ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

At first all praises and deepest sense of gratitude be to the “Lord Krishna” the most
compassionate, all-powerful and the supreme creator of the universe, whose blessings have
enabled me to complete this assignment successfully.
I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude, indebtedness and profound respect to my
honorable teacher Dr. Nirmal Chandra Roy, Associate Professor, Department of Fisheries
Biology and Genetics,Sylhet Agricultural University, for his generosity scholastic guidance,
invaluable advice, suggestions, punctuality and constructive criticism, necessary correction and
instruction to complete this assignment.
The author feels proud to express his deepest sense of gratitude and immense indebtedness to his
beloved parents for their blessing warm and excellent care sacrifice, constant encouragement and
inspiration that opened the gate of his studies.
The author is thankful to all friends for their inspiration and encouragement. Last but not the
least, I am deeply obliged to the above and to all those who have contributed to the completion
of the assignment work and improvements of this assignment.

The Author

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 Introduction

Biological diversity is the central tenet of nature. Biodiversity is also the basis for the
continuous evolution of species. This diversity is also the backbone of human societies and
cultures, in terms of the ecological functions it provides and the myriad survival and livelihood it
meets. Biodiversity conservation matured in the mid-20th century as ecologists, naturalists, and
other scientists began to research and address issues pertaining to global biodiversity declines.
The conservation ethic advocates management of natural resources for the purpose of sustaining
biodiversity in species, ecosystems, the evolutionary process, and human culture and society.
"Biological diversity, simply stated, is the diversity of life.

Fish biodiversity is the diversity of fish on Earth .Bangladesh is enriched with its diversity of
aquatic living resources containing 260 species of freshwater finfish belonging to 55 families
(placing Bangladesh third in the world in terms of fish species per land area), 150 species of
water fowl, 50 species of reptiles, 24 species of mammals, 19 species of amphibians, 63 species
of palaemonid and prawns (Ali, 1991 and World Bank, 1991), 25 species of edible tortoise and
turtles, and 17 species of crabs, freshwater mussels, and snails. Moreover, 15 exotic fish species
also contributed and diversified total fishery resources of the country. The world-wide loss of
biodiversity is widely accepted as a major problem, yet it is poorly documented because of our
poor knowledge on the taxonomy of most organisms (Moyle and William, 1990).

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Definitions of Biodiversity

Biodiversity is the variety of all life forms: the different plants, animals and microorganisms,
their genes and the ecosystems of which they are a part.

The term Biodiversity was first coined by the Etymologist Edward Osborn Wilson in 1986. The
famed Harvard University biologist Edward O. Wilson known as the "father of biodiversity," --
said, in his best seller “The Diversity of Life”- "It is reckless to suppose that biodiversity can be
diminished indefinitely without threatening humanity itself."

According to Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD)- “Biodiversity is “the variability

among all living organisms from all sources, including, interalia, terrestrial, marine and other
aquatic ecosystems and ecological complexes of which they are part; this includes diversity
within species, between species and of ecosystems”.

According to US Congressional Biodiversity Act, HR1268 (1990)- "Biological diversity means

the full range of variety and variability within and among living organisms and the ecological
complexes in which they occur, and encompasses ecosystem or community diversity, species
diversity, and genetic diversity”.

“ Biodiversity is the degree of variation of life. It is a measure of the variety of organisms

present in different ecosystems. This can refer to genetic variation, ecosystem variation,
or species variation (number of species) within an area, biome, or planet. Terrestrial biodiversity
tends to be highest near the equator, which seems to be the result of the warm climate and
high primary productivity. Biodiversity is not distributed evenly on Earth. It is the richest in the
tropics”. (Wikipaedia)

Simply, biodiversity can be defined as the sum total of species of plants, animals and
microorganisms occurring in a given habitat.

