<P> Tropical rainforests have received most of the attention concerning the destruction of habitat . From the approximately 16 million square kilometers of tropical rainforest habitat that originally existed worldwide, less than 9 million square kilometers remain today . The current rate of deforestation is 160,000 square kilometers per year, which equates to a loss of approximately 1% of original forest habitat each year . </P> <P> Other forest ecosystems have suffered as much or more destruction as tropical rainforests . Farming and logging have severely disturbed at least 94% of temperate broadleaf forests; many old growth forest stands have lost more than 98% of their previous area because of human activities . Tropical deciduous dry forests are easier to clear and burn and are more suitable for agriculture and cattle ranching than tropical rainforests; consequently, less than 0.1% of dry forests in Central America's Pacific Coast and less than 8% in Madagascar remain from their original extents . </P> <P> Plains and desert areas have been degraded to a lesser extent . Only 10 - 20% of the world's drylands, which include temperate grasslands, savannas, and shrublands, scrub, and deciduous forests, have been somewhat degraded . But included in that 10 - 20% of land is the approximately 9 million square kilometers of seasonally dry - lands that humans have converted to deserts through the process of desertification . The tallgrass prairies of North America, on the other hand, have less than 3% of natural habitat remaining that has not been converted to farmland . </P> <P> Wetlands and marine areas have endured high levels of habitat destruction . More than 50% of wetlands in the U.S. have been destroyed in just the last 200 years . Between 60% and 70% of European wetlands have been completely destroyed . In the United Kingdom, there has been an increase in demand for coastal housing and tourism which has caused a decline in marine habitats over the last 60 years . The rising sea levels and temperatures has caused soil erosion, coastal flooding, and loss of quality in the UK marine ecosystem . About one - fifth (20%) of marine coastal areas have been highly modified by humans . One - fifth of coral reefs have also been destroyed, and another fifth has been severely degraded by overfishing, pollution, and invasive species; 90% of the Philippines' coral reefs alone have been destroyed . Finally, over 35% mangrove ecosystems worldwide have been destroyed . </P>

What would happen to the ecosystem if there was a loss of habitat