BIODIVERSITY

Biodiversity refers to the

variety of living species on
Earth.

PLANTS

BACTERIA

ANIMALS
FUNGI
Genetic Biodiversity
refers to the variety of
genetic characteristics
involved in the genetic
makeup of a species, it is
the diversity within the
species which acts as the
major reason for the
distinguishing
characteristic expressed
by each individual.
Genetic
Biodiversity
Maintaining high
genetic diversity allows
species to adapt to
future environmental
changes and avoid
inbreeding.
Genetic
Biodiversity
It strengthens the ability of
species and populations to
resist diseases, pests,
changes in climate and
other stresses. Gene
variations underpin their
capacity to evolve and their
flexibility to adapt.
Genetic
Biodiversity
The FAO has warned that
declining genetic diversity in
food and agriculture makes
food crops and livestock more
susceptible to disease and
farmers more vulnerable to
crop failure.
Species diversity is
defined as the
number of different
species present in
an ecosystem and
relative abundance
of each of those
species.
Species richness: Number of different species present in an ecosystem.

Species evenness: Relative abundance of individuals of each of those species

Importance of Species Diversity
•More diverse ecosystem tend to be more productive.

•Greater species richness and productivity makes an

ecosystem more sustainable and stable

•More diverse the ecosystem, greater is the ability to

withstand environmental stresses like drought or
invasive infestations

•Species richness makes an ecosystem able to respond

to any catastrophe
Importance of Species Diversity
•In Species-rich communities, each species can use a different
portion of resources available as per their requirement.

•Rich diversity is important for the survival of mankind

•Healthy biodiversity has innumerable benefits like nutrients

storage and recycling, soil formation and protection from
erosion, absorption of harmful gases, climate stability

•Humans get lots of product from nature like fruits, cereals,

meat, wood, fiber, raisin, dyes, medicine, antibiotics, etc.

•Amazon forest is estimated to produce 20 percent of total

 Importance of Species Diversity
•Pollinators, symbiotic relationships, decomposers, each species
perform a unique role, which is irreplaceable

•Diversity in large numbers help in large scale interaction among

organisms such as in the food web

•In the nitrogen cycle, bacteria, plants have a crucial relationship,

earthworms contribute to soil fertility

•Apart from these, there are other benefits such as recreation and
tourism, education and research
 Ecosystem biodiversity
the variety of different habitats,
communities and ecological processes
Describes the role an organism plays in a
community.

A species’ niche is all of the

environmental factors and interspecies
relationships that influence the species.

A species' niche describes how it fits

within its environment.

The ecological niche is the interaction

between a species and all the biotic and
abiotic elements that impact ecology.
COMPETITIVE EXCLUSION PRINCIPLE

Two or more species with limited

resources and similar resource-
use patterns cannot coexist in a
stable habitat because one
species will be better suited and
would outcompete or otherwise
exterminate the others.
•The environment that an organism lives in
•The organism’s behavior patterns ( Active periods may be
diurnal or nocturnal)

COMPONENTS

• The resources that the organisms draw from the environment

(food sources)
•The interaction pattern with other species in the community
Fundamental Niches
• It examines the full spectrum of conditions in which a certain species might
be able to survive, grow and reproduce.
• Its size is large.
• It emphasizes the various roles of species.

Realized Niches
• The particular ecological settings where a species coexists. It outlines the
species’ experiences and how it copes with certain circumstances.
• It takes competition into account along with all other biotic and abiotic
ecological interactions.
• Its size is small. It is considered a subset of a fundamental niche. As the
realized niche expands, so does the fundamental niche.
• It makes emphasis what the species do. G. Evelyn Hutchinson in
1957
 Importance of
•Ecological Niche of several species, usually without
It permits the coexistence
intense competition and under scarce shared resources.
•It facilitates species to be aware of their position in the food
chain and ecology.
•The number of niches in an ecosystem defines the number of
species present. Thus, they define the variety of the place.
•There would be less biodiversity and an unbalanced ecosystem
without ecological niches.
•It helps to comprehend better how communities relate to local
environmental factors, fitness, characteristic evolutions, and
interactions between predators and prey.
•Ecological niche modeling uses algorithms to process
environmental data, contribute to conservation projects, and
Symbiosis
• The relationship
between different
species living in close
association with one
another
Predation
• When one organism hunts and
kills another organism for food.
• Predator
• captures, kills, and consumes
another individual
• Prey
• the individual that is killed
Adaptations for
Predators
• Rattlesnakes have
acute smelling and
heat-sensitive pits
• Spiders build webs
• Carnivores have
sharp teeth
• Tigers have striped
camouflaged coat
 Adaptations for Animal
Prey
• Poisonous and warn
predators with bright
colors
• Mimicry: a harmless
species resembles a
poisonous or
distasteful one
• Stay in herds; run King Snake Coral Snake