Aquatic Biodiversity

Aquatic biodiversity can be defined as the variety of life and ecosystems that make up the
freshwater, tidal and marine regions of the world and their interactions. Aquatic biodiversity

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encompasses freshwater ecosystems, including lakes, ponds, reservoirs, rivers and streams,
groundwater and wetlands.

Fish Biodiversity

Fish biodiversity is a term used to describe the number, variety and variability of fish in a given
assemblage. Fish biodiversity therefore embraces the whole of fish on Earth.
Fish are very diverse animals. Although most fish species probably been discovered and
described, about 250 new ones are still discovered every year. According to Fish Base,32,800
species of fish had been described by june 2014.

Different Levels of Biodiversity Considering Ecosystem Services

Biodiversity may be described in terms of genes, species, and ecosystems, corresponding to

three fundamental and hierarchically-related levels of biological organization.
 Genetic diversity
 Species diversity
 Ecosystem diversity
These three levels of biodiversity are described below-
Genetic Diversity

Genetic biodiversity is the total genetic information contained in the genes of all the species. It
also refers to the variation in genetic information between species as well as the variations
between individuals of the same species.

Genetic diversity is the sum of genetic information contained in the genes of individuals of
plants, animals and micro-organisms. Each species is the repository of an immense amount of
genetic information. The number of genes range from about 1000 in bacteria, up to 400 000 or
more in many flowering plants. Each species is made up of many organisms, and virtually no
two members of the same species are genetically identical. This means for example that even if
an endangered species is saved from extinction, it will probably have lost much of its internal
diversity. When the populations are allowed to expand again, they will be more genetically
uniform than their ancestral populations. For example, the bison herds of today are biologically

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not the same in terms of their genetic diversity as the bison herds of the early 18th century (Mc
Clenagham et al, 1990).

Population geneticists have developed mathematical formulae to express a genetically effective

population size. These explain the genetic effects on populations which have passed through a
`bottleneck' of a small population size, such as the North American bison or African cheetah
(WCMC, 1992). The resultant inbreeding may have a number of detrimental effects such as
lowered fertility and increased susceptibility to disease. This is termed `inbreeding depression'.
The effects of small population size depend on the breeding system of the species and the
duration of the bottleneck. If the bottleneck lasts for many generations, or population recovery is
very slow, a great deal of variation can be lost. The converse, `outbreeding depression', occurs
when species become genetically differentiated across their range, and then individuals from
different parts of the range breed. Genetic differentiation within species occurs as a result of
either sexual reproduction, in which genetic differences from individuals may be combined in
their offspring to produce new combinations of genes, or from mutations which cause changes in
the DNA.

The significance of genetic diversity is often highlighted with reference to global agriculture
and food security. This stresses the reliance of the majority of the world's human population on a
small number of staple food species, which in turn rely on supply of genes from their wild
relatives to supply new characteristics, for example to improve resistance to pests and diseases
(Cooper et al, 1992).

Species Diversity

Species diversity is the variety of species on earth. It refers to both the number of species and
the numbers of individuals within each species.

Species are regarded as populations within which gene flow occurs under natural conditions.
Within a species, all normal individuals are capable of breeding with the other individuals of the
opposite sex belonging to the same species, or at least they are capable of being genetically
linked with them through chains of other breeding individuals. By definition, members of one
species do not breed freely with members of other species. Although this definition works well
for many animal and plant species, it is more difficult to delineate species in populations where

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hybridization, or self-fertilization or parthenogenesis occur. Arbitrary divisions must be made,
and indeed this is an area where scientists often disagree.

New species may be established through the process of polyploidy, the multiplication of the
number of gene-bearing chromosomes, or more commonly, as a result of geographic speciation.
This is the process by which isolated populations diverge by evolution as a result of being
subjected to different environmental conditions. Over a long period of time, differences between
populations may become great enough to reduce interbreeding and eventually populations may
be able to co-exist as newly formed, separate species. Within the hierarchical system used by
scientists to classify organisms, species represent the lowest rung on this ladder of classification.

