Is there a direct relationship between biodiversity and ecosystem and what are the different ecosystem services provided by biodiversity?
An ecosystem is an assemblage of various environmental (inorganic) and ecological (organic) components. Due to differences in the composition of environmental components various levels and complexity of biodiversity (species) is possible. As biodiversity increases so does potential ecosystem services that can be obtained or maintained by an ecosystem. Increased biodiversity can provide a variety of ecosystem services, such as food availability, water runoff mediation, medically important compounds, mental well-being, pest control, etc.
Ecosystem functions include the physicochemical and biological processes that occur within the ecosystem to maintain terrestrial life. Ecosystem services are the set of ecosystem functions that are directly linked to benefit human well-being. The Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (MA), a major UN-sponsored effort to analyze the impact of human actions on ecosystems and human well-being, identified four major categories of ecosystem services: provisioning, regulating, cultural and supporting services. Biodiversity is essential for the processes that support all life on Earth, including humans. Without a wide range of animals, plants and microorganisms, we cannot have the healthy ecosystems that we rely on to provide us with the air we breathe and the food we eat. Ecosystem services make human life possible by, as providing nutritious food and clean water, regulating disease and climate, supporting the pollination of crops and soil formation, and providing recreational, cultural and spiritual benefits.Greater biodiversity in ecosystems, species, and individuals leads to greater stability. For example, species with high genetic diversity and many populations that are adapted to a wide variety of conditions are more likely to be able to weather disturbances, disease, and climate change. The relationship between biodiversity and ecosystem processes has emerged as a major scientific issue today. At present they have provided evidence that loss of biodiversity may impair the functioning and sustainability of ecosystems. Ecosystem services are the goods and services that biodiversity provides. They include soil formation, the provision of food and fibre, air quality and climate regulation, the regulation of water supply and quality and the cultural and aesthetic value of certain plants and species. Biodiversity provides us with drinking water, oxygen to breathe, food, medicine, decomposition of waste, and helps our planet withstand natural disasters. The Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (MA), a major UN-sponsored effort to analyze the impact of human actions on ecosystems and human well-being, identified four major categories of ecosystem services: provisioning, regulating, cultural and supporting services.
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