away
• Camouflage
Adaptations of Plants
• Physical defenses
• Sharp thorns, spines, sticky
hairs, tough leaves
• Chemical defenses
(secondary compounds)
• Poisons can be irritating or
bad-tasting
• Stychnine nicotine (toxic to
insects), poison ivy, and poison
oak are some examples.
• Medicine can be
manufactured using these
plants.
• Morphine, atropine, codeine,
taxol, and quinine, all come
from plants.
Parasitism
• One organism is harmed
(the host)while the other
organism benefits (the
parasite)
• Usually does not result in
death
• Two types
• Ectoparasites (external)
• Endoparasites (internal)
• Parasites have many
adaptations
Competition
• Results from fundamental
niche overlap
• Two or more species use the
same limited resource
• Competitive exclusion: one
species is eliminated from a
community
• Interspecific competition
• Occurs when two different
species compete for a limited
resource.
• Intraspecific competition
• When members of the same
species compete for limited
resource.
Competition and Community Structure

• Resource partitioning
• A pattern of resource use in which
species reduce their use of shared
resources
• Many species of warblers eat
insects. If two species of
warbler lived in the same area,
they would compete for the
same food, and each
population would suffer. To
limit competition, one warbler
will eat at the top of a tree,
and another will eat near the
Competition and Community
Structure
• Character displacement
• Evolution of anatomical differences that reduce competition
between similar species
• Example: Beak size in finches
 Competition and Community
Structure
• Ecological Equivalents
• These are species that occupy the Poison
same niche, but live in different Dart Frog

geographical regions.
• Ex. Poison Frogs
• Mantella Frog of Madagascar
• Poison Dart Frog of South
America
• Both have brightly colored Mantella
skin that secretes a highly Frog
poisonous toxin to ward off
predators.
• Both prey on similar insects,
and live in similar habitats.
Amensalism is a type of biological interaction
where one species causes harm to another
organism without any cost or benefits to itself.
 Mutualism
• Cooperative relationship in which both
species derive some benefit

For the bees, the pollen and nectar from many

flowers is an important source of fats,
proteins, vitamins, and minerals. The nectar is
a source of energy.
As bees travel from one blossom to another,
pollen clings to their fuzzy bodies. It is then
transferred to the other flowers of the same
The acacias provide shelter for ants in the species. This pollinates or fertilizes the plant.
thorns and nectar in extrafloral nectarines for Plants then can produce their own fruits and
their symbiotic ants. In turn, the ants protect seeds.
the plant by attacking large mammalian
herbivores and stem-boring beetles that
damage the plant.
Commensalis
m
• Interaction in which one
species benefits; the other is
neither helped nor harmed

The Cattle Egret feeds on a wide range of

prey, particularly insects, especially
grasshoppers, crickets, flies (adults and
maggots), and moths, as well as spiders,
frogs, and earthworms. The species is
usually found with cattle, in this case
cape buffalo, and other large grazing and
browsing animals, and catches small
creatures disturbed by the mammals
Protocooperation is a type of
ecological interaction where both the
species involved in the interaction are
benefitted, but the interaction is not
obligatory for survival.
 Roles of Species
They have broad niches. These can live in many places and can eat a
variety of foods. They can thrive in rapidly changing environmental
conditions. E.g. cockroaches, rats, mice, flies, white-tailed deer, raccoons,
humans, etc.

Generalist species
Specialist species: They have a
narrow niche, found in only one
type of habitat and feed on a few
types of food. They are more
prone to disturbances in the
environmental condition and
cannot tolerate the change and
environmental stress.
•Native species: Species that
normally live and thrive in a
particular ecosystem.
Non-native species
(invasive or alien
species): Species that
migrate deliberately or
accidentally to an
ecosystem. They can
spread rapidly if they
find a favorable niche.
Invasive species
compete with other
species for food and
Indicator species: These
serve as biological smoke
alarms. These species
provide early warnings of
damage to an ecosystem.
Keystone species: They
play an important role in
Ecosystem Engineers
maintaining species
diversity and integrity of Mutualists
an ecosystem. They have
Predators
a high impact on the
types and abundance of
species in an ecosystem.
Threats to species
diversity

Habitat Loss and

Fragmentation: Due to
pollution, urbanization and
various other human
activities, habitat loss and
fragmentation is a major
cause of loss in species
diversity and driving plants
•Over Exploitation: Over-
exploitation of natural
resources leads to the
extinction of many species.
E.g. Steller’s sea cow, the
passenger pigeon, many
marine fishes are
overharvested
Alien species
invasions: When alien
species are introduced
deliberately or
unintentionally, some
of them become
invasive, leading to the
extinction of
indigenous species.
Co-
extinctions: When a
species becomes
extinct, the species
that are associated
with it also becomes
extinct.
 Conservation of Species
Biodiversity rich regions are protected as
Diversity
biosphere reserves, national parks and
sanctuaries i.e. called in-situ conservation.
Essay

Which type of biodiversity conservation is more

effective? Defend your answer.