Question

Biodiversity must be conserved as it plays an important role in many ecosystem services that nature provides. Explain any two ecosystem services.

Hint:

Name two services such as pollination and climate regulation (oxygen release) and give one line on each.

Answer 1

Step 1: Understanding the Concept:
Ecosystem services are the free benefits that healthy ecosystems give to humans. Biodiversity keeps these services running, so losing species weakens them.

Step 2: Choose any two services:
The question asks for any two, so we explain pollination and climate regulation with oxygen release. Each carries 1 mark.

Step 3: Service 1 - Pollination and food production:
Many plants depend on bees, birds, bats and other animals for pollination.
Pollination gives fruits and seeds, so it supports crops and wild food webs.
A loss of pollinator species lowers fruit and seed set.

Step 4: Service 2 - Climate regulation and oxygen release:
Plants take in \( \mathrm{CO_2} \) in photosynthesis and release oxygen.
Dense forests such as the Amazon rainforest add a large share of the oxygen in the air, about 20 percent.
Forests also store carbon and keep the local climate and rainfall steady.

Step 5: Other services you may quote:
Purification of air and water, flood control, soil formation and nutrient cycling are also valid.

Final Answer:
Two services are pollination (food and seed production) and climate regulation through oxygen release and carbon storage.