The loss of biological diversity does not only affect wildlife and natural ecoystems, but global agriculture and food production as well. Agricultural production relies on a relatively narrow selection of domesticated varieties of plants and animals, such as wheat, rice, and cattle. (Of the five thousand plant species humans have historically consumed, twenty presently make up around 90 percent of the world’s food supply.) In addition, farmers depend on numerous other species of life, including soil microbes and insect pollinators, to grow crops.
Concerns have been voiced...
Source: Biodiversity, ©2002 Gale Cengage. All Rights Reserved. Full copyright.
(The entire page is 422 words.)
Want to read the whole thing?
Subscribe now to read the rest of this article. Plus, get access to:
- 30,000+ literature study guides
- Critical essays on more than 30,000 works of literature from Salem on Literature (exclusive to eNotes)
- An unparalleled literary criticism section. 40,000 full-length or excerpted essays.
- Content from leading academic publishers, all easily citable with our "Cite this page" button.
- 100% satisfaction guarantee READ MORE
