NAME: G . SURYA TEJA REG.NO. 11199D014 B.E.

Mechanical

EVS ASSIGNMENT- BIODIVERSITY

BIODIVERSITY
Biodiversity is the variety and variability among all living organisms from all sources,
including terrestrial, marine, and other aquatic ecosystems and the ecological complexes of
which they are a part. It refers to “Life on earth”.In our biosphere immense diversity (or
heterogeneity) exists not only at the species level but at all levels of biological organisation
ranging from macromolecules within cells to biomes. Biodiversity is the term popularised
by the sociobiologist Edward Wilson to describe the combined diversity at all the levels of
biological organisation.
Levels of Biodiversity

The three levels of biodiversity are

1) Genetic diversity
2) Species diversity
3) Ecosystem diversity

Genetic diversity:

A single species might show high diversity at the genetic level over its distributional range.
The genetic variation shown by the medicinal plant Rauwolfia vomitoria growing indifferent
Himalayan ranges might be in terms of the potency and concentration of the active
chemical (reserpine) that the plant produces. India has more than 50,000 genetically
different strains of rice, and 1,000 varieties of mango.

Species diversity:

Diversification of living organisms based on their species within a population. The diversity
at the species level, for example, the Western Ghats have a greater amphibian species
diversity than the Eastern Ghats.

Ecosystem diversity

Diversification of living organisms based on their habitat. At the ecosystem level, India, for
instance,with its deserts, rain forests, mangroves, coral reefs, wetlands, estuaries, and
alpine meadows has a greater ecosystem diversity than a Scandinavian country like
Norway.
It has taken millions of years of evolution, to accumulate this rich diversity in nature, but we
could lose all that wealth in less than two centuries if the present rates of species losses
continue. Biodiversity and its conservation are now vital environmental issues of
international concern as more and more people around the world begin to realise the
critical importance of biodiversity for our survival and well- being on this planet.

Patterns of Biodiversity
(i) Latitudinal gradients: The diversity of plants and animals is not uniform throughout the
world but shows a rather uneven distribution. For many group of animals or plants, there
are interesting patterns in diversity, the most well- known being the latitudinal gradient in
diversity. In general, species diversity decreases as we move away from the equator
towards the poles. With very few exceptions, tropics (latitudinal range of 23.5° N to
23.5° S) harbour more species than temperate or polar areas. Colombia located near the
equator has nearly 1,400 species of birds while New York at 41° N has 105 species and
Greenland at 71° N only 56 species. India, with much of its land area in the tropical
latitudes, has more than 1,200 species of birds. A forest in a tropical region like Equador has
up to 10 times as many species of vascular plants as a forest of equal area in a temperate
region like the Midwest of the USA. The largely tropical Amazonian rain forest in South
America has the greatest biodiversity on earth- it is home to more than 40,000 species of
plants, 3,000 of fishes, 1,300 of birds, 427 of mammals, 427 of amphibians, 378 of reptiles
and of more than 1,25,000 invertebrates. Scientists estimate that in these rain forests
there might be at least two million insect species waiting to be discovered and named.

Species-Area relationships: During his pioneering and extensive explorations in the

wilderness of South American jungles, the great German naturalist and geographer
Alexander von Humboldt observed that within a region species richness increased with
increasing explored area, but only up to a limit. In fact, the relation between species
richness and area for a wide variety of taxa (angiosperm plants, birds, bats, freshwater
fishes) turns out to be a rectangular hyperbola . On a logarithmic scale, the relationship is a
straight line described by the equation log S = log C + Z log A
where
S= Species richness A= Area
Z = slope of the line (regression
coefficient)
C = Y-intercept
Values of Biodiversity

According to McNeely et al (1990) the multiple values of biodiversity are classified as

follows

1.Consumptive value – direct value(e.g., food, medicine etc)

2.Productive value- through which one can earn money.(sericultyre ,apiculture etc)
3.Social value-based on tradition & custom(sacred grooves)
4.Ethical value-Existence value(tulsi, neem)
5.Aesthetic value-pleasure(eco tourism)
6.optional value-useful in near future(zebra)
7.Ecosystem service value-render services to environment.(nitrogen fixation)

Loss of Biodiversity
While it is doubtful if any new species are being added (through speciation) into the earth’s
treasury of species, there is no doubt about their continuing losses. The biological wealth of
our planet has been declining rapidly and the accusing finger is clearly pointing to human
activities. The colonisation of tropical Pacific Islands by humans is said to have led to
the extinction of more than 2,000 species of native birds. 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. The last twenty years alonehave witnessed the
disappearance of 27 species.

