Understanding and Conserving Biodiversity

11/14/2014

Why should we be concerned about the loss of biodiversity? What are the services that ecosystems provide? What does it mean for humans if we lose these services? Please remember to post an initial response as well as respond to another post this week.

46 Comments

Robert Boos

11/17/2014 12:53:14 am

"Why should we be concerned about the loss of biodiversity?"
We should be concerned about the loss of biodiversity because it provides us with sustainability. Without sustainability, global food supplies would plummet, and millions would go starving.

"What are the services that ecosystems provide?"
Ecosystems provide, once again, sustainable development within an area. In order to have a sustainable ecosystem there must be biodiversity.

"What does it mean for humans if we lose these services?"
If we lose these services we will lose the sustainability of our food. Food will become scarce and hard to find. Millions will starve without biodiversity providing a sustainable food source for humans.

Lucas Brennan

11/19/2014 06:26:25 am

I like the way you answered the third question. An ecosystem is so crucial to humans in the fact that they provide us with good quality food that allows us, as a population, to flourish and continue to make great discoveries and help the world in any way we can. The fact that we are constantly neglecting the fact that biodiversity in an ecosystem is being neglected frightens me in a way. Good poise.

Nicholas Cowan

11/17/2014 01:23:07 pm

To answer these questions, we must first truly understand what biodiversity is. Biodiversity is the variability of plants, animals, AND their ecosystems. So why should we be concerned about the extinction of hundreds of species and the destruction of their habitat? As long as our anthropogenic developmental influence continues to expand to fulfill our human needs, who needs the natural environment, right? Wrong. The loss of biodiversity has profound effects not only on the natural world but us as well. For example, the habitats we effect support essential resources for plants, animals, and humans, including but not limited to food, shelter, water, and oxygen. Moreover, the natural ecosystems provide us with modern human needs like fisheries, lumber, medicine, etc. To see the true effect the loss of these systems causes, let's look at biodiversity in the human race; we are made up of a wide variety of different cultures, races, traditions, values, languages, etc. What happens if we begin to eradicate some of this differentiality? We essentially lose our entire culture: the definition of us and our history. In conclusion, why can't we continue our path to covering the Earth in one thick layer of tar and concrete? Because, we lose definition of life and this planet's history. Without biodiversity, everyone will suffer, and we will essentially break the tree of life; our ancestors and species that brought us into existence would be buried under a foot of steel never to be seen again, and probably be forgotten about. Is this really what we want?

Emma Philbin

11/18/2014 11:18:35 pm

I completely agree with you that the effects of the loss of biodiversity is profound and will not only effect our natural world but us humans as well. Its a scary thought, but maybe if we inform the world of the effects on humans itself, the selfishness in us will work to preserve it. Its saddening that most people don't care nor would be worried about the loss of biodiversity if we were not directly effected by it. But the thing is, that we are. Hopefully that will ignite some caution and care.

Emma Philbin

11/18/2014 11:15:40 pm

We need to be concerned about biodiversity because if we kill off one species, like a chain reaction, it will kill of many others as well, ultimately destroying the whole entire food web. On the other hand, if one species goes extinct, their prey will become abundant and that will affect other species by making them have to adapt in time. If they don't, they will die. If we don't change our ways, life on Earth could end as we know it but we can still change our ways and start to respect our Earth's biodiversity. Also, we are a huge part of biodiversity itself. If part of the food chain is taken away, it will affect us because we are at the top of the chain. We need biodiversity to survive for other important reasons as well, for example: trees create oxygen for us that we need to breathe, if we destroy them, we are in fact, destroying ourselves. Without biodiversity, a single disease could wipe out a whole world with no survivors. But with biodiversity, there would be some organisms that are adaptable to the disease or maybe even immune or not effected. It is essential that we work to preserve biodiversity.

Brian Sputh

11/19/2014 12:50:13 am

I agree with you that if we don't preserve biodiversity that it will be a downhill chain reaction. Without ecosystems and biodiversity then species will die. Especially since we are at the top of the food chain we need to protect our ecosystems and prevent species from being killed. Like humans needing trees for oxygen and other species prospering off of each other.

