Should we be concerned about

biodiversity?
What we know:
The Earth is losing species at an alarming rate

 Scientists estimate that as many as 3 species per

hour are going extinct and 20,000 extinctions occur
each year.
 when species of plants and animals go extinct, many
other species are affected – Food web.
 Conservation of Biodiversity
• Biodiversity can be preserved by the combined
effect of several actions
• Its not only to protect the endangered species
legally but also increase their number by scientific
method
• 1986 – World commission on Environment and
Development (WCED) by the general assembly of
United Nation was formed to protect the
biodiversity of the tropical area
 Conservation of Terrestrial Biodiversity
CONSERVATION OF TERRESTRIAL BIODIVERSITY

A number of measures are now being taken the world over to conserve our
biodiversity including plants and wildlife.

There are two approaches of biodiversity conservation:

(a) In situ conservation (within habitat):
This is achieved by protection of wild flora and fauna in nature itself. e.g.
Biosphere Reserves, National Parks, Sanctuaries, Reserve Forests etc.

(b) Ex situ conservation (outside habitats)

This is done by establishment of
Gene banks, Seed banks, Zoos, Botanical gardens, Culture collections.
4
 Types of Biodiversity Conservation

• In situ and Ex situ

• In situ = within/on site
• In situ conservation means within habitat
• Ex situ = Outside / off site
• Ex situ conservation means outside habitat
 In situ
• Protection of flora and fauna within its natural
habitat.
Ex: Biosphere reserves, National parks, wild-life
sanctuaries
• National park: An area dedicated for the
conservation of wildlife along with its environment
– Usually dedicated to limited species

• Wildlife sanctuaries: Protected areas where killing

or capturing is prohibited. Forest operations are
allowed to the extent they do not harm wildlife
 Ex situ conservation
• Protection of flora and fauna outside its natural
habitat.
• This type of conservation is mainly done for the crop
varieties
• Gene banks and seed banks
• Indian gene/seed banks
– National Bureau of Plant Genetic Resources (NBPGR) ,
Delhi : Agricultural and harticultural crops and their wide
relatives are cryo preserved
• Eg: Tomato, Varieties of Rice, pearl millet, turnip etc
– National Bureau of Animal Genetic Resources (NBAGR),
Karnal, Haryana: Semen of bovine animals
– National Facility for Plant Tissue Culture Repository:
Development facility for conservation by tissue culture
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
 Aquatic biodiversity
Saltwater and freshwater aquatic life zones cover almost three fourths
of the earth’s surface, and oceans dominate the planet.

Aquatic life zones are classified into two major types: saltwater, or
marine
(oceans and their accompanying estuaries, coastal wetlands, shorelines,
coral reefs, and mangrove forests), and freshwater (lakes, rivers,
streams, and in land wetlands).
 Aquatic biodiversity
Aquatic biodiversity can be defined as
The variety of life and the ecosystems that make up the freshwater and marine regions
of the world and their interactions.

It includes all unique species, their habitats and interaction between them.

It encompasses in
Freshwater ecosystems: lakes, ponds, reservoirs, rivers, streams, groundwater,
wetlands.

Marine ecosystems: Oceans, estuaries, coral reefs.

It consists of phytoplankton, zooplankton, aquatic plants, insects, fish, birds, mammals etc

Globally, as on today, only about 2 million species have been identified,

while the actual number of species is estimated to be between 10 and 30 million.

Importance of Aquatic Biodiversity: This enormous treasured biodiversity used as an:

Essential provider of ecosystem goods and services to the mankind.
Potential to contribute towards the economic well-being of the
Economic and aesthetic value: Responsible for maintaining and supporting overall
environmental health

Depended on aquatic resources for food, medicines, and materials.

For recreational and commercial purposes such as fishing and tourism.
 Anthropogenic factors affecting Aquatic Biodiversity
All species of aquatic biodiversity have been facing huge risks, especially due to a number
of anthropogenic factors.

 Habitat loss and alteration through damming and water diversion.

 Introduction of exotic (Foreign)species, invasive species.
 Pollution from urban, industrial and agricultural areas.
 Fertilizers, pesticides, and livestock wastes
 Sewage from cruise ships & spills from oil tankers- For marine biodiversity.
 Overexploitation of species,
 Major commercial fishing methods used to harvest various marine species.

 All contribute to the declining levels of aquatic biodiversity in both freshwater and marine
environments.

As a result, valuable aquatic resources are becoming increasingly susceptible to both

natural and artificial environmental changes.

Thus, conservation strategies to protect and conserve aquatic life are necessary to maintain
the balance of nature and support the availability of resources for future generations.
 Human activities: Major threats to marine biodiversity
• Marine ecosystems: Oceans, estuaries, coral reefs.
• It consists of phytoplankton, zooplankton, aquatic plants, insects, fish, birds, mammals

Major threats to marine biodiversity from human activities include:

• Coastal development, which destroys and pollutes coastal habitats..

• Point-source pollution: Sewage from cruise ships and spills from oil tankers.
Pollution and degradation of coastal wetlands and Estuaries.
 Runoff of nonpoint sources of pollutants such as silt, fertilizers, pesticides, and
livestock wastes

• Overfishing, which depletes populations of commercial fish species.

• Use of fishing trawlers, which drag weighted nets across the ocean bottom, degrading
and destroying its habitats.

