Question

c) provide 3 reasons discussed in class why biodiversity is important for humans, and explain each one in a few sentences. 3 marks use the editor to format your answer

Explanation:

1. Ecosystem Services: Biodiversity supports essential ecosystem services like pollination (e.g., bees pollinate crops for food production), water purification (wetlands filter pollutants), and soil fertility (microorganisms and plants maintain soil structure). These services are vital for human survival, providing clean water, food, and stable environments.
2. Food Security: A diverse range of plant and animal species ensures a stable food supply. Genetic diversity in crops (e.g., different wheat varieties) helps resist pests, diseases, and climate change, reducing risks of crop failure and ensuring nutritional variety (e.g., diverse fruits/vegetables for balanced diets).
3. Medical Resources: Many medicines derive from biodiversity. For example, plants like the Madagascar periwinkle provide compounds for cancer drugs, and microbes are used in antibiotics. Diverse ecosystems also offer potential for new treatments, as undiscovered species may hold novel therapeutic properties.

Answer:

1. Ecosystem Services: Biodiversity enables services like pollination (e.g., bees for crops), water purification (wetlands), and soil fertility (microbes/plants), sustaining human access to clean water, food, and stable environments.
2. Food Security: Diverse species (crops, livestock) provide genetic resilience (e.g., pest-resistant crops) and nutritional variety, reducing crop failure risks and ensuring balanced diets.
3. Medical Resources: Biodiversity (plants, microbes) yields medicines (e.g., cancer drugs from periwinkles, antibiotics from bacteria) and potential for new treatments from undiscovered species.