Jake Vail

11/19/2014 01:56:55 am

Emma, I really like how you talk about the chain reaction that occurs with the end of a species. We do need biodiversity to ensure the success of species and to "shield" them from famine and extinction. I remember watching a movie where these people went back in time and accidentally killed a butterfly. When they went back to the present, life was completely different and everything from style to language had changed. I think this really illustrates the potential for devastating chain reaction effects. Great job making and communicating that point.😊

Brian Sputh

11/19/2014 12:45:07 am

We should be concerned about biodiversity because without biodiversity than we would all be the same. Biodiversity could result in the development of new species and if we don't have one species, it could result to the loss of another species. Ecosystems are used as areas where species can develop in a safe environment. For an ecosystem to prosper than there must be an abundance of biodiversity. If we lose these services than there would not be different ecosystems for species that require different resources. We need to preserve biodiversity to ensure that not only humans, but species prosper.

William Fridrich

11/30/2014 05:01:47 am

This is a great point. If people or animals are all the same, and there's no biodiversity between them, then there would be nothing to stop a disease from spreading between a species and wiping out the entirety of it, as there would be no one immune. In many cases there are a select few in a species who are immune to a disease and are able to live through it because of biodiversity. Without it, a disease would kill an entire species, and eventually it's likely that all species would disappear from the planet.

Joseph Mullen

1/13/2015 12:06:17 pm

I did not even think about the spread of disease due to a lack of biodiversity, but it is a very important point. The importance of biodiversity can be seen in the banana industry. When you think about it, every banana is the same variety, no matter what store you go to. If a new disease develops that affects this variety of bananas the entire industry would be crippled. Biodiversity is key to insuring that diseases do not devastate entire swaths of natural enviroments.

Jake Vail

11/19/2014 01:50:33 am

1. For most of the human race, we only want to know how a problem affects us. Yes this is selfish, but it also raises a valuable point, for some of the issues such as loss of biodiversity will impact the human race. So, what will happen to humans and biodiversity plummeted? First of all, suppose a harmful bacteria attacked a corn supply with only one species of corn there would be none left for us to eat because the bacteria would have wiped out the supply of corn, whereas if we had two species of corn planted together one May survive and we would still be able to offer corn on our Thanksgiving tables.
2. Ecosystems provide an environment where symbiotic relationships can take place and where a multitude of animals and other species can flourish. Ecosystems also provide human habitat, the earth itself is an ecosystem where all species have some sort of effects on others.
3. Humans are effected entirely by ecosystems, they provide wood to build our homes, it provides food for our tables and the enviornments we live in.

Kaitlyn Gibbons

11/20/2014 11:43:50 pm

I agree! We are selfish and I think your example of corn and Thanksgiving fit human's selfishness perfectly. We only think of how we will be effected and never thing else like the trees. Our lives would be in a frightening state if ecosystems change drastically.

Corinne Caminske

11/19/2014 02:58:11 am

As much as humans would like to think we own the earth, we absolutely do not. The earth belongs to all the animals and plants thriving in a world filled with biodiversity. We need to be concerned about the los of biodiversity because we are ruining the earth. Biodiversity is what allows earth to be as fantastic and unique as it has been for millions of years. Humans are destroying that. The loss of biodiversity relates back the article we read about how deforestation of one particular forest could have led to the ebola outbreak. We never know what hidden potential a place has until its unleashed. Also, the cure for cancer could be hidden within a rainforest that was chopped down yesterday. Nature holds someone beautiful mysteries wrapped into biodiversity.

Julie Marro

11/19/2014 11:14:09 am

I agree! We tend to think we are the most important thing on this planet, when we really are just the best at causing destruction. It's true that we never know what could possibly be in a certain ecosystem, and mindlessly destroying them can lead to something potentially dangerous.

Isha Khawaja

1/20/2015 11:27:03 am

I agree with you Corinne. As we're damaging the planet most of America is seeing the economic benefits, however we are really damaging the lives for our children and our grandchildren. There is so much benefits and potential within biodiversity. If only people were aware of that, then the planet wouldn't be dying at such a fast rate.