• Invasive species, introduced by humans, that can deplete populations of native aquatic
species and cause economic damage.

• Climate change, enhanced by human activities which is warming the oceans and making
them more acidic; Cause a rise in sea levels during this century that would destroy coral
reefs and flood coastal marshes and coastal cities .
 How can we protect and sustain marine biodiversity?

How can we protect and sustain marine biodiversity?

We can help to sustain marine biodiversity by
 Using laws and economic incentives to protect species,
 Setting aside marine reserves to protect ecosystems, and
 Using community-based integrated coastal management.

How should we manage and sustain marine fisheries?

Sustaining marine fisheries will require
 Improved monitoring of fish and shellfish populations,
 Cooperative fisheries management among communities and nations,
 Reduction of fishing subsidies, and
 Careful consumer choices in seafood markets.
Genetically Modified Organism
(GMO)
 Genetically Modified (GM) Crops

What is a GM crop?

GM crops are genetically improved and

contain a gene or genes from the same or a
different species artificially inserted in its
genome.

Tissue Culture & Transformation – gives the

maximum flexibility for moving genes within or
between species.
 CHALLENGES AHEAD

•Population in 2050 AD: 1.5 B

•Shrinking area of cultivated land
•Diminishing water resources
•Malnutrition and undernourishment
•Deterioration in soil quality
•Climate change (global warming)
 History of crop improvement

• By trial and error for almost 9900 years

• By scientific principles of breeding for last 100

years

• By chemical induced mutation for last 75 years

• By rDNA technology last 25 years

 Leaf Disk Transformation

Leaf Disk Preparation Co-cultivation with Agrobacterium Transformation

Regeneration Acclimatization
 Traditional Cross Breeding - an
Artificial Selection
• Used to modify genetic characteristics of populations of
species
Example: Dogs, cats, cows, mangos, flowers
• It is a slow process
• Can be done only between species that are genetically
close
 Genetic engineering is also an
artificial selection
• Isolation, modification, multiplication and
recombination of genes from genetically different
organisms possible
• Enables transfer of genes from different species
that never interbreed – result is genetically
engineered or genetically modified organism
 Advantages of genetic
engineering
• Faster than traditional cross breeding

• Costs lesser

• Allows transfer of traits between

genetically different plants or animals
 Some achievements by genetic
engineers
• Pest-resistant plants
• Genetically modified bacteria to clean
oil spills
• Chickens that lay less cholesterol eggs
• Tomatoes with genes to prevent some
types of cancer
• Cloning?
• Gene therapy?
Gene therapy is an experimental technique that uses
genes to treat or prevent disease. In the future, this
technique may allow doctors to treat a disorder by
inserting a gene into a patient’s cells instead of using
drugs or surgery
Cloning is the process of producing similar
populations of genetically identical individuals
that occurs in nature
 Genetically modified (GM) crops
 GM crops gain increasing popularity
 USA, Canada, Argentina, Brazil and China – produce GM
crops
 Two types of GM crops
- Herbicide tolerant crops – farmers can us herbicides
to wipeout weeds
- Pest-resistant crops – produce some toxins to kill
insects
How are GM crops made?
How are GM crops made?
Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt)
 Why GM crops?
 GM crops are needed to feed growing population
 GM crops are healthier
 GM crops are produced in more efficient,
environmental friendly way
 Bt- Cotton
Bacillus thuringiensis

Bt-cotton - First GM crop – 2002

Second in global cotton production
Area – 8.0 million hectares – 2008
Yield gain - 31%
Reduction in pesticide sprays – 39%
NUTRITIONAL QUALITY
“Golden Rice”

*Expression of enzymes of
β-carotene pathway in
rice endosperm
*Amelioration of Vitamin- A
deficiency
GM Crops Controversy
Why GM crops are not welcome?
• Nobody knows the future effects – like the effect
of pesticides
• The genes can escape to other plants – produce
“super weeds”
• May be harmful to good insects and to ecosystem
• Some people claim that it is against nature
• Enough food is already produced - 1.5 times of
what is required UN study – no need for GM crops
Mexico Bans GM Corn
Genetically modified brinjal –
A case study
Brinjal: Putting Science into Agriculture
Brinjal
 Brinjal – Some Facts
• Second most cultivated vegetable in India
• Eaten by almost all Indians
• Cultivated over 5 lakh hectares
• Annual yield 8 lakh tonnes

So the company producing brinjal wants to enter into

GM brinjal to get financial benefits
 What does GM brinjal contain?
• GM brinjal has a foreign gene from
Bacillus thuringenesis (Bt)
• The plant can produce its own pesticide
to kill fruit flies and shoot borer

So the company claims that farmers

no need to use pesticides
 Why should we worry about
GM brinjal?
• Antibiotic resistance – the gene package is
resistant to Neomycin and Streptomycin
• Toxicity of proteins released
• Not tested for allergic reactions
• No long term safety tests conducted
• Babies have higher risk – but not tested
• Ecological imbalance – killing of other insects
• Loss of consumer choice – we cannot differentiate
between GM and non GM brinjal
• Farmer’s seed sovereignty under threat
• Possibility of gene contamination
• Price raise
• Regulatory problems
Further Reading:

http://www.greenpeace.org/india/PageFiles/446445/GE-Bt-brinjal-revisited.pdf