In general, loss of biodiversity in a region may lead to (a) decline in plant production, (b)
lowered resistance to environmental perturbations such as drought and (c) increased
variability in certain ecosystem processes such as plant productivity, water use, and pest
and disease cycles.
Causes of biodiversity losses: The accelerated rates of species extinctions that the world is
facing now are largely due to human activities. There are four major causes

(i) Habitat loss and fragmentation: This is the most important cause driving animals and
plants to extinction. The most dramatic examples of habitat loss come from tropical rain
forests. Once covering more than 14 per cent of the earth’s land surface, these rain forests
now cover no more than 6 per cent. They are being destroyed fast. By the time you finish
reading this chapter, 1000 more hectares of rain forest would have been lost. The Amazon
rain forest (it is so huge that it is called the ‘lungs of the planet’) harbouring probably
millions of species is being cut and cleared for cultivating soya beans or for conversion to
grasslands for raising beef cattle. Besides total loss, the degradation of many habitats by
pollution also threatens the survival of many species. When large habitats are broken up
into small fragments due to various human activities, mammals and birds requiring large
territories and certain animals with migratory habits are badly affected, leading to
population declines.

(ii)
Over-exploitation: Humans have always depended on nature for food and shelter, but
when ‘need’ turns to ‘greed’, it leads to over-exploitation of natural resources. Many
pecies extinctions in the last 500 years (Steller’s sea cow, passenger pigeon) were due
to overexploitation by humans. Presently many marine fish populations around the world
are over harvested, endangering the continued existence of some commercially important
species.

(iii) Alien species invasions: When alien species are introduced unintentionally or
deliberately for whatever purpose, some of them turn invasive, and cause decline or
extinction of indigenous species. The Nile perch introduced into Lake Victoria in east Africa
led eventually to the extinction of an ecologically unique assemblage of more than 200
species of cichlid fish in the lake. You must be familiar with the environmental damage
caused and threat posed to our native species by invasive weed species like carrot grass
(Parthenium), Lantana and water hyacinth (Eicchornia). The recent illegal introduction of
the African catfish Clarias gariepinus for aquaculture purposes is posing a threat to the
indigenous catfishes in our rivers.

(iv) Co-extinctions: When a species becomes extinct, the plant and animal species
associated with it in an obligatory way also become extinct. When a host fish species
becomes extinct, its unique assemblage of parasites also meets the same fate. Another
example is the case of a coevolved plant-pollinator mutualism where extinction of one
invariably leads to the extinction of the other.

Threats to biodiversity

 Extinction is a natural event and, from a geological perspective, routine.

 In last century, human impact has been so severe that thousands of species and
varieties are becoming extinct annually.
Some of the main causes are:
 Habitat loss, degradation, fragmentation.
 Habitat loss & degradation are major causes of species extinction, affecting 89% of all
threatened birds, 83% of mammals & 91% of all threatened plants assessed globally
(IUCN, 2000)
  The main causes of habitat loss are agriculture activities, Mining, development of
human settlement, industry etc.
 According to ICUN, UNEP report, more than 50% of wildlife habitat has been
destroyed in 49 out of 61 old world tropical countries.
 Hunting
 Poaching
 Man-Wildlife conflicts
Biodiversity is under serious threat as a result of human activities. The main dangers
worldwide are population growth and resource consumption, climate change and global
warming, habitat conversion and urbanisation, invasive alien species, over-exploitation of
natural resources and environmental degradation.

