Biodiversity
and
Conservatio
n
Biodiversit
y
Biodiversity or biological diversity is the occurrence of
different types of ecosystems, different species of
organisms and their variant like biotypes, ecotypes and
gene adapted to different climates and environments of
different regions including their interactions and
processes.This term was coined by Edward Wilson.
Important levels of biodiversity:
Genetic diversity
A single species might show high diversity at the genetic level over its distributional range. Rauwolfia vomitoria
shows genetic variation in terms of concentration and potency of chemical reserpine India has more than
50,000 genetically different strains of rice and 1000 varieties of mango.
Species diversity
Diversity at species level for example, the Western Ghats have more amphibian species diversity than the
Eastern Ghats.
Ecological diversity
Deserts, rain forests, mangroves, coral reefs, wetlands, estuaries and alpine meadows are types of ecological
diversity.
Biodiversity and its conservation are vital environmental
issues of international concern as more and more people
around the world begin to realize the critical importance of
biodiversity for survival and well-being on this planet.
· According to the IUCN, the total number of plant and animal
species described so far is about 1.5 million but still many
species are yet to discovered and described.
· More than 70% of all the species recorded are animals
while rest are plants including algae, fungi, bryophytes,
gymnosperms and angiosperms. Among animals, 70% of
total are insects.
· The number of fungi species in the world is more than the
combined total of the species of fishes, amphibians, reptiles
and mammals.
Biodiversity in
India
• India is one of the twelve mega biodiversity countries of the world.
• India has only 2.4% of the land area of the world, it has 8.1% of
the global species biodiversity.
• There are about 45,000 species of plants and about
90,000-1,00,000 species of animals.
• New species are yet to be discovered and named.
• Applying Robert May’s global estimate, only 22% of the total
species have been recorded, India has probably more than
1,00,000 species of plants and 3,00,000 species of animals to be
discovered and described
Patterns of Biodiversity
Latitudinal gradients
The diversity of plants and animals is not uniform throughout the world and shows uneven distribution. This
distribution pattern is along the latitudinal gradient in diversity. Species diversity decreases as we move away
from the equator towards the poles. Tropics harbor more species than temperate or polar areas. Amazonian
Rainforest has the greatest biodiversity on earth. It has more than 40000 species of plants, 1,25,000 species of
insects, 300 species of fish, 427 of amphibian and 378 of reptiles, 1300 species of birds and 427 of mammals.
Various hypothesis has been proposed regarding this such as-
a) Speciation is a function of time unlike temperate regions subjected to frequent glaciation in past, tropical
latitudes have remained relatively undisturbed for millions of years and thus had long evolutionary time for
species diversification.
b) Tropical environments unlike temperate ones are less seasonal and more constant and predictable which
promote niche specialization and lead to a greater species diversity.
c)There is more solar energy available in the tropics which contribute to higher productivity this in turn
contribute indirectly to greater diversity.
Patterns of Biodiversity
Species-Area Relationships
• Alexander Von Humboldt has observed that within a region, species richness gets increased when explored
area is increased, but only up to a limit.
• The relationship between species richness and area for a number of taxa like angiospermic plants, fresh water
fishes and birds is found to be a rectangular hyperbola. On logarithmic scale, the relationship is a straight line
described by the equation-
log S = log C + Z log A.
Where, S= species, A= Area, Z= slope of the line, C =Y- intercept.
Rivet popper
hypothesis
- Given by Paul Ehrlich. In an airplane (ecosystem) all parts
are joined together using thousands of rivets (species). If
every passenger travelling in it starts popping a rivet to take
home (causing a species to become extinct), it may not
affect flight safety (proper functioning of the ecosystem)
initially, but as more and more rivets are removed, the plane
becomes dangerously weak over a period of time.
Furthermore, which rivet is removed may also be critical.
Loss of rivets on the wings (key species that drive major
ecosystem functions) is obviously a more serious threat to
flight safety than loss of a few rivets on the seats or windows
inside the plane
Loss of Biodiversity
The biological wealth of our planets have been declining rapidly due to three factors – Population, Urbanisation
and Industrialisation.The IUCN Red List (2004) documents the extinction of 784 species (including 338
vertebrates, 359 invertebrates and 87 plants) in the last 500 years. Some examples of recent extinctions
include the dodo (Mauritius), quagga (Africa), thylacine (Australia), Steller’s Sea Cow (Russia) and three
subspecies (Bali, Javan, Caspian) of tiger. In last 20 years, 27 species have been disappeared. In general, loss
of biodiversity in a region may lead to
a. Decline in plant production
b. Lowered resistance to environmental perturbations, drought, and flood.
c. Increased variability in ecosystem processes such as productivity, water use, and pest and disease cycles.
Biodiversity Conservation
We should conserve the biodiversity due to following groups of regions-
I. The narrowly utilitarian– human obtain countless direct economic benefits from nature like food, firewood, fibres,
construction material, medicinal plants and industrial products. With increasing resources put into ‘bio-prospecting’
nations endowed with rich biodiversity can expect to reap enormous benefits.
II. The Broadly Utilitarian– biodiversity plays a major role in ecosystem services that nature provides. Productions of
Oxygen during photosynthesis, pollination without natural pollinator, pleasure from nature are priceless.
III. Ethical– for conserving biodiversity relates to what we own to millions of plants, animals and microbes species with
whom we share this planet. Every species has an intrinsic value although it may not be of current or any economic
value to us. It is our moral duty to care for their well-being and pass on our biological legacy in good order to future
generations.
How do we conserve Biodiversity?
The historic convention on Biological Diversity
(The Earth Summit) held in Rio de Janeiro in
1992,called upon all nations to take appropriate
measures for conservation of biodiversity and the
World Summit on sustainable development held
in 2002 in Johannesburg, South Africa, 190
countries pledged their commitment to achieve
by 2010, a significant reduction in the current rate
of biodiversity loss at global, regional and local
levels.
Thanks!
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