Ecosystem Diversity:

Ecosystem diversity relates to the variety of habitats, biotic communities and ecological
processes in the biosphere as well as the diversity within ecosystems. Diversity can be described
at a number of different levels and scales:

 Functional diversity is the relative abundance of functionally different kinds of

organisms.
 Community diversity is the number sizes and spatial distribution of communities, and is
sometimes referred to as patchiness.
 Landscape diversity is the diversity of scales of patchiness.

No simple relationship exists between the diversity of an ecosystem and ecological processes
such as productivity, hydrology, and soil generation. Neither does diversity correlate neatly with
ecosystem stability, its resistance to disturbance and its speed of recovery. There is no simple
relationship within any ecosystem between a change in its diversity and the resulting change in
the system's processes. For example, the loss of a species from a particular area or region (local
extinction or extirpation) may have little or no effect on net primary productivity if competitors
take its place in the community. The converse may be true in other cases. For example, if
herbivores such as zebra and wildebeest are removed from the African savanna, net primary
productivity of the ecosystem decreases. Despite these anomalies, Reid and Miller (1989)
suggest six general rules of ecosystem dynamics which link environmental changes, biodiversity
and ecosystem processes.

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 i. The mix of species making up communities and ecosystems changes continually.
ii. Species diversity increases as environmental heterogeneity or the patchiness of a
habitat does, but increasing patchiness does not necessarily result in increased species
richness.
iii. Habitat patchiness influences not only the composition of species in an ecosystem, but
also the interactions among species.
iv. Periodic disturbances play an important role in creating the patchy environments that
foster high species richness. They help to keep an array of habitat patches in various
successional states.
v. Both size and isolation of habitat patches can influence species richness, as can the
extent of the transition zones between habitats. These transitional zones, or `ecotones',
support species which would not occur in continuous habitats. In temperate zones,
ecotones are often more species rich than continuous habitats, although the reverse
may be true in tropical forests.
vi. Certain species have disproportionate influences on the characteristics of an
ecosystem. These include keystone species, whose loss would transform or undermine
the ecological processes or fundamentally change the species composition of the
community.

The discussion has shown how biodiversity is a very complex and all-embracing concept,
which can be interpreted and analyzed on a number of levels and scales. The next section
examines some approaches to measuring these concepts.

Importance of Biodiversity

Biodiversity has contributed in many ways to the development of human culture, and, in turn,
human communities have played a major role in shaping the diversity of nature at the genetic,
species, and ecological levels.

There are many reasons commonly cited in the literature for the benefits of biodiversity:

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1. Ecological Role of Biodiversity
All species provide some kind of function to an ecosystem. They can capture and store
energy, produce organic material, decompose organic material, help to cycle water and
nutrients throughout the ecosystem, control erosion or pests, fix atmospheric gases, or help
regulate climate.

2. Economic Role of Biodiversity

For all humans, biodiversity is first a resource for daily life. One important part of
biodiversity is 'crop diversity', which is also called agro-biodiversity.
Most people see biodiversity as a reservoir of resources to be drawn upon for the
manufacture of food, pharmaceutical, and cosmetic products.
Some of the important economic commodities that biodiversity supplies to mankind are:
 Food: Crops, livestock, forestry and fish;
 Medication: Wild plant species have been used for medicinal purposes since before the
beginning of recorded history. For example, quinine comes from the cinchona tree
(used to treat malaria), digitalis from the foxglove plant (chronic heart trouble), and
morphine from the poppy plant (pain relief). According to the National Cancer
Institute, over 70% of the promising anti-cancer drugs come from plants in the tropical
rainforests.
 Industry: Fibers for clothing, wood for shelter and warmth.
 Tourism and Recreation: Biodiversity is a source of economical wealth for many
areas, such as many parks and forests, where wild nature and animals are a source of
beauty and joy for many people. Ecotourism, in particular, is a growing outdoor
recreational activity.

