ASSIGNMENT 01

TOPIC:

BIODIVERSITY

COURSE: INTRODUCTION

TO ENVIRONMENTAL

SCIENCE

SUBMITTED BY: Adeeba

Farooq

SUBMITTED TO: SIR AFZAL

HUSSAIN

DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES

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CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................3

TYPES OF BIODIVERSITY ..............................................................................4

ECONOMIC IMPORTANCE.............................................................................6

ETHICAL IMPORTANCE .................................................................................7

FACTORS AFFECTING BIODIVERSITY......................................................8

IMPACT OF BIODIVERSITY ON ENVIRONMENT..................................15

CONCLUSION ...................................................................................................16

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INTRODUCTION

"The variety among living things from various sources, such as terrestrial, marine, and
desert ecosystems, as well as the ecological complexes of which they are a part, is known as
biodiversity."

WHAT IS BIODIVERSITY?

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of

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Biodiversity refers to the abundance and diversity of life on Earth. It is our planet's most
complicated and vital characteristic. Life could not exist without biodiversity.

In 1985, the word biodiversity was created. It is essential in both natural and manmade ecosystems.
It is concerned with nature's diversity, the biosphere. It refers to the diversity of plant, animal, and
microbial species.
The quantity of various creatures and their relative frequencies in an environment are all part
biodiversity. It also represents the organizational structure of organisms at various levels.

Biodiversity is important for both ecological and economic reasons. It supplies us with
food, shelter, fuel, clothes, and a variety of other things. It also reaps financial benefits from
tourism. As a result having a thorough understanding of biodiversity is critical for a sustainable
future.

TYPES OF BIODIVERSITY

There are the following three different types of biodiversity:

 Genetic Biodiversity
 Species Biodiversity
 Ecological Biodiversity

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Species diversity

Species diversity refers to the variety of various types of species present in a given location. It is
biodiversity at its most fundamental. It contains all species, from plants to microbes.

No two members of the same species are precisely alike. Humans, for example, are extremely
diverse. Because species are interrelated in their individual ecosystems, species diversity is vital.
Within a given region, there is a network of predators and prey, and the extinction of one species
causes imbalances in others. Without predation, deer numbers can explode, with the deer eating
all available forage before individuals of the population die of famine.

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In contrast, too many predators can deplete an ecosystem of vital prey species that can eat back
invading plants. An ecosystem's health is a delicate equilibrium that cannot be maintained in the
face of these losses.

Species diversity is significant because species are interrelated in their individual habitats. There
is a network of predators and prey within a certain area, and the extinction of one species causes
imbalances in others. Without predation, deer numbers can soar, with the deer eating all available
forage before starving members of the community. In contrast, too many predators can deplete an
ecosystem of vital prey species that can eat back invading plants. An ecosystem's health
is a delicate equilibrium that cannot be maintained in the face of these losses.

These food chains also include humans. Pollinators such as bees and bats are disappearing from
ecosystems, threatening the supply of many things we've learned to love and rely on, such
as coffee, mango, chocolate, and honey. Some plants can only be pollinated by a single species of
insect or animal; losing that pollinator means losing the plant as well. For hundreds of years,
plant life has been used as a source of therapeutic remedies in addition to sustenance. Plants are
used to alleviate hypertension, pain, and even cancer. However, they barely scratch the surface of
what is conceivable as new species are found and many more are never researched. There
is a close relationship between human health and welfare and that of other animals.

Genetic diversity

A collection of living and non-living things and their interactions with one another make up an
ecosystem. The differences among the plant and animal species that coexist and are linked by
food webs and food chains are referred to as ecological biodiversity.

It is the variation seen between the several ecosystems found in a given area. Ecological diversity
is found in a variety of environments, such as mangroves, rainforests, and deserts.

It can be linked to a species' lifespan and spans a wide variety of parameters, including species
diversity and population. It makes species and communities more resilient to climatic shifts,
pests, illnesses, and other challenges. When new alleles are gradually produced by mutations,
genetic diversity is produced. New allele combinations are produced in newborns whose parents'
alleles
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are mixed together. Bacteria and other self-cloning organisms are able to exchange alleles with
one another.

Ecological diversity

In an ecosystem, each species has a certain purpose. In addition to producing and breaking down
organic materials, they also absorb and store energy. Human survival is dependent on the services
provided by the ecosystem. Stress from the environment may be tolerated and an ecosystem with
diversity is more productive.

Abiotic (non-living components including temperature, soil, and geology) and biotic
(living species) variables both affect biodiversity within ecosystems. The distinct
ecological circumstances of a place are determined by the interaction of various variables.

