loss on humans

Human health entirely relies on biological communities. Ecosystem services comprise how natural ecosystems meet the demand from the benefits, types of value to humans, human wants and needs. These mostly include direct provision of building materials and food. For instance, trees provide timber that is used in making furniture. Ecosystem services provide regulatory processes such as pollination and climate regulation. Evidently, species provide cultural services that enhance aesthetic, recreational and mostly spiritual benefits of engaging in nature. For example, people use shrines and parks planted many trees as places of worship. Because of human dependencies on these species, diversity loss can cause adverse impacts on human well-being, human health, and prosperity. Ecosystem services provide critical support for work, institutes, technology, and energy. A mixture of species can enhance more services being delivered above a low threshold. These mechanisms conclude that a loss of a species determines the extent and type of lost function. This adds up to identifying ways to improve scientific understanding of environmental risk to enlighten management of biodiversity in concert with meeting human needs.

The role of genetic diversity in ecosystem services

Erosion of genetic diversity in species populations that are left behind affects human well-being and ecosystem services. It is a primary cause of variations in individuals. This variation comprises of morphological, psychological and behavioral changes. In turn, phenotypic variations affect the contribution of ecosystem services and ecological services. When genetic diversity is lower, ecological functions are less resistant. For example, plants with higher genetic diversity produce more stable yields because herbivores and diseases likely damage them. This kind of mechanism is similar to that of species where a population with higher genetic diversity contains genotypes that dominant for a particular function (Gibb, et al, 148). Diverse community exploiting a particular resource is an example of a complementarity effect. Through the Mixtures of genotypes, more ecological functions are carried out.

Responses to mitigate Anthropogenic driven biodiversity loss

CBD is an international treaty that was signed ten years ago as a response to the global biodiversity loss. It was signed by over 160 countries all over the world. Over the years, the agreement is known to set targets so as to curb the loss where many are the times they have failed to reach the target. In 2010, the treaty was revised with a set of 2020 goal which was the extinction of known species threatened to be protected especially in their conservation status. The convention was reviewed, and shockingly the goal is being achieved. CBD has concentrated too on developing strategies and minimizing genetic erosion. It has enhanced safeguarding this species genetic diversity.

The lack of achievement of some of the set targets is a black mark against the entire human society. To address biodiversity loss, it means bringing down primary drivers of the decline. For example, anthropogenic biodiversity is a known phenomenon that has been in existence since the expansion of early humans all over the planets. Some of the anthropogenic traits include hunting and change of habitat for humans. They no longer live in caves neither do their hunt in the forest to achieve their physiological needs. Since then Anthropogenic drivers has been set up such as phosphorus and nitrogen pollution hence biodiversity declines accelerating. Species invasion and land use change have enhanced driving economic species losses. Nutrient addition, habitat losses and increased temperature have also contributed.

Synthesis and future challenges

To manage the increased rate of biodiversity loss caused by human activities, it is essential to monitor and understand changes in biodiversity. This includes understanding interactions between genetic diversity, and species, understanding the drivers of biodiversity including processes of biodiversity loss and generation (Loreau & Michel, 97). It is observed that human activities drive biodiversity generation processes and not exclusively biodiversity extinctions. Researchers predict future catastrophic extinctions in population abundance, species diversity and genetic diversity. Many fear that this will contribute to the ethical implications of biodiversity and have severe impacts on humans. By increasing knowledge of dynamic biodiversity, people can be able to manage ecosystems in a way that ecosystem services that degrade human well-being can be safeguarded from interfering with future generations.

Works cited

Gibb, Christine, Neil Pratt, and David Ainsworth. The Youth Guide to Biodiversity. Rome: FAO, 2013. Print.

Loreau, Michel. From Populations to Ecosystems: Theoretical Foundations for a New Ecological Synthesis. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2010.

Hames, Rachael. Loss of Biodiversity. , 2018. Print.

Morand, Serge. Biodiversity and Health. San Diego, UNITED KINGDOM: Elsevier Science, 2017.

Newton, Adrian C. Biodiversity Loss, and Conservation in Fragmented Forest Landscapes: The Forests of Montane Mexico and Temperate South America. Wallingford, UK: CABI, 2007.