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From a broad
point of view, beyond the specific needs of human beings, preserving
species is essential for ecological reasons. Living things provide
what scientists call "ecosystem services." An ecosystem contains
communities of plants, animals, and microbes along with the nonliving
features of the environment such as soil and water. Certain species
provide ecosystem services by protecting the soil from erosion,
influencing the characteristics of the atmosphere, transforming
energy from the sun into food energy, shaping local and regional
climates, and performing other functions. Forests, for example,
provide a vital ecosystem service: removing massive amounts of carbon
dioxide from the atmosphere as plants create food through photosynthesis.
Increasing levels of this gas, which has been caused by the combustion
of fossil fuels, have been linked with a potential warming of Earth's
climate. Even a slight rise in the surface temperature of the Earth
could alter the natural patterns of drought and flooding, and bring
about widespread environmental damage. As forests are cleared and
not replaced, the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere rises
to much greater levels. Many ecologists say that understanding and
maintaining natural communities is the key to sustaining life on
Earth as we know it, and that every species is an important part
of a whole system.
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