BD in terms of the collective, the community

[this is a post i posted on my FB. it reveals an aspect of biodiversity (BD)]

Without individualism, there can be NO community: if everyone tried to be same, we would be like a ‘blob’ of paint.
without community, there CAN be no individuality: a colour’s beauty doesnot stand out when it stands alone on a white canvas.
if i am the only one who can sing, my individuality is not meaningful and important BECOZ no one else can sing; but becoz there ARE others who write a song, compose music, play instruments… to make a symphony along with me.

BD is like that. its meaningfulness arises because each organism (or constituent) is different, individually unique… AND each is not arbitarily unique. the uniqueness is in context with the others. each uniqueness fills a space. this space is known as the ‘niche’ of a species, in biology.

and the beauty is, what we call evolution - a growing complexity of ‘life’ (on earth) – is nothing but this:

because of the interactions of the different species, the ‘void’, the need, in the collective is revealed. this becomes a new ‘niche’, and an existing species starts moving towards filling that space or void to fulfill the role represented by that niche. we call this as a species ‘evolving’.

it is like… lets say… we start with 2 sets of people – one writes  songs, the other sings. as they keep doing this together (interactions), a need arises (here, recognised by the constituents) for some music, and someone from either group (who understands, or thinks in terms of, rythm) starts to ‘make music’. the BD has increased, or become richer, or become complex – each means the same.

it is clear from the that the more the species, the more the interactions… the more the interactions, the more chances of a niche being revealed.. and so, more chances of more new species evolving, and BD becoming richer.

and from this, it is clear why EACH species is important. not because of its ‘stand-alone’ value of its uniqueness, but because of what its role means in the collective, and what future it holds in its deepest bosom.

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