Liv Kaczmarek

11/19/2014 05:54:23 am

We should be concerned with the loss of biodiversity because as a result of losing animal and plant species it would also be destroying ecosystems. If one ecosystem is changed it can very well change other ecosystems too. Ecosystems provide us with water purification retention, erosion control, food, and shelter, among many other uses. Once we lose these services it will be extremely difficult to survive let alone get them back. Just like Easter Island, once their natural resources were gone, they had nothing to build tools and shelter with, and that would be our fate as well. Even though we have a lot of technology, we still need the natural world for survival. Technology cannot provide us with many of the services that ecosystems do.

Ryan O'Donnell

11/21/2014 12:28:43 am

I agree 100% with what you are saying. We need to change and start to protect our ecosystems. If we don't change we will end up just like the people of Easter Island. We need to make a change or else we will all suffer.

Lucas Brennan

11/19/2014 06:23:50 am

With the loss of biodiversity comes a downward spiral in an ecosystem. Without a diverse group of species in an ecosystems the functions of an ecosystem will not have the ability to flourish. Ecosystems are usually interconnected among other ecosystems so hurting one could very well hurt another in some way. Ecosystems provide services such as protection from UV radiation, nutrient movement, and they are also able to purify water and air for us. It would be absolutely deleterious for humans if we lose these services because it could mean weather being more severe and all in all causing the human race to negatively affected.

Alyssa Lofaro

11/22/2014 04:38:37 am

I totally agree with you Lucas, and i like how you said that our lose of these things would result in a downward Spiral. We need to protect our ecosystems because if we don't we will lose them.

Nicholas Cowan

11/22/2014 05:52:41 pm

I agree that the loss of one species or ecosystem can have a domino type effect. The entirety of ecosystems and biodiversity can be looked at as an archway, and once you remove the keystone (whatever species that may be in a particular ecosystem), the entire archway collapses. I just have to wonder whether humans are part of that archway, and if so (as we probably are because we are inhabitants of the same ecosystems), how hard the fall will be.

Kyle Wilson

11/19/2014 09:09:31 am

We should be concerned about the loss of biodiversity because a lack of biodiversity will completely alter the environment as we know it. The losses of many different species will affect many different food chains, including our own. Ecosystems provide habitats and most ecosystems are interconnected in some way. The systems that ecosystems provide include fresh drinking water and the disposal of our wastes. Without these services we as a race would struggle to survive because we are so dependent on what ecosystems provide.

Anthony Pacia

12/7/2014 04:51:54 am

I agree that we would be in trouble if we started losing the services ecosystems provide which is why we must protect our ecosystems.

Ryan Rattazzi

1/4/2015 10:56:32 pm

This is very true the ecosystems must be protected in order to maintain the life we know today

Julie Marro

11/19/2014 11:11:19 am

We should be concerned about the loss of biodiversity because it is what makes this Earth beautiful. Humans and our materials are part of it as well, but we cannot neglect the natural world. A world with less and less species is one that is less lively and exciting, one that I would not want my children to live in. Ecosystems provide us with our animal and plant life, trees, drinking water, beautiful landscapes, and habitats. If we lose these resources, we are losing drinking water, clean air (loss of trees) as well as many other things. We ultimately need nature and the more of it we destroy for our use, the worse off we'll be. We always have to depend on these ecosystems ultimately and without them we couldn't survive.

Kyle Wilson

11/21/2014 12:24:23 am

Well said, we should always remember that we would not be able survive without our ecosystems. We need to be proactive in keeping the ecosystems protected and healthy.

Gianna Fazio

11/23/2014 09:18:53 am

I totally agree, Julie. Although the loss of biodiversity has many catastrophic scientific effects, I believe the scariest part is about the extinction of species is that it brings us closer to living in a world that is so painfully monotone.

Kaitlyn Gibbons

11/20/2014 11:37:35 pm

We should be concerned with the loss of biodiversity because our environment would be changed forever in negative ways. Ecosystems provide us with an area for all living and non-living things. Ecosystems are essential to our environment, each species contributes in a different way.If humans lose these services our lives would be completely different. We rely on ecosystems to live; without them we would not be able to survive.