Main threats  Some underlying causes

Threats in terrestrial areas
Spread of the urbanised areas, road network and industrial
Degradation, destruction
areas  and associated problems (noise, pollution); abandon of
and fragmentation of
former agricultural practices that were favourable to
natural habitats
biodiversity
 Intensification of agricultural practices (yielding pollution and
Decrease in the capacity
disturbance) and disappearance of landscape elements that
of the agricultural areas to
provide food and shelter that are exploitable by wildlife (such
host wildlife
as hedges, trees, ponds, etc.)
Pollution of soils, air and Excess of heavy metals (industry, roads), manure and
water pesticides (agriculture) and other pollutants 
International trade and transport (roads, railways, rivers),
Invasions by alien species gardening practices, exotic trees in forestry, exotic pests
released in the wild, climate change, etc.
Epidemics affecting Arrivals of pathogens that are favoured by the introduction of
wildlife exotic species, pollution and the destruction of habitats
Carbon emissions, deforestation and other land use changes
Climate change
due to human activities
Dessication of soils and
Excess pumping of underground water tables
wetlands
Overuse of green open spaces and wild areas, little respect for
Recreation and leisure nature, mountain biking and motor sports in fragile areas, dogs
not on leash
Threats in marine areas
Overfishing and decline of Industrial fishing, overexploitation of target species, by-catch
species species
Pollution and Land-based activities (river run-off), atmospheric deposition,
eutrophication maritime traffic
Degradation and
destruction of the sea Beam trawling, dredging, sand and gravel extraction
floor
Maritime trade (ballast waters, fouling), leisure navigation,
Alien species introductions
mariculture, climate change
Coastal development, water quality in summer (high
Leisure and tourism  population), mechanical beach cleaning, noise and other
perturbations due to the high population

Species often become threatened or disappear when several of these factors are combined.
The fragmentation of habitats decreases the size of populations and make these more
vulnerable to other factors. Once the population is weakened, small external perturbations
such as disease can wipe out the remaining individuals entirely.

For example, frogs and toads are particularly threatened in Belgium. The main cause is the
disappearance of habitats (ponds, humid areas, etc.). Once the habitats get too small for
confort, other factors add to the stress: pesticides and other chemicals found in water can
cause malformations and weaken the animals. Some species need stable climatic conditions
for reproduction, but with climate change their life cycle can be perturbated. Epidemics
(viruses, fungi) have also been observed. Road traffic adds to the burden by killing many
individuals when they look for adequate places for reproduction in spring time. All these
factors combined leave few chances of survival for species which are not very common.

On the other hand, exotic species - species originating from natural habitats of other parts
of the world - regularly appear in our country. The ring-necked parakeet, the multicolored
Asian ladybird and the Pacific oyster are well-known animal examples, while the giant
hogweed, the Japanese knotweed or the narrow-leaved ragwort are examples of plants.
Even though these newcomers seem to be welcome additions to our fauna and flora, they 
may actually be rather threatening for biodiversity when they enter into competition with
the indigenous species. Some exotic species may become pests and cause important
damage to agricultural crops, horticultural plants, trees, riverbanks, etc. Others can cause
sanitary problems, as is the case with parasites.

Conservation of biodiversity

Conservation is defined as “ the management of human use of the biosphere so that it may
yield the greatest sustainable benefit to the present generation while maintaining its
potential to meet the needs and aspirations of the future generations”

The two basic approaches to wildlife conservation are

Conservation

Insitu conservation Exsitu conservation

(within their habitat) (outside their habitat)

National park Zoo

Sanctuary Botanical garden
Biospher reserve Seed bank
Protected area genebank
Reserve forest

In situ conservation– Faced with the conflict between development and conservation, many
nations find it unrealistic and economically not feasible to conserve all their biological
wealth. Invariably, the number of species waiting to be saved from extinction far exceeds
the conservation resources available. On a global basis, this problem has been addressed by
eminent conservationists. They identified for maximum protection certain ‘biodiversity
hotspots’ regions with very high levels of species richness and high degree of endemism
(that is, species confined to that region and not found anywhere else). Initially 25
biodiversity hotspots were identified but subsequently nine more have been added to the
list, bringing the total number of biodiversity hotspots in the world to 34. These hotspots
are also regions of accelerated habitat loss. Three of these hotspots – Western Ghats and
Sri Lanka, Indo-Burma and Himalaya – cover our country’s exceptionally high biodiversity
regions. Although all the biodiversity hotspots put together cover less than 2 per cent of the
earth’s land area, the number of species they collectively harbour is extremely high and
strict protection of these hotspots could reduce the ongoing mass extinctions by almost 30
per cent. In India, ecologically unique and biodiversity-rich regions are legally protected as
biosphere reserves, national parks and sanctuaries. India now has 14 biosphere reserves, 90
national parks and 448 wildlife sanctuaries. India has also a history of religious and cultural
traditions that emphasised protection of nature. In many cultures, tracts of forest were set
aside, and all the trees and wildlife within were venerated and given total protection. Such
sacred groves are found in Khasi and Jaintia Hills in Meghalaya, Aravalli Hills of Rajasthan,
Western Ghat regions of Karnataka and Maharashtra and the Sarguja, Chanda and Bastar
areas of Madhya Pradesh. In Meghalaya, the sacred groves are the last refuges
for a large number of rare and threatened plants.

