BIODIVERSITY ENGLISH ESSAY EXAMPLE

Suitable Title:
Biodiversity
How to conserve Biodiversity
The Importance of biodiversity
Ecosystem
Natural cycle

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Biodiversity or biological diversity refers to the complex interactions between the vast varieties of living things on Earth. In other words, it is the interaction between the genetic, species and ecosystem varieties.

Genetic variety is the variety encoded within the genes of any one species, be it man or animal. Each species has a unique genetic coding and this is what makes one species different from another. Moreover, it is this encoding that provides each species with advantages in certain aspects. For example, the difference between the breeds of dogs due to the genetic variation within each breed and this gives each certain advantage that enables it to perform specific tasks better. A collie is used to control sheep while a hound is used for hunting.

Within the human population, the genetic variety enables us to carry out certain tasks, be much stronger or achieve much more collectively. A person endowed with height enables him or her to excel in games like basketball and netball. On the other hand, a person of slight build would make a good gymnast or a jockey. When it comes to survival, there are those who live in the tropics where certain diseases are endemic and yet they are able to survive without succumbing to them. And then there are people who can live at high altitudes and so have been able to colonize remote mountainous areas.

As for species diversity, it refers to the different types of animals plants and micro-organism that are on Earth. There are approximately 1.75 million known species in the world, while there are millions of others that are yet to be discovered. This is certainly a lot of diversity.

Human beings, animals, plants and micro-organisms do not survive in isolation but in ecosystems where there are complex interactions, interdependence and inter-relations between them. Therefore, when one single species is taken out of the ecosystem, it can start off a chain reaction that may damage the ecosystem and lead to further loss of species.

We all love durian and go all out to indulge ourselves each time durian appears in the basket loads at the local night market. Yet, how many of us realize if it were not for particular species of bat, we would never have durians? This species of bat feeds on the nectar of the flowers of the durian tree and therefore it is an important pollinator. Since durian tree flowers seasonally, the bat seeks food elsewhere when tree is not flowering. It usually seeks out the flowers of Sonneratia, a mangrove tree which is considered economically unimportant. At one point in the time, the bat was hunted as pests or for food, causing the numbers dwindle. Little did we know then that this would adversely affect the durian harvest. Now the bat is threaten by the widespread clearing of mangrove swamp where the Sonneratia grow.

Therefore, the world’s vast biological diversity which comprises every life form of life, from the smallest micro-organism to the largest animal and the ecosystems in which they live must be preserved. Each species has its own intrinsic value. Sometimes a lowly bacterium may be crucial in maintaining the nutrient cycle of the whole forest. At one time, we did not know that the blood-sucking leech secretes an anti-coagulant substance. As a result of studying leech, we have discovered anti-coagulant drugs that are used I the treatment of heart diseases. Often, it is our limited knowledge that causes us to dismiss species of animal or plants as irrelevant or unimportant. For years, the Pacific yew tree was cut down in millions and left to rot just to get access to valuable timber trees. Then researches discovered that the drug Taxol, which is derived from the bark of this tree was highly effective cancer drug! Well, this discovery was made in the nick of time before all the Pacific yes trees were cut down.