Corinne Caminske

11/24/2014 02:31:51 am

I completely agree! We can't live without a planet, and destroying the biodiversity will lead to the destuction of our planet. The world was such a spectacular place until humans shouled up. Like the power point said, humans are (apparently) the smartest animal on the planet, yet we can't stop ourselves from destroying it.

Ryan O'Donnell

11/21/2014 12:24:45 am

We need biodiversity because it helps the ecosystem. If we have strong biodiversity, we have a strong ecosystem. Ecosystems provide us with a lot. It gives us food, water, and a shelter to protect us. Humans as a whole are very dependent on ecosystems. If we lost these services we would struggle to survive. Millions would starve without food or drinking water.

Evan D'Agostino

1/7/2015 06:24:00 am

Agreed. The World would be forever changed with a loss of biodiversity.

Alyssa Lofaro

11/22/2014 04:35:58 am

I believe that we should be concerned about biodiversity because certain species may become extinct and other species will become in an abudance. This will tip the balance of nature and change life and the food web will be forced to adapt to the change. If the abundant species cannot adapt, life on earth may die off.
Ecosystems provide the conditions for growing food. Food comes principally from managed agro-ecosystems but marine and freshwater systems or forests also provide food for human consumption. Wild foods from forests are often underestimated.If the plant were to lose these services we would not be able to survive. Many animal species would become extinct and humans would become close to extinction, if not extinction.

Gianna Fazio

11/23/2014 09:13:17 am

Biodiversity is what makes the world go round- figuratively that is. Multitudes of plant species reduce the greenhouse gases and produce the oxygen we breathe, and extracts for medicine. Trees provide different types of wood for building, protection for coastlines, and more. And every species of animal has some value to us and the world. They help to break down material so that our soils are fertile for growing, they, too are used for medical reasons and sort textiles. And most importantly, biodiversity is what makes this Earth so beautiful and special to be a part of.
If we lost our biodiversity, things would be chaotic. Not only would we lose resources, but there would be little need to travel to different places... because things wouldn't be very different. Our climate would change, too, because ecosystems play an instrumental role in climate regulation.

Emma Schrader

11/30/2014 12:50:21 am

We should be concerned about the loss of biodiversity because if biodiversity is decreasing it will lead to other catastrophic happenings like a mass extiction or damages to the environment. Our ecosystems are the base of everything, they house a wide variety of species. Each ecosystem is different and unique to its location. They provide a habitat that is individual to the organisms that live there. If the ecosystems cease to exists so will the organisms that lived there too. As for us we will lose the animals and diversity of the earth.

William Fridrich

11/30/2014 04:57:54 am

Biodiversity is one, if not THE most important thing on this planet. Without different species, the balance of the planet's ecosystem would fall into disarray, and likely result in the eventual end of all species. Without biodiversity, numbers of species would become extinct, and species that have adapted to certain conditions would die out. There are certain species that have adapted to disease through biodiversity, and without them or other variations of species, calamity such as disease could wipe out everything else alive.

Ecosystems provide shelter, food, water, and everything essential to the survival of species. They allow for the expansion of species within a habitat and the growth of new species.

For humans, it means the same as it would to any other species. Biodiversity, as we may not want to believe, impacts humans as much as it does anything else. The loss of biodiversity means a loss various species essential to keeping sustainability on the planet. Eventually we will have to take domestication to its limit until there are no surviving species outside of the ones that we breed for food. As with food dwindling, so would water, until almost all species were starved to death.

Tara litvin

12/1/2014 11:10:03 pm

You make a good point. Biodiversity truly is the most important thing on this Earth. It provides so much to every species. Nothing would survive without it

Tara litvin

12/1/2014 11:08:34 pm

We should be concerned about the loss of bio diversity because everything is connected. Even the smallest species will cause a chain reaction, killing millions more. The ecosystem provides stability and resources such as fuel and food for us as well as other species. If humans lose these resources we will not survive.

Anthony Pacia

12/7/2014 04:48:54 am

The loss of biodiversity is a concerning problem because biodiversity is the diversity of animal and plant species in a habitat and when you lose one species you disrupt the ecosystem and risk losing more species. Ecosystems provide us with many services like oxygen from plants and trees, food from fish and animals, natural resources like wood and water, medicine can be produced from certain animals and plants and there are many other services. Losing these services would be devastating to us and we could cause our own extinction if we eliminate certain services that are vital to life.

