Why does biodiversity consist of several parts—genetic diversity, species diversity, and ecosystem diversity?
Life on Earth takes a variety of forms, and all these parts are needed to keep the Earth healthy. Genetic diversity ensures that parents pass on the traits (such as disease resistance and physical features) that their offspring need to survive. When small populations are isolated from other populations of their species, they may be forced to inbreed, possibly leading to a loss of genetic diversity and to the extinction of the population. Species diversity ensures that ecosystems survive. For example, a giraffe cannot do the same pollination job as a bee, nor could a bee play the same role in a savanna ecosystem as a giraffe. There are some species that depend on a single species to survive. Sloth moths live only on sloths. African melons depend solely on aardvarks. When a species disappears, it can affect a whole ecosystem. Ecosystem diversity ensures the health of the entire planet. For example, rainforests act as filters for the Earth’s air, absorbing carbon dioxide and releasing oxy
