What do you think will happen to an ecosystem if one of its component is gradually decreasing in number?
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What do you think will happen to an ecosystem if one of its component is gradually decreasing in number?
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Answer:
There will be a lot of changes
Explanation:
The ecosystem will no be balance that the other of it is losing life and dying.
Explanation:Context - Human well-being is highly dependent on ecosystems and the benefits they provide such as food and drinkable water. Over the past 50 years, however, humans have had a tremendous impact on their environment.
To better understand the consequences of current changes to ecosystems and to evaluate scenarios for the future, UN Secretary General Kofi Annan has launched a comprehensive scientific study, the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment.
1.1 Virtually all of Earth’s ecosystems have been significantly transformed through human actions. Changes have been especially rapid in the last 50 years and today the fastest changes are taking place in developing countries. Ecosystems are particularly affected by large-scale fishing, freshwater use, and agriculture. More...
1.2 Ecosystems depend on fundamental environmental cycles such as the continuous circulation of water, carbon, and other nutrients. Human activities have modified these cycles, especially during the last 50 years, through increases in freshwater use, carbon dioxide emissions, and fertilizer use. This in turn has affected the ability of ecosystems to provide benefits to humans. More...
See also GreenFacts' digest on Biodiversity
See also GreenFacts' digest on Biodiversity
1.3 Many animal and plant populations have declined in numbers, geographical spread, or both. For instance, a quarter of mammal species are currently threatened by extinction. Human activity has caused between 50 and 1000 times more extinctions in the last 100 years than would have happened due to natural processes. Increasingly, the same species are found at different locations on the planet and the overall biodiversity is decreasing, because some rare species are lost and common ones spread to new areas. Overall, the range of genetic differences within species has declined, particularly for crops and livestock. More...
2. How have ecosystem services and their uses changed?
2.1 Ecosystem services are the multiple benefits provided by ecosystems to humans. More...
2.2 uman use of all ecosystem services is increasing:
The use of resources such as food, water, and timber has increased rapidly, and continues to grow, sometimes unsustainably.
Human interventions have led to changes in the regulation of climate, disease, and other ecosystem processes.
The use of ecosystems for recreation, spiritual enrichment, and other cultural purposes is growing. However, the capacity of ecosystems to provide these services has declined significantly.
More...
Global fish catch
Global fish catch
2.3 In the past, increases in the supply of resources were often achieved despite local limitations by shifting production and harvest to new, less exploited regions. These options are diminishing, and developing substitutes for services can be expensive. More...
2.4 Biodiversity reflects the number, variety and variability of living organisms in an ecosystem. Changes in biodiversity at a particular location affect the ability of the ecosystem to supply services and to recover from disturbances. More...
2.5 When humans modify an ecosystem to gain something, it often has negative effects on other components of ecosystems, leading to trade-offs. For instance, increased food production tends to bring about reductions in biodiversity. However, conserving or enhancing particular components of an ecosystem, for instance creating an urban park, can also lead to positive synergies improving a variety of services. More...