Irreplacable on Radio 4

[tameblackbirds]

Was wondering if anyone listened to radio 4 last night?

there was a debate at the Earthwatch institute at the Royal Geographical Society.

5 scientists were arguing for the species or organism they believed was truly irreplacable.

bats
bees
chimps
fungi
plancton

Well worth listening to on catch up

[Gerel]

I heard some of it, but, to be honest, found it irritating that the presenter would say, here's so-and-so to put the case for their most valuable species and then someone would start talking about plankton or fungi. If they don't realise that fungi is not a species then there's no hope for them.. If they had, had to pick a species it might have been more interesting, but how can you argue that groups as vast and diverse as fungi or plankton are more or less important than each other. Remove either and the entire global ecosystem collapses making which is the more vital something of a moot point.

Sorry slightly into rant mode there.

Steve

[tameblackbirds]

thats okay.... I enjoyed it... they all argued that with out their chosen speices that there was not much hope for all the others. a little too light hearted it did make me laugh perhaps I'm too easly pleased

[Dogghound]

I think people need to understand that life is a Symbiont circle, what affects one thing will affect the rest. Whether this is removing a predator or prey, or adding either to another area. An ecosystem should be viewed as a whole and not as different parts. Every little thing from the fly to the tree to the deer are all dependant on each other, without one the other does not exist.