The processes of ecological succession and change throughout time are also included in
the concept of ecological variety. Ecosystems can be affected by human activity, natural
successional processes, or external shocks like wildfires and flooding. Along environmental
gradients like height, latitude, or closeness to water sources, ecological variety can be seen.
Variations in the climate, vegetation, and species assemblages are caused by these gradients.

ECONOMIC IMPORTANCE

Because it offers a multitude of ecosystem services and resources that both directly and indirectly
support human well-being, economic growth, and a variety of sectors, biodiversity is extremely
important economically. These financial advantages are sometimes called ecosystem services,
and they fall into a number of important categories, including:

 Biodiversity is a resource reservoir for the production of food, cosmetics, and medicines.

 Crops, cattle, fisheries, and woods are all excellent food sources.

 For therapeutic uses, wild plants such as Cinchona and Foxglove plant are employed.

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 Plant species provide wood, fibers, fragrances, lubricants, rubber, resins, poison, and cork.

 Tourism is generated by national parks and sanctuaries. For many individuals, they are a
source of beauty and delight.

ETHICAL IMPORTANCE

All species have the right to exist. Humans should not be the cause of their own
extinction. Biodiversity protects many civilizations and spiritual traditions. As a result, it is
critical to protect biodiversity. Moral reasoning and a number of fundamental principles
underpin ethical considerations surrounding biodiversity, emphasizing the importance of
biodiversity for both humans and the environment. The following are a few moral arguments for
why biodiversity is so crucial:

 Value in and of itself: Biodiversity is thought to have intrinsic value. All species, known or
unknown, are part of the natural legacy of the Earth and have the right to exist.
Biocentrism and ecocentrism are two ethical stances that highlight the intrinsic value of
all living things and their right to care and respect.

 Stewardship and Responsibility: The principle of stewardship, which holds that humans
have a duty to take care of the Earth and its inhabitants, is taught in many ethical and
religious traditions. Because biodiversity is seen by many belief systems as representing
the sacred or divine aspects of creation, protecting it is part of this stewardship role.
 Interconnectedness: All life on Earth is interrelated, as demonstrated by biodiversity. Since
humans are a part of a wider web of life, ethical arguments emphasize that our activities
affect other species and ecosystems. The health of the environment and the variety of
living forms are closely related to human well-being.

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 Ecological and Ecosystem Services: Among the many ecosystem services that biodiversity
offers to support human life and welfare are clean air and water, agricultural pollination,

climate management, and disease prevention. Moral obligations to preserve these services
for present and future generations are asserted by ethical viewpoints.

FACTORS AFFECTING BIODIVERSITY

There are several factors which impact the biodiversity in both positive and negative manners.
These factors are sated below:

The Impact of Humans on Biodiversity

Throughout history, people have had a negative influence on the Earth's total biodiversity.
Hunting, poaching, agricultural development, urban growth, and pollution of the environment
have resulted in large-scale extinctions of numerous species, leading in a decline in biodiversity
overall.

Farming, in particular, has caused a number of issues since farmers employ a variety of ways to
maximize food production.

Deforestation

 Deforestation occurs when forests (or other environments such as glaciers) are cleared to
make room for human settlements and farms. Deforestation for agricultural purposes has
various serious consequences

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 Deforestation destroys habitats. The most serious impact is habitat degradation.

When habitat is lost, other organisms lose shelter, food, water, and other resources
that they require to exist.
 Extinction results from habitat loss. Extinction and die-offs of many species in the
ecosystem are caused by habitat degradation. This results in biodiversity loss, putting the
environment in low biological condition.
 Tree loss causes soil erosion. Tree roots help to keep soil in place. Without tree roots,
rain and wind may wash away the soil. This reduces the nutritional content of the soil,
affecting plant development and, as a result, the entire ecosystem.
 Forests are home to around 80% of the world's land-based species. Animals lose their
habitats when these forests are destroyed, and they are generally unable to live in the little
remnants of forest that remain. The degradation and fragmentation of forests is the
leading cause of extinction worldwide. A 2017 research of over 19,000 bird,
amphibian, and mammal species discovered that deforestation significantly increased
the likelihood of species being put on the IUCN red list as vulnerable and
displaying diminishing populations. Because many species occur in narrow geographic
regions, even localized or small-scale destruction can result in extinctions. Deforestation
has a variety of effects on wildlife that lives in and around forests.

