Dependencies
The ecological dependencies living systems and civilization rest on — the functions species perform and the services those functions provide. Open one to see what depends on it and what fails if it is lost.
Hunting other animals — which keeps prey numbers in balance.
Moving plant seeds away from the parent plant.
Physically reshaping the environment in ways other species depend on.
Moving nutrients through an ecosystem so life can reuse them.
Carrying pollen between flowers so plants can produce seeds and fruit.
Digging or opening water sources that other animals come to depend on.
Heavy grazing and browsing that keeps grasslands open and shapes which plants grow.
Forests recycling moisture that falls as rain across a region.
Moving water through plants, soil and air via evapotranspiration.
Helping keep the climate within a stable, liveable range.
Providing the living space many species need to survive.
Ecosystems staying balanced enough to keep functioning over time.
Keeping a wide range of species present rather than a few dominant ones.
Forests regrowing and renewing themselves naturally.
Locking carbon into living systems instead of the atmosphere.
The supply of food that people and animals eat.
Reliable access to clean fresh water.
The ocean's capacity to grow the plankton and prey that feed marine life.
The physical shape of a habitat — clearings, paths and mix of trees and grass — that other species rely on.