Ecological Role of Biodiversity – Biodiversity and Conservation
All species provide some kind of function to an ecosystem. They can capture and store energy, produce organic material, decompose organic material, help to cycle water and nutrients throughout the ecosystem, control erosion or pests, fix atmospheric gases, or help regulate climate. Some species even play multiple roles within an ecosystem.
Species capture and store energy, produce and decompose organic materials, help to cycle water and nutrients throughout the ecosystem, fix atmospheric gases and help regulate the climate. These functions are important for ecosystem function and human survival.
The more diverse an ecosystem, better are the chances for the species to survive through adversities and attacks, and consequently, is more productive.
Some of the major ecological role of biodiversity are:
(i) Species diversity:
Biodiversity reflects the natural assemblage of large number of plant and animal species in a given area. It is part of a larger ecosystem in which biotic and abiotic components interact and bring about circulation, transformation and accumulation of energy and matter.
(ii) Coexistence:
The species occurring in a particular habitat do not live in isolation but coexist with mutual adjustment. The coexisting populations are interrelated and they show some sort of interaction.
- Exploitation: Where one species lives at the expense of another.
- Mutualism: In this, the coexisting species benefit from the relationship.
- Competition: In this, the coexisting species compete for the same resources.
- Neutralism: In this, the coexisting species are independent of one another.
(iii) Interdependency:
Here, the different species within a community live under similar environmental conditions and are interdependent on each other,
(iv) Species dominance:
Not all the species of a community are found in abundance. Only a few species are abundant, either in number or in biomass, while the majority of the species are rare. The species that are most common and abundant and contain maximum biomass are known as dominants,
(v) Stratification:
In a plant community, the different plant species are represented by trees, shrubs, herbs, etc. These plants form, more or less, distinct strata or layers on vertical as well as horizontal plains known as stratification.
(vi) Succession:
The interacting species within an ecosystem are characterized by death and replacement, which are continuous processes. In this way, the composition and shape of an ecosystem remains dynamic. This is known as succession. The changes go on taking place until a complete balance is established between the species and the environment.