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 Loss of habitat: Probably the largest danger to the diversity of life on Earth today
is habitat loss. 85% of all species included in the IUCN Red List have it listed as their
primary danger. Deforestation can directly result in the loss of wildlife habitat since it
reduces the amount of food, shelter, and breeding habitat that is accessible to animals. For
instance, because to the destruction, degradation, and fragmentation of their habitat
caused by human activity, tigers are thought to have lost 95% of their historical range.
 Habitat fragmentation: Although they are undoubtedly related, habitat loss and
fragmentation are two different ideas. In terms of forests, habitat loss is the shrinkage of a
forest's total area, whereas habitat fragmentation is the splitting of a once-continuous
forest into many pieces. Smaller populations of species are more vulnerable to extinction,
and smaller forest portions may support fewer creatures overall. For instance,
habitat fragmentation has a specific effect on giant pandas, and many of these species are
tiny and isolated, which limits gene flow and raises the likelihood of inbreeding and its
negative effects.
 Human contact - Forest loss and fragmentation make them more accessible to humans.
This raises the likelihood of human-wildlife conflict, in which wildlife's demands
and behavior have a detrimental influence on humans, or when humans have a negative
impact on wildlife. This can include greater hunting and poaching of animals as they
become more available to hunters, a rise in road kill and traffic accidents, and
wildlife destroying property, crops, livestock, and even human lives. Increased human
interaction can lead to the extinction of species. One instance is the widespread clearing
of rainforest to make way for the growth of palm crops on the palm oil plantations found
throughout Africa, Latin America, and Asia. Numerous species, including tigers,
elephants, rhinos, and orangutans, are becoming more and more isolated, and their
availability of food and shelter is decreasing..

 Modifications to the canopy's structure - The forest canopy is crucial for keeping heat
in at night and shielding the sun's rays during the day. When trees are cut down, the forest
loses some of its canopy, which causes more drastic fluctuations in temperature that can
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dangerous.

Pesticides and Herbicides

Herbicides and pesticides eradicate weeds and pests. Herbicides destroy unwanted weeds,
whereas pesticides kill unwanted animals (pests).

Other creatures can be killed by pesticides. Pesticides used in intensive farming are frequently
poisonous to other creatures in the environment.

Herbicides can destroy other plants. These pesticides can seep into the earth and be transported
by rainwater to adjacent river systems, where they can impact fish and other aquatic

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species. Herbicides reduce plant biodiversity because they can destroy plants other than
weeds. Any creatures that depend on weeds for food are also impacted.

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Fertilizers and Eutrophication

1. Fertilizers supply nutrients to farmers to aid in crop development.

2. Rain water transports fertilizers. These fertilizers can combine with rainwater,
which transports them to neighboring bodies of water.
3. Fertilizers contaminate lakes and rivers. When fertilizers end up in lakes, rivers,
and streams, they cause an increase in nitrogen, ammonia, and other nutrients in the
water.
4. A nitrogen increase is lethal to aquatic creatures. This increase in nutrients and nitrogen
is good to aquatic plants, causing them to develop quickly and densely. Nitrogen
and ammonia, on the other hand, are poisonous to other aquatic life.

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5. Plant overgrowth. Plant overgrowth depletes the water of oxygen.

Selective Breeding
Selective breeding is selecting plants and animals with the greatest characteristics (for example,
those that provide the most food) and reproducing them more frequently. This, however, results
in a loss of genetic variation in farm animals, which results in a loss of biodiversity.

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Positive impact on biodiversity

 Creation of New variations: Through selective breeding, new breeds or variations of plants
and animals with qualities that are advantageous to humans can be created. For instance,
the creation of high-yield crop types via selective breeding has raised agricultural output
and assisted in feeding the world's expanding population.
 Preservation of Endangered Species: By boosting the population size and genetic variety
of endangered species, selective breeding programs can help keep them safe and
protected. Selective breeding is occasionally used by zoos and conservation groups to
control and preserve genetic variation in confined populations.
 Enhancement of Agriculture and Livestock: The productivity and quality of crops
and livestock have increased significantly thanks in large part to selective breeding. This
has led to the production of plants and animals with qualities including greater yield,
enhanced disease resistance, and improved taste or beauty, which has improved food
security and economic development in many areas.

Negative impact on biodiversity

 Decreased Genetic variety: Within a population, genetic variety may be diminished as a

result of intense and focused selective breeding. The population's gene pool narrows as
people repeatedly select particular individuals to breed from a small set of desired
qualities. The population may be more susceptible to illnesses, alterations in the
environment, and other difficulties as a result of this decreased genetic diversity.
 Loss of Wild qualities: Human-valued qualities, such size or crop output, are frequently
the focus of selective breeding and may not be present in wild species naturally. Therefore,
some natural or wild features that may be crucial to the environment or have special adaptive roles
may disappear as a result of selective breeding.

