How Does Land Use Affect Australia's Natural Resources

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Studies have shown and suggested that by increasing species diversity in an ecosystem, both the efficiency and the productivity of an ecosystem will increase. A study done by the University of Maryland stated that “A greater species richness and diversity may cause ecosystems to function more efficiently and productively by making more resources available for other species within the ecosystem.”

Land use has detrimentally effected Australia’s natural resources through their impacts on water, soil, nutrients, plants and animals. Land use change and habitat fragmentation influence the exhibition of different species. Due to this, the population of communities differ between remnant and continuous forest, and with vary land management history.
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One contributing factor is human activity which is why preventative measures over the past years have been applied to help slow down the damage done over the past decades. Many habitats which were once continuous have become divided into separate fragments. As these areas have been cleared out reports mention that the separate fragments usually are very small island isolated from each other by cropland, pasture and pavement.

A major driver of terrestrial biodiversity loss is land use change and this is predicted to increase in importance as global development continues. Land use change has shown to be a major driver towards the population collapses and extinction which include habitat loss, habitat degradation and fragmentation. Biodiversity is something that must be protected as it improves the productivity in an ecosystem. A superior species variety guarantees a natural sustainability for all life forms.

Throughout this investigation the species composition of ants at the Samford Valley forest was examined to see if they are related to management history. A survey of ants in the forest and pasture habitats was