what is the man's dependence on plant biodiversity?

Answer 1

i guess we really deend on plant's biodiversity since plants is the major manufacturer of food and we need food...even the animals we eat needs plant for survival...

Answer 2

Well if you actually see the pyramid of the nature the base of it will always be occupied with the green plants. Why so ?
Because plants are the only things which have the ability to convert sunlight into food. And this food is used by themselves for existence. By the process called Photo-synthesis in presence of Chlorophyll.

Then come the herbivores which depend on plants for their survival. Hence if there weren't enough number of plants then how would the Herbivores survive.

Then come the Carnivores which depend on herbivores for their survival. Hence it requires enough herbivores for carnivores survival.

So if you go to see , man being a vegetarian or non-vegetarian indirectly depends on plants for his existence.
This is the man's dependence on plant biodiversity.

Answer 3

People make a common error in believing that somehow humans are not part of the Earth, that somehow we are separate from everything else.

First, we are born on this planet and we rely on this planet for everything we need to sustain us. Everytime we lose a species, we lose something that was unique on Earth, something that would help us to understand the universe.

All of medicine and a majority of our scientific advances came from observing the diverse world around it and the answers we were able to discover.

Additionally, many of the drugs we use in medicine, come from chemical compounds found in plants. Next years miracle cure could come from a plant or animal discovered under a rock in an obscure forest somewhere... or could be wiped out and we lose that cure forever.

We learn from Nature so therefore we learn more about ourselves because humans are a integral part of Nature.

Answer 4

Most of the end product humans use will have its raw materials rooted to plant and trees, right from the food we eat, clothing, shelter, fuel..
Plants and trees form the basis in our ecosystem. They are the ones that produce oxygen by the process of photosynthesis..
And for a balanced eco-system plant life is absolutely necessary

Answer 5

If you invented a single GM mono-crop for food, clothing, fodder for animals, paper, pharmaceuticals, timber etc. this would be incredible.

however this crop is now a great target for every kind of disease and pest, which will evolve faster than you can design in protection, and suseptibale to climate variation awaay from optimum and disruption of agro-chemical supply.

Bio-diverse environments are stable, tolerant of pests, create microclimates to avoid drought and provide micro-nutrients etc, they also provide better soil structure and avoid errosion.

So the choice is a specialised system requiring expensive inputs and optimal growing environment, supported by a chain of global trade, or a tolerant diverse system delivering local needs and using local inputs

Answer 6

if natural and diverse ecosystems are replaced by ecosystems of poorer biodiversity, the functions of ecosystems would be disrupted.

we are dependent on functioning of the processes on Earth - water cycle, oxygen cycle, etc, on climate, and these functions are inseparable from biodiversity. like deforestation results -in havoc in climate - draught, storms. if water is void of life its selfcleaning ability is low. like thriving species rich coral reef versus dying coral reef or species-poor coral reef ecosystem.

besides: you need the individual species for various purposes and you cannot simply say "this species is not useful and therefore it will never be useful".

also, as we are dependent on the usage of certain species - like fish, we become dependent on other species of their ecosystem, like on the species the fish feed on even though we dont eat them as well. we are dependent on the whole and complex ecosystem and should wish it to be as intact as possible - functioning well. crops grow better if soil is not void of life, so we are dependent on good soil ecosystems and their invisible destruction fires back at us, too.

Answer 7

Food ,Clothing, shelter...