Sarah Walsh

1/9/2015 12:34:21 am

I agree completely. These services ARE absolutely vital. There is no way of surviving without them.

Evan D'Agostino

1/7/2015 06:21:29 am

When biodiversity is lost, The ecosystem will collapes as it will start a chain reaction that cant be stopped because there is no going back once we lose it. Ecostytems provide life sustainability. If we lose these services, we could start a reaction that leads to an extremely unstable environment that could be very dangerous to not only us but other organisms on the planet as well.

Sarah Walsh

1/9/2015 12:32:26 am

We should be concerned about the loss of biodiversity because it is what allows the world as we know it to exist. It's a cycle and if we lose one species, we will lose more because of it and it will snowball. Ecosystems provide us with all the resources we need to go on with our daily lives such as animals, plants, water, habitats. If we lose these services, we more or less lose everything. Biodiversity is something all-encompassing and thus it is absolutely essential.

Ryan Rattazzi

1/10/2015 03:17:21 am

A loss of biodiversity means that specie important to the balance of ecosystems will become extinct, while others increase in number so greatly they can's sustain the same way of living. With biodiversity lost and the balance of ecosystems thrown away, who knows what kind of chain reaction could be started and what kind of effects humans could see to their way of life because of it.

Joseph Mullen

1/13/2015 11:58:43 am

1. A loss of biodiversity indicates a badly damaged ecosystem. A badly damaged ecosystem cannot properly support healthy plants and animals. We can not ignore the fact that this affects us. Damaged ecosystems means lower crop yields, difficulty raising animals for meat, and a loss of beautiful spaces on earth.

2. Ecosystems provide a countless amount of services. Ecosystems provide safe places for life to thrive. Ecosystems also help clean the environment. Lush rain forests support a wide variety of wildlife as well as produce oxygen while marshes clean pollutants from bays and other bodies of water.

3. Losing these ecosystems would devastating. Losing precious ecosystems would only cause the problem to increase at a faster rate. As marshes are destroyed bays take In more pollutants. As rain forests are cut down to make room for agricultural expansion, vast amounts of carbon are put back into cycle. Not only that, but less trees means less oxygen being produced. Not only do we lose all the above as ecosystems are destroyed, we lose beauty in nature. A forest looks pretty pathetic with weak and dying trees.

Ryan Fargione

1/15/2015 09:25:37 am

Why should we be concerned about the loss of biodiversity?
We should be concerned about the loss of biodiversity because it allows a rich variety of species to thrive on this planet, with a loss of one species would lead to a loss of another and so on. it is important to keep a diverse variety of species
What are the services that ecosystems provide?
our ecosystem provides us with all the services we need to survive.
What does it mean for humans if we lose these services?
losing these services would lead to a struggle for human survival

Isha Khawaja

1/20/2015 11:21:11 am

1. We should be concerned about the loss of biodiversity because each species plays such an intricate role in our lives that sometimes we may not even notice. As habitants of this plant, all species depend on each other. As one species slowly endangers, so does another one resulting in a horrific domino effect.
2. Ecosystems provide many of the basic services that make life possible for people. The services can range from fruits, vegetables, trees, fish, drinking water, timber, and etc. The more rich and diverse our ecosystems are, the more diverse our services can be.
3. If humans lose these services, it would lead to an end of society itself. If people know that resources are becoming more scarce, there would be a wide amount of shoplifting, riots and chaos.

Alyssa Ruml

1/22/2015 10:06:57 am

I agree completely, and I didn't even think about that shoplifting could be a major problem!

Alyssa Ruml

1/22/2015 10:05:57 am

1. We should be concerned about the loss of biodiversity because diversity is what makes this planet grow and flourish. Without biodiversity we would have very weak substantial development.

2. An ecosystem provides us with so many beneficial things like oxygen, clean water, creating soil, recycling garbage, polliunating crops, etc.

3. If we lost all of this we would literally have nothing else to live for. Ecosystems and biodiversity are what basically makes us be able to live.

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Understanding and Conserving Biodiversity

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