Biodiversity 101: Knowing the Issue and How Restoration Can Help Rescue Our Ecosystems
Loss of life diversity is a global crisis that goes beyond the scientific community. It is the very essence of existence and life sustains us. What is meant by biodiversity is all life forms on our planet. It includes the smallest life forms such as soil bacteria to the largest life forms such as the giant redwood trees of California. Sadly, this life variety is in danger.
The Earth is facing biodiversity loss for many reasons, but there are four especially critical ones: resource over-exploitation for economic gain, pollution, global climate change, and overconsumption of the growing human populace. All these factors are within our control. Reducing the exploitation of critical habitats, such as the Amazon rainforests, is possible by supporting the use of eco-friendly products within homes and businesses. Changing to a recycled paper towel is a simple step to reduce the impacts of eco over-exploitation.
The Effects of Pollution on Plant Ecosystems
Whenever animal populations decline, air pollution is usually cited as the most common determining factor. However, water pollution also negatively impacts plant ecosystems. Companies' disposal of effluents without prior treatment to assimilate the oxygen demand, biodegradable organic waste, and nutrients lead to permanent modifications of the surrounding water table, soil, and plant cover after only ten years. In our example, water pollution is a problem because the temperature of the hazardous waste and the waste’s composition contain highly toxic organic compounds to a significant geographical area of plant communities.
The effects of pollution are cumulative and lead to the loss of numerous species and the reduction of global biodiversity. Along the coasts and continental ecosystems of the world, the use of synthetic commercial fertilizers heavily impacts ecosystems. Fertilizers are overly enriched with nitrogen, a nutrient in large quantities. Nitrogen enriched rain contributes to runoff. Runoff is nutrient enriched and floods the coastal oceans. Nutrient over enrichment is a major cause of blooms in coastal ecosystems. Nutrient over enriched coastal blooms are.
Algal blooms cover the water and kill the plants and animals that need to access the water. Under the water, plants, such as seagrasses, which are nurseries for fish, need energy and oxygen to survive. Once the seagrasses die off, the fish will be deprived of food and so will the animals that are dependent on the fish.
This loss of food continues throughout the ecosystem and increases the number of species that die. In different parts of the ocean, the food webs are connected, so the loss of seagrasses will affect animals in different ecosystems. The first step in helping the species is recognizing the loss, and the lack of ecosystem health in your area promotes the need for community ecological action.
As an instance, the threat can be addressed by lobbying on behalf of improved protections of the Clean Water Act with our local congressperson.
Air Pollution and The Story of the Birch Tree
Ever since trees and shrubs have been utilized at ground level of air pollution, the various interactions of plant and animal species and the particular pollutants, especially sulphur and nitrogen, have impacted the ecosystem's affect on the troposphere. Plants can absorb huge amounts of nitrogen and can also become seed sterile, which affects the plant's future growth cycle and the potential of yet another global species extinction.
Ozone situated at the ground level also inhibits those plants and trees of the ability to function and grow. One of the interrelated and classical examples of the impact of industrialization on the ecosystems of multuial food webs is Silver Birch, Betula pendula.
It is a handsome birch, with paper-thin white bark and pendulous twigs and branches, but is now potentially one of the most impacted birches. In a non-polluted and healthy ecosystem, the Silver Birch and its bark support an entire community of insects including the Peppered Moth, which is white and speckled, prcairing to itself camouflaged among the light bark to flat of the birds.
Factories close to these trees are spewing soot and carbon, which ruin these trees and the wildlife that depend on them. Imagine a coal-fired power plant bordering a forest that features a stand of light-colored Silver Birch trees. White symbiotic moths simply feed on the trees, and find refuge under the tree barks. This moth-and-tree relationship is beneficial to the trees. But then the coal-burning power plant goes operational, and the trees are now bordering a massive, cumulative, and highly polluted, coal-derived fog.
Years later, the white moths that used to sap the tree are now fully grown and unable to hide. The Silver Birch trees become sooty black. The white moths become visible to their predators, which are birds. This pushes a population shift to favor a surviving dark moth variant, though it is on the blackened trees that were once white. But the tree-and-moth systems originally present are completely unbalanced.
This biodiversity loss in this ecosystem shows how air pollution can cause crisis situations. This is because the trees co-adapted with the insects. Losing one tree, or changing the environment so drastically, creates a situation with the plant partners which may create a the risk scenario where they are endangered or in danger of illness themselves without the remaining support of their symbiotic partners. When one forest becomes damaged, the ecosystem then is in danger of collapsing. When one ecosystem collapses, then they next one becomes highly improbable. This then causes the problems with renewing the biodiverse.
Other Plants at Risk
This doesn't only take its toll on just the Silver Birch. Other plant types indicator species of the environment are at risk too.
American Ginseng (Panax quinquefolius): This specie is super sought after because of its medicinal root but is also being overharvested, and is being threatened loss of habitat in the Appalachian mountains, which disruption the soil ecology and cultural loss of the needy/vulnerable folks local in the area.
Eastern Hemlock (Tsuga canadensis): A keystone specie in the eastern north Americans forests, also loosing these great trees is also being perpetrated by the invasive pest the Hemlock Wooly Adelgid which is distributed through out the world through trade. The lost Hemlocks affect the temperature of streams, which in turn affects the population of the inhabiting trout.
Orchid: Different species of wild orchids are very delicate regarding climate change. Their loss would signify floral biodiversity loss, making them, along with other species, the 'canaries in the coal mine.'
The Climate Connection
Ecosystems are also affected due to air pollution on a macroscale. Corporate factories emit a large amount of ozone-depleting substances. They also emit carbon and other greenhouse gases, resulting in what is called atmospheric air pollution. The greenhouse gases in the atmosphere are also very harmful to the planet in a variety of ways. They make the Earth heat up more during the daytime.