Conservation and Farming

 Realizing that contemporary farming practice is unsustainable is crucial.

 Genetic variety loss makes people more prone to illness.

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 Soil erosion can impact the nutritional content of soil.

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 Loss of genetic variety in domesticated plants and animals renders them highly susceptible

to diseases that can wipe out vast numbers of plants and animals, resulting in catastrophic

food shortages. Due to soil erosion brought on by farming, the soil becomes less

nutritious, which ultimately results in a scarcity of food after the nutrients are squandered.

Climate Change

 Fossil fuel consumption contributes to the greenhouse gas impact, which ultimately results
in global warming. The Earth's temperature is rising sharply due to global warming.
 Ecosystems are badly impacted by climate change.

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 The new climate has not caused the organisms to adapt. For a great number of plants and
animals to thrive, extremely specialized climates are needed. Climate change leads to the
loss of appropriate habitat, which increases the risk of extinction for many creatures.
 Some species are able to outcompete others. There is a loss of biodiversity when
organisms more adapted to warmer climates outcompete other creatures for resources and
habitats.
 A rise in illnesses. Numerous pathogenic species, including mold, viruses, bacteria,
mosquitoes, and other parasites, can proliferate due to climate change. This is harmful to
more than just plants.

IMPACT OF BIODIVERSITY ON ENVIRONMENT

The variety of life on Earth is known as biodiversity. All forms of life exist inside ecosystems,
where they interact and depend on one another as well as the surrounding environment.
The "knowledge" that developing species have accumulated over millions of years about
how to survive the wildly diverse environmental situations that Earth has experienced and
continues to experience is represented by biodiversity. Over time, these diverse environmental
factors lead to changes in genetic and epigenetic patterns both within and across species,
as well as natural fluctuations in biodiversity.

Within ecosystems, various species play a part in the cycling of nutrients such as
nitrogen, phosphorous, and carbon. The general well-being and productivity of ecosystems
depend on these cycles. By ensuring that nutrients are effectively recycled, biodiversity helps to
avoid the buildup of surplus nutrients, which can cause pollution and imbalances in ecosystems.

One type of biodiversity that enables populations to adapt and change in response to
shifting environmental conditions is genetic variety within species. Increased genetic variety can
serve as a storehouse of characteristics that help organisms adapt to changing or difficult
conditions and flourish.

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An organism can be impacted by its surroundings in a variety of ways. The effects might
be immediate or long-lasting, and they can affect one person or several generations.
Moreover, modifications to molecules, cells, physiology, or behavior can be brought on by the
environment.

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For instance, an organism's external environment, such as the environment in which it grows or
its physical location, might affect how its genes are expressed. The internal environment
of an organism, such as hormones or metabolism, may also have an impact on gene expression.

Lastly, genetic variables that differ among members of natural populations inside an individual's
genome may also have an impact on gene expression. Regardless of where we live, work, or
play, biodiversity is vital to the sustainability and health of all species, including our own. From
the microbes that help form the human biome to the genes that enable humans to adapt
to environmental stress, biodiversity provides resilience. It also supports all forms of livelihood,
may aid in the regulation of disease, and is essential for social as well as physical and mental
health.

Biodiversity supports ecosystems' resilience, stability, and ability to function, which has a
substantial impact on the environment. It affects the cycle of nutrients, disease prevention,
pollination, and pest management, all of which are important for maintaining the planet's general
health. The health of human civilization and the environment depends on us realizing the value of
biodiversity and taking action to preserve and protect it.

CONCLUSION

In summary, there are several reasons why it is critical to maintain biodiversity, including
sociological, ethical, ecological, and economic considerations. Because biodiversity provides
vital ecosystem services that keep life on Earth viable, it is the foundation for the health
and functionality of the planet's ecosystems. It is essential to ecological resilience and stability as
well as the upkeep of natural processes including pollination, nutrient cycling, and pest
management.

From an ethical perspective, all species have the right to live and biodiversity has inherent worth.
Given the intrinsic value of all living things and our interdependence with the natural world, it is
morally required of us to safeguard biodiversity.

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Furthermore, biodiversity conservation is critical for the well-being of current and future
generations. It contributes to the preservation of genetic variety, which is necessary for adjusting
to changing environmental circumstances and guaranteeing a stable and secure supply of food
and resources.

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