Question

Question 6: How is biodiversity important for ecosystem functioning?

Class 12 - Biology - Biodiversity and Conservation Page 269

Answer 1

Also, high biodiversity makes the ecosystem more stable in productivity and more resistant towards disturbances such as alien species invasions and floods. ... Hence, biodiversity plays an important role in maintaining the health and ecological balance of an ecosystem.

Answer 2

Answer:

Biodiversity refers to the variety of life on earth at all the levels. It is important for the following:

• An ecosystem is more stable when it has a high species diversity when compared to a low species diversity ecosystem

• Higher biodiversity causes the ecosystem to more stable in productivity, hence more resistant to any disturbance such as floods or alien species invasions

• The ecological balance in an ecosystem rich in biodiversity remains unchanged

• As different tropic levels are connected through food chains, illness of one organism at any tropic level would disrupt the whole food chain. For instance, if plants are destroyed in a food chain, then it would create an imbalance in the world of herbivores due to scarcity of food. Eventually, if all deers die, the tigers will also die soon.

Thus, if an ecosystem is rich in species, each tropic level will have other food alternatives which would increase the life expectancy rate of entities. Therefore, biodiversity has a significant role in preserving the ecological health and balance of an ecosystem.