Environmental Science 2024 March 6

BIODIVERSITY
Presented by Group 3 (members):
Laman Huseynova
Khanimfatima Mammadova
İbrahim Yunus
İsa Karimli
Matin Yolchiyev
Irlan Shokulov
CRN: 20094

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 What is biodiversity?
Biodiversity encompasses total diversity, including species
diversity, habitat diversity, and genetic diversity. The term was
popularized by ecologist EO Wilson in the 1980s and is now
widely used to represent the variety of life on Earth. Biodiversity
can be measured in three ways: species diversity, habitat
diversity, and genetic diversity. It is a crucial concept in
evaluating both the complexity and health of ecosystems and is
central to international agreements concerning the sustainable
use and protection of natural resources.

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 Species Diversity
Species diversity in communities is a product of two variables,
the number of species (richness) and their relative proportions
(evenness).Species diversity encompasses both the number of
species present and their relative abundance in a given area. It is
a measure of the variety of species per unit area and contributes
to the overall complexity of an ecosystem. Higher species
diversity often indicates less disturbance, such as in primary
rainforests. It is a crucial component in describing the
biodiversity of an ecosystem.

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 Richness and evenness
Richness and evenness are key components of biodiversity, with richness
referring to the number of species in an area and evenness indicating the
relative abundance of each species. Communities with high evenness exhibit
similar abundance across species, suggesting complexity and diverse niches,
while low evenness indicates dominance by one or a few species, implying
lower complexity. Diversity indices like Simpson’s index are used to describe
and compare communities, where low diversity may signify pollution or
recent colonization. However, relying solely on species richness can be
misleading, and accurate measurement requires appropriate sample sizes,
especially for small organisms like insects.

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 Habitat diversity
A habitat is the environment in which a species normally lives.
Habitat diversity is often associated with the variety of
ecological niches. For example, a woodland may contain many
different habitats (e.g. river, soil, trees) and so have a high
habitat diversity, whereas a desert has few (e.g. sand, occasional
vegetation) and so has a low habitat diversity.

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 Genetic diversity
Genetic diversity pertains to the variety of genetic material within a population of a
species, encompassing the range of genes present in individuals. Genes, sections of
DNA located in cell nuclei, serve as the blueprints for species development. The gene
pool represents all the different gene types within a species, with a large gene pool
indicating high genetic diversity and a small gene pool indicating low genetic
diversity. While typically referring to diversity within a species, genetic diversity can
also extend to the variety of genes across all species within a given area.

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 Conversation of biodiversity

The conservation of biodiversity aims to preserve habitats, ecosystems, species, and

genetic diversity from human-made disturbances like deforestation and pollution.
Conservation efforts seek to mitigate the extinction rate caused by unsustainable
exploitation of natural resources and maintain biotic interactions between species.
Quantifying biodiversity is crucial for identifying areas of high biodiversity and
implementing appropriate conservation measures. Diversity indices help assess the
sustainability of human development’s impact on ecosystems. Human disturbances
can alter ecosystems, leading to simplified or modified environments, which may
create opportunities for some species while endangering others.

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 Conversation of biodiversity
Conservation biologists utilize diversity indices like the Simpson’s index to evaluate
the impact of disturbances on ecosystems. Quantifying biodiversity is crucial for
identifying biodiversity hotspots, which are areas rich in endemic species and in need
of protection. Species richness measurements alone are insufficient to assess human
activities’ impacts, as they vary with sampling techniques and sample sizes. Care must
be taken when interpreting diversity indices, as they are relative and require consistent
sampling methods and habitat types for meaningful comparisons between different
areas. Individual values of diversity indices provide insight into community
composition but are not sufficient for identifying areas requiring conservation efforts.

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Environmental Science 2024 March 6

THANK YOU
For Listening

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