The loss of biodiversity reduces the productivity of the remaining plants
The loss of biodiversity reduces the productivity of the remaining plants
As I reported in my latest book “Come il Titanic?” Biodiversity is the energy machine of the planet. Each piece plays a role (service) and decreasing the “pieces” decreases the efficiency of the whole system.
This statement, which is demonstrated from a thermodynamic point of view, is increasingly reflected in scientific studies that analyze the benefits of ecosystem biodiversity to plant productivity. These studies have tried to understand the negative effects of biodiversity loss.
In this direction, theoretical models have been developed to quantify the influence of biodiversity on plant productivity of individual plant and community levels.
Some scientists * have done analyzes of the boreal forest of Alaska following the theory of “niche efficiency” and taking into account the Productivity Impact Index (PII). The analysis showed a decrease of 0.23% in productivity of each individual tree, for each reduction of 1% of the overall plant diversity.
For this research, 283 plant species present in the region were analyzed; it is said that large woody plants have shown to have higher PII values than other species.
These considerations are perhaps the only ones that can call for the drowsiness of world politics: in fact there are significant implications of an economic nature, perhaps the only ones able to breach political decisions in favor of energy saving, the fight against climate change and the poverty.
Every living species that we lose goes to decrease the wealth and well-being of the entire planet and nothing can serve the political alchemy or the search for new innovative technologies if they affect the pivotal principle: the conservation of biodiversity.
Guido Bissanti
* Research conducted by a team of researchers from West Virginia University, the US Department of Agriculture, the University of Alaska Fairbanks, the University of Minnesota and the University of Western Sydney. The study was published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.