Flexi Says: Human beings benefit in many ways from biodiversity. Biodiversity has direct economic benefits. The diversity of species provides humans with a wide range of economic benefits: Wild plants and animals maintain a valuable pool of genetic variation. This is important because domestic species are genetically uniform. This puts them at great risk of dying out due to disease. Other organisms provide humans with many different products. Timber, fibers, adhesives, dyes, and rubber are just a few. Certain species may warn us of toxins in the environment. When the peregrine falcon nearly went extinct, for example, it warned us of the dangers of DDT. More than half of the most important prescription drugs come from wild species. It also provides many other ecosystem services. For example Plants and algae maintain the atmosphere. During photosynthesis, they add oxygen and remove carbon dioxide. Plants help prevent soil erosion. They also improve soil quality when they decompose. Microorganisms purify water in rivers and lakes. They also return nutrients to the soil. Bacteria fix nitrogen and make it available to plants. Other bacteria recycle the nitrogen from organic wastes and the remains of dead organisms. Insects and birds pollinate flowering plants, including crop plants. Natural predators control insect pests. They reduce the need for expensive pesticides, which may harm people and other living things.