3. Ethical Role of Biodiversity

Finally, biodiversity has an ethical role if humans consider that other species have an
intrinsic right to exist. Eco-philosophies such as deep ecology assert that recognition of this
intrinsic right makes it morally wrong to voluntarily cause extinction. The level of
biodiversity is a good indicator of the state of our relationships with other living species.

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 Biodiversity is also part of many cultures' spirit heritage (e. g. indigenous people and cultural
diversity).

4. Scientific Role of Biodiversity

This is a fourth benefit separate from the three main ones. Biodiversity is important because
each species can give scientists some clue as to how life evolved and will continue to evolve on
Earth. In addition, biodiversity helps scientists understand how life functions and the role of each
species in sustaining ecosystems.

Present Status of Aquatic and Other Biodiversity in Bangladesh at a

Glance

Bangladesh is a transitional zone of flora and fauna, because of its geographical settings and
climatic characteristics. There are many rivers and streams existing in the country covering a
length of 22,155 km. In addition to the regular inland waters, seasonally a large part of the
country remains submerged for 3-4 months during monsoon. This country is rich in fish and
aquatic resources, and other biodiversity (Table 1). Bangladesh’s inland water bodies are known
to be the habitat of 266 species of indigenous fish, 13 exotic fish, 56 prawns, about 26 freshwater
molluscs, and 150 birds.

The marine water bodies (200 nautical miles along the coast) are also remarkable for being
habitat of 442 species of fish. There are at least 36 species of marine shrimps. About 336 species
of molluscs, covering 151 genera have been identified from the Bay of Bengal. In addition,
several species of crabs, and 31 species of turtles and tortoises, of which 24 live in freshwater,
are found in Bangladesh (Sarker and Sarker, 1988; and Ali, 1997).

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 Conclusion
Biodiversity must be conserved for the existing of living creatures. We should have
the knowledge of biodiversity found in different regions. Programs on conservation should be
launched after finding the condition of animals, its habitat and situation. Local people should be
made acquainted with the knowledge of biodiversity found on their region. They should be made
aware about the need and importance of biodiversity. Programs on conservation should be
implemented with an assistance of local organizations and associations. Improvement of local
people in such programs is very important. People should be made acquainted with
the knowledge of rules and laws of conservation. So, programs for creating awareness should be
launched. Local organizations and associations should be involved for this purpose. The
country's agriculture, fisheries, and livestock, along with a number of other sectors are heavily
dependent, directly or indirectly, on biological resources. There is a great potential in Bangladesh
for biodiversity-based sustainable development. In spite of threatened wild fauna and flora, there
are nearly 10,000 species of plants, animals, and microbial organisms - a good percentage of
which are found still in abundance. All out efforts are needed to be taken, so that these biological
resources are not overexploited and sustainable management plans need to be formulated and
implemented.

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 References

IUCN 2009. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2009.).(www.iucnredlist.org).

Kumar, U. and Asija, M. J. (2009). Biodiversity: Principle and Conservation. Agrobios (India).

Mediterranean Basin. World Conservation Union, Gland and Cambridge.

Padhi, B.K. and Mandal, R. K. (2000). Applied Fish Genetics. Fishing Chimes Publi.

Primack, Richard (1998). “Essentials of conservation biology”. 2nd Ed. Sunderland, Ma:
Sinauer.

Ray, G. Carleton and McCormick-Ray, Jerry (eds). (2004). "Coastal-marine conservation:

science and policy". Malden, Ma: Blackwell.

Smith, K. and Darwall, W. (compilers) 2006. The Status and Distribution of Freshwater Fish
Endemic to the

States. Oxford University Press, New York, NY

Stein, B.A., Kutner, L.S. and Adams, J.S. (2000). Precious Heritage: The Status of Biodiversity
in the United

World Bank, 1991. Bangladesh Environmental Strategy Review. World Bank Washington DC.
USA.

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