Biodiversity

1. What is Biodiversity?
2. Why is biodiversity important?
3. What is the status of biodiversity at global, national and local
levels?
4. What are the hotspot regions in india and whole world?
5. What are the threats to biodiversity?
6. How can we protect biodiversity?

Bio Diversity
Life
Organisms: Such as Bacteria,
Fungi, Viruses, Reptiles, Birds,
Mammals etc.

Variety
Variability at the level of genes,
species and Ecosystems

Biodiversity is the totality of genes, species, and ecosystems in a region

Biological diversity or biodiversity is that part of nature which includes the

differences in genes among the individuals of a species, the variety and richness

of
all the plant and animal species at different scales in space, locally, in a region, in
the country and the world, and various types of ecosystems, both terrestrial and
aquatic

Five Major mass extinctions (Rapid Environmental Change) and

several minor events have led to large and sudden drops in
Biodiversity

EO

LD

EP ET

EC (Extinction of Dinosaurs)

Levels of Biodiversity
Genetic diversity
Refers to the differences in genetic make-up between distinct species, as well as
the genetic variations within a single species
Each member of any animal or plant species differs widely from other individuals
in its genetic makeup
This level of diversity can differ by alleles (different variants of the same gene,
such as blue or brown eyes), by entire genes (which determine traits, such as the
ability to metabolize a particular substance), or by units larger than genes such as
chromosomal structure

Causes of genetic variability

Mutation, Recombination, Migration

Species1
Individual 1: gene 1: eye color: Black eye
gene 2: Height:
Tall
gene 3: Hair Color Black
Individual 2: gene 1: eye color: Red eye
gene 2: Height:
Tall
gene 3: Hair Color Black

Chihuahua

Beagle
Rottweilers

Species Diversity
Refers to the variety of living species within a geographic area

Saki Monkey

Golden Skimmer

Meadow Beauty

Species diversity may be measured using the following characteristics:

1. Species richness - the number of species within a particular sample area
2. Species evenness - this refers to the evenness in number of individuals of each
species in the area
An area with a greater number of closely related species is not as diverse as the same
area with the same number of species which are not closely related
Island 1: Two species of birds + One species of lizard
Island 2: Three species of birds + No lizards

Which one is diverse

Therefore, species diversity can be assessed in terms of the number of species or the
range of different types of species an area contains
The species level is generally regarded as the most appropriate for considering the
diversity between organisms (Why)
3. Species diversity is easier to work with.
4. Species are relatively easy to identify by eye in the field, whereas genetic diversity
requires laboratories, time and resources to identify, and ecosystem diversity needs
many complex measurements to be taken over a long period of time

Three ways to characterize species diversity in a given area

1. Alpha diversity (Within-habitat diversity): refers to a group of organisms
interacting and competing for the same resources or sharing the same
environment
2. Beta diversity (Between-habitat diversity): refers to the response of organisms
to spatial heterogeneity. High beta-diversity implies low similarity between
species composition of different habitats
3. Gamma diversity (Geographical diversity)

Ecosystem Diversity
Ecosystem diversity deals with species distributions and community patterns, the role and
function of key species, and combines species functions and interactions.
The enormous range of terrestrial and aquatic environments on earth has been classified
into a number of ecosystems. Major habitat types include
1. Tropical rain forests ("jewels of the Earth" and the "world's largest pharmacy; 40% to
75% of all biotic species are indigenoust o the rainforests)
2. Grasslands (Invertebrate fauna, Snipe and great bustard)
3.

Wetlands (Hydrophytes, Algae, Fish, amphibian, Snakes, crocodile, Marsupials,

insects)
4. Coral reefs (Coral reefs are underwater structures made from calcium carbonate
secreted by corals; provide a home for 25% of all marine species, including fish,
mollusks, worms, crustaceans, echinoderms, sponges, tunicates and other cnidarians)
5. Mangroves (various kinds of trees up to medium height and shrubs that grow in saline
coastal sediment habitats in the tropics and subtropics mainly between latitudes 25
N and 25 S)

Many ecosystems are made up of species that have adapted to life under unusual
conditions, such as Arctic sea ice communities. The loss of these unique ecosystems can
wipe out the many species that are highly specialized and unable to shift to other areas.

Paines Prairie

Hoh Rain Forest

Florida Sand hill Pond