Preserving the Diversity of Life - Essay Example

While man’s impact on the environment is causing species to vanish at a rate much faster than the normal rate, a large meteor could affect the earth and life in many ways.

The impact of this could be much higher and worse than the power of 1000 Hiroshima bombs. A crater could be formed where it falls and the material in the crater can get heated and become slung in the atmosphere. The impact could be so heavy that this could in turn fall with a great force several miles away and explode as if a volcanic eruption has taken place.  The shock waves can flatten trees and buildings if it falls on land and it could result in tsunami or floods if it falls on the sea.  The dust created due to this impact could block the sunlight for several years and this would lead to mass destruction. Plants could die due to lack of sunlight and animals due to lack of food.

            The diversity of life would be adversely affected by this impact. Agriculture would be badly hit as all major food crops, including corn, wheat, and soybeans, depending on the introduction of new strains. Medicines are made from substances derived from plants, animals, or microorganisms for instance penicillin for antibiotics comes from the penicillium fungi. The planet earth has a wealth of natural resources and the economy itself is dependent on these resources. Sunlight is vitally important because its absence could have a direct effect on food, clothing, and medicines.

            Trees and plants return oxygen to the air through photosynthesis; bacteria break down organic material, building, and fertilize the soil. Thousands of natural products are used by the industry to give us everyday goods. The seaweed is used in plastics, polishes, paints, deodorants, detergents, dyes, fire-extinguishing foams, lubricants, meat preservatives, and chicken feed, to name a few. Certain species support the entire ecosystem. If these species were to disappear under the impact of the meteor, it could affect human life, the heredity, and its evolution too. These species have to be preserved and studied for the sake of the future life of this planet.

            Since the beginning of the fossil record, many new life forms have been formed and many

disappeared.  The accumulated differences from one generation to the next to have led eventually to species as different from one another as bacteria are from elephants. The theory of evolution depends upon the observation that there exists some variation in heritable characteristics within every species of organism. Over a successive generation, the characteristics that are passed on as inheritance start decreasing. 

Heritable characteristics can be observed at molecular and whole-organism levels in the structure, chemistry, or behavior. New heritable characteristics can result from new combinations of existing genes or from mutations of genes in reproductive cells. Evolution builds on what already exists.  The effect on heredity under the normal principles of evolution occurs over generations, which could change drastically overnight under the impact of a large meteor because it could wipe off the living organisms on earth altogether. Life would have to start afresh.

            By preserving the diversity of life, we act as trustees for the planet, preserving genetic capital for use by future generations.  To assist evolution taking its natural course it is imperative to preserve the diversity of life on earth.