Biodiversity is an important concept when we are talking about ecosystems and ecology. This article will explain exactly why, so stay tuned!

So, what is biodiversity? Biodiversity, also known as biological diversity, simply put is when there is a large variety of living organisms. This isn’t limited to animals, biodiversity includes plants, animals, fungi, algae, bacteria, & other micro-organisms.

Why is biodiversity important? First, biodiversity is part of a healthy ecosystem. Biodiversity benefits humans more than I think you realize. Biodiversity helps supply humans with basic needs such as food, medicine, shelter, etc. Ecosystems as a whole help with some pretty vital services such as pollination, seed dispersal, & nutrient cycling. This is all made possible thanks to biodiversity. Think about it, if only one species of bee existed, wouldn’t it be difficult for this one bee species to pollinate every blooming flower? This is why it’s important that we have multiple bee species, some are more adapted to warmer weather while others prefer certain flowering plants. This is just one example of why biodiversity is so important and this example relates to all living organisms, not just bees.

Genetic diversity and variability influences biodiversity and these concepts are intertwined. Gene pools are important concepts when we are discussing genetic diversity.

What is a gene pool? Think of a gene pool as a ball pit, as seen in the image above. Each ball represents a species. If you have a super small gene pool, there isn’t much genetic diversity, but if you have a large ball pit, you have a vast and robust gene pool. You can think of it like this, a small ball pit would represent a small pack of wolves whereas a large ball pit would represent a large pack of wolves.

A large gene pool reflects large genetic diversity which favorably impacts the resilience and functionality of our ecosystems. Species become less able to adapt and face a greater risk of extinction when their genetic variety is reduced. DNA-level biological variety is the foundation of all biodiversity. (This is genetic biodiversity, 2024) Genetic diversity is beneficial because it allows species to avoid inbreeding and gives species an opportunity to adapt to future environmental changes. I know the concept of genetics, gene pools, and genetic diversity can be confusing, let me know your questions in the comments and I’ll do my best to answer them!

I am going to make a separate post about the threats to biodiversity, so stay tuned for that!

Citations:

This is genetic biodiversity. (2024, May 24). University of Gothenburg. https://www.gu.se/en/cemeb-marine-evolutionary-biology/management-conservation/baltgene/this-is-genetic-biodiversity#:~:text=Thus%2C%20large%20genetic%20diversity%20%E2%80%93%20a,the%20basis%20for%20all%20biodiversity.