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To what extent can the role of healthy soils contribute to biodiversity? -…
To what extent can the role of healthy soils contribute to biodiversity?
Nitrogen cycle
Nitrogen is a vital nutrient to biodiversity - it is fixed by nitrogen fixing bacteria in the root nodules of leguminous plants, changing it into a usable form to the plants
Nitrogen is needed for the creation of key molecules and structures within the plant e.g DNA, RNA
A deficiency in nitrogen can lead to plants dying as they cannot make the key components that they need
Photosynthesis
Plants need nutrients from the soils to be able to photosynthesise.
Water is taken from the soil via the xylem to be used in photolysis of the light dependent reaction during photosynthesis
Without the soil storing water, photosynthesis would not be able to happen
Unhealthy soils
Over Cultivation can lead to soil decline and therefore a decline in biodiversity
Farmers abusing their soils means that the nutrients are lost from the soil without having enough time during a rest period to recover
This means the quality of the soil declines and means that not as much biodiversity can be produced and managed.
Biodiversity is dependent on the quality of the soil
Artificial fertiliser
Some farmers try to recreate the natural conditions of healthy soils to have greater yields
Artificial fertilisers are used to replace any nutrients that have been used or leached in pervious seasons and harvests
While these can be beneficial to the soils and biodiversity, the nutrients can also be leached into waterways resulting in eutrophication
Main argument
Soils are vital for life - they contain all the necessary nutrients that biodiversity needs
Soils provide 'homes' for primary producers, allowing them to photosynthesise to produce energy. The producers are then eaten by consumers etc. --> Soils facilitate the whole food chain
If soils are abused, they lose their nutrients, desertification and nutrient leaching, they become hard and water cannot infiltrate. Soils need to be protected to sustain biodiversity
Human life or life at all would not be able to continue without soils
Critical argument
Humans are currently causing the decline of biodiversity, but this could be reversed by switching from intensive to extensive farming techniques, rotating crop fields and taking a step away from monoculture.
Humans are ultimately causing their own decline as they are causing the reduction of the main source of life
It is however possible to recreate soil conditions through artificial fertilisers, these do cause problems but it is possible
Argument:
Healthy soils are vital to biodiversity. They provide all of the natural nutrients and things that biodiversity need to grow. Without soils biodiversity would not be able to survive
However, humans are affecting the healthiness of soils through artificial fertilisers and over-cultivation. The impact of anthropogenic activity is causing the decline of the soils and restricting the growth of biodiversity.