Importance of Species Diversity to the Ecosystem

Estimated time: 3 minutes

CBSE: Class 12
Maharashtra State Board: Class 12

Key Points: Importance of Species Diversity to the Ecosystem

Ecosystem Stability: High species diversity ensures a stable ecological community with consistent year-to-year biomass productivity.
Disturbance Resistance: Diverse ecosystems are highly resilient and recover quickly from natural or man-made disturbances.
Invasion Immunity: Rich species diversity provides strong natural resistance against the entry and establishment of invasive alien species.
Tilman's Finding: Long-term outdoor plot experiments by David Tilman proved that species-rich communities show minimal variation in total biomass.
Higher Productivity: Tilman's research also directly linked increased species diversity to higher overall ecosystem productivity.
Rivet Popper Hypothesis: Paul Ehrlich compared the ecosystem to an aeroplane and individual species to the rivets holding it together.
Cumulative Impact: While a few extinctions might not cause immediate damage, cumulative species loss dangerously weakens the entire ecosystem over time.
Critical Key Species: Losing key species (like rivets on an aeroplane's wings) poses an immediate, catastrophic threat to major ecosystem functions.
Human Survival: Preserving rich biodiversity is not just essential for ecosystem health, but imperative for the survival of the human race.