As those gases form a thick layer in the atmosphere, the Sun's heat is kept on the Earth. This leads to the over-heating of the atmosphere. Once the atmosphere is over-heated, the problems in the Earth's ecosystems multiplies. That change in temperature causes habitat ranges to shift and collapse, as well as the ecosystems in those habitats.
The speed of change is also remarkable. Many species are unable to adapt to the rate of change. As a result, a lot of species are forced to migrate, or they will go extinct. Climate change is one of the most important parts of the problem of biodiversity collapse, and the atmosphere is so large and damaged it's very hard to fix.
Taking Action: Restoration and Conservation
Everyone knows the ways to address climate change: Lower your carbon footprint and save your resources. If anything, climate change correlates with the loss of biodiversity and over-exploitation of resources. The solution is simple: monitor your consumption and maintain equilibrium with what you need.
You certainly have the opportunity to embrace the actions mentioned to mitigate biodiversity loss. But do you want to make a real difference? The loss of our plants and animal populations due to over-exploitation have greatly harmed the rest of our ecosystems. The loss of productivity from ecosystems is a crisis, but with the right intervention, loss of biodiversity is reversible through restoration. The extinction of many plants can be prevented by planting more nutritious and diverse trees in their ecosystems.
The initial step in taking part in ecological restoration is understanding the challenges within an ecosystem. Numerous local environmental groups keep an eye on and monitor particular ecosystems in your area that require restoration.
Such groups often serve as the best means to learn about restoration issues and find concerned citizens. Local groups are most likely to understand small scale biodiversity issues. One minor detail to consider is the endangered plant species within your area. Understanding what needs to be planted can create an important positive change to the ecosystem.
The most effective way to participate is checking the local community for volunteer opportunities. Being proactive is an easy way to begin providing help and many communities are adopting ecological restoration practices that incorporate eco-friendly activities such as tree planting.
Earth Day is still one of America’s best communal volunteering activities. If your community lacks an environmental resource group consider volunteering to create one. Human activities are the primary cause of loss of biodiversity and extinction of plant species.
For ecological restoration to be undertaken it is vital to understand that loss of biodiversity is reversible. If we make proactive changes to our daily activities we can make a positive impact in our communities and homes. From our words and actions biodiversity loss can be addressed!
TN Nursery: Restorations of Your Local Ecosystem
Are you ready to help re-introduce biodiversity in your backyard? If you are looking to help a native ground cover restoration or plant the great looking Silver Birch, every plant matters.
Use TN Nursery to help establish a bio-diverse landscape. With native trees, shrubs and plants, you can help.
FAQs
Why is biodiversity important in Agriculture?
Food security relies on the biodiversity of a given system. In agriculture, having a variety of genetic seed stock within a given crop enables the population of that crop to resist pests, diseases, and the extremes of the weather. If we depend on one variety of a crop, say corn or wheat (monoculturing), a single disease can wipe out the whole contracted harvest, resulting in famine. Planting a diverse variety of crops helps build a healthy soil microsystem that lessens the need for fertilizers, and also helps provide food and shelter for important pollinators that our food crops need in order to bear fruit.
Why is biodiversity of plants important?
Without plants in our food chain, which provide the essential nutrients necessary for life, our existence would be impossible. That is why plants and their biodiversity is essential. Having a diverse range of plants in an ecosystem enhances the stability of that ecosystem. Each plant in the ecosystem performs different functions. Some plants in the ecosystem lose bond with the soil nitrogen and help to improve and stabilize the soils. Some plants pull the soil together with their deep roots reducing soil erosion and some provide useful medicines. In addition, the overall diverse plant life can improve the ecosystem's resilience and also help in natural climate regulation.
Why does biodiversity matter in horticulture?
Diversity in horticulture helps create gardens that are beautiful and self-maintaining as well as tough in the face of adverse conditions. Self-sustaining ecosystems like these are less vulnerable to the kinds of devastating pest infestations that plague monocultures. For example, when pest-control plants are mixed in with others, they draw in predatory insects. This reduces the need for toxic pesticides. Pest plants also ensure that if one goes down due to stress of a certain condition, others will still go on to support the garden in structural and functional ways. It transforms a garden from simple ornamental collection to a living sanctuary.
Why does biodiversity matter in a garden ecosystem?
A garden represents a micro-ecosystem. Here, biodiversity helps support pollination, decomposition, and nutrient cycling. With a diverse range of plants, you also attract a wider range of wildlife and, in turn, further biodiversity. For example, soil aeration is performed by earthworms and insects are controlled by birds. This stability of the ecosystem reduces the amount of work the gardener has to do by providing a natural balance. Also, because of the genetic diversity in the garden, it's like an insurance against climate extremes, so that during a hot summer or wet spring, part of your garden will still be productive.
What are 5 reasons why biodiversity is essential?
Ecosystem Recovery: Unique ecosystems are able to recover from environmental disasters like fires and floods and other disasters much quicker than those which have a smaller variety of species.
Food Supply: Having a variety of different crops and livestock means there is sufficient food for people even if one species of food crops/ livestock is killed and diseased.
Medicinal Plants: The various medicines we have are derived from the plants and animals of densely biodiverse areas such as rain forests and other tropical regions. The loss of species means losing the potential to cure other medicines.
Prosperity: Tourism, Agriculture and medicine are industries which rely economically on the variety of ecosystems which are healthy and biodiverse.
Carbon Sequestration: Jedi ecosystems like forests and seas are huge carbon sinks and also help to regulate the climate and produce oxygen.