Ex situ Conservation– In this approach, threatened animals and plants are taken out from
their natural habitat and placed in special setting where they can be protected and given
special care. Zoological parks, botanical gardens and wildlife safari parks serve this purpose.
There are many animals that have become extinct in the wild but continue to be
maintained in zoological parks. In recent years ex situ conservation has advanced beyond
keeping threatened species in enclosures. Now gametes of threatened species can be
preserved in viable and fertile condition for long periods using cryopreservation techniques,
eggs can be fertilised in vitro, and plants can be propagated using tissue culture methods.
Seeds of different genetic strains of commercially important plants can be kept
for long periods in seed banks. Biodiversity knows no political boundaries and its
conservation is therefore a collective responsibility of all nations. 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 sustainable
utilisation of its benefits. In a follow-up, 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.

Endemism

 Species that are restricted to particular area.62%amphibians and 50%lizards are

endemic in india.
  Westernghats are the maximum site of endemism.

Hot- spots of biodiversity

 Areas which exhibit high species richness and high species endemism are termed as
hot-spots of biodiversity.

 An area is designated as a hot spot when it contains at least 0.5% of plant species as
endemic.

 There are 34 such hot spots of biodiversity on a global level, out of which two are
present in India.
 These are: The western Ghats & The Eastern Himalayas

India-a megadiversity nation

Every country is characterized by its own biodiversity depending mainly on its climate.
India has a rich biological diversity of flora & fauna.
Overall 6% of the global species are found in India. It ranks 10 th among the plant rich
countries of the world and 4th among Asian countries.
11th in terms of number of endemic species of higher vertebrates.
6th among centres of diversity and origin of agricultural crops.
10th in terms of mammals.
The Ministry of Environment &Forests, Govt.of India records 47,000sp of plants and
81,000sp of animals which is about 11%&6.5% respectively of global flora and fauna.
Endemism:
Species that are restricted to particular area.62%amphibians and 50%lizards are endemic in
India. Westernghats are the maximum site of endemism.

Centre of origin:
A large no.of sp are known to have originated in India. 5000sp of flowering plants have their
origin in India.166sp of crop plants &320sp of wild varieties of cultivated crops have their
centre of origin.
Hot-spot:
Areas which exhibit high species richness and high species endemism are termed as hot-
spots of biodiversity. An area is designated as a hot spot when it contains at least 0.5% of
plant species as endemic. There are 34 such hot spots of biodiversity on a global level, out
of which two are present in India and are The western Ghats & The Eastern Himalayas.

Centers of diversity:

Agasthiamalai Hills &Silent valley are considered as the Centers of diversity.

Marine diversity:

A long coastline of our country is rich in mangroves, corals,mollusks,etc.12% of worlds

mangrove is in India .4 areas are considered as coral rich area, they are
1. Gulf of Mannar
2. Gulf of kutch
3. Lakshadweep
4. Andaman&Nicobar

World heritage sites:

1. Kaziranga National Park

2. Keoladeo Ghana National Park
3. Manas wildlife sanctuary
4. Nandadevi National Park
5. Sundarban National Park

Realms:

1. Palaearctic
2. Indomalayan

Major biomes:

1. Tropical humid
2. Tropical dry/deciduous
3. Warm /semi- desert

10- Zones; 26-provinces

16- Biosphere reserves
96- National parks
647- Protected areas
551- Animal sanctuaries
28- Tiger reserves
2500-Wetlands
275- Zoos
33- Botanical Gardens.

BENEFIT TO NATURE IS BENEFIT TO HUMAN