Reviewer: Environmental Science Midterm Components of an Ecosystem

Coverage
Consist of two main components:
Components of an Ecosystem
Biotic components is the living component of na
Palawan as the country’s last frontier. ecosystem

It is known as the last frontier as it still retains more Abiotic Component is the non-living component of
than 50% of its original forests and harbours an ecosystem

IMPORTANT CONCEPT OF ECOSYSTEM Biotic Component

*Food Chain Refers to all living organisms in a habitat and

consists if :
*Ecological Pyramids
Producers or autotrophs are organisms capable
*Food Web of producing their own food
ECOLOGICAL PYRAMID Consumers or heterotrophs are organisms that
depend on producers or other consumers
- Ecological pyramids show the relative
amounts of various parameters (such as Decomposers are organisms that decompose
number if organisms, energy, biomass) dead part of living organisms
across trophic levels. Ecological pyramids
can also be called trophic pyramids or Detritivores are groups that are responsible for the
energy pyramids decaying matter and release of gases into the
atmosphere
TROPIC LEVELS
Abiotic Components
Fourth (tertiary consumers)- Second Carnivores
Refers to its non-living or physical environment
Third (second consumers)- Primary Carnivores
Air- mixture of different gases that is needed in
Second (primary consumers)- Herbivores photosynthesis and respiration
First (primary producers)- Autotrops Light-needed in photosynthesis of the producers
ECOSYSTEM Mineral salts and salinity-essentials substances
that make up proteins and vitamins
- Consists of a community of organisms living
together and interacting with the non-living pH(potential of hydrogen)-refers to acidity and
components alkalinity of the surrounding environment
Ecology Temperature-refers to the degree of hotness or
coldness that affects metabolic activities
- Is the branch of biology that deals with the
study of the ecosystem Water-vital for the survival of all organisms
Ecology primarily seeks - Humidity is the amount of water vapour
present in the air
Distribution and abundance of organism in their
- Precipitation is any forms of water that
physical environment
forms in the atmosphere and falls back to
Interrelationship between organism in earth in the form of rain, sleet or snow
populations and communities
Interactions between biotic and abiotic
components
SPECIES DIVERSITY
● Food in the form of sugar will be produced.
• It is the biodiversity observed within a
● This will be used by herbivores and community. It stands for the number and
carnivores for consumption and energy distribution of species. The number of species in a
source. region varies widely depending upon the varied
environmental conditions. For example, it is usually
● Plants also rely on humidity to adjust their observed that civilizations residing beside water
stomata. bodies show more species than the ones compared
to the areas away from water bodies.
● Plants need to close their stomata in an
environment with low humidity for it not to ECOLOGICAL DIVERSITY
lose water. • It defines the diversity observed among the
ecosystems in a particular region. Different
● Wild plants and animals rely on rain water
ecosystems like mangroves, rainforests, deserts,
as nourishment.
etc., show a great variety of life forms residing in
● Precipitation influences the habitat of them
organisms such as rain water filling lakes HABITAT AND NICHE
and rivers.
• HABITAT- the place where particular
Biodiversity plants and animals live. Within the habitat,
organisms occupy different niches.
Biodiversity is all the different kinds of life you’ll
find in one area—the variety of animals, plants, • NICHES- the functional role of a species in
fungi, and even microorganisms like bacteria that a community is occupation, or how it earns its
make up our natural world. living.
Each of these species and organisms work EXAMPLE; the scarlet tanager lives in deciduous
together in ecosystems, like an intricate web, to trees forest habitat, its niche in part is gleaning
maintain balance and support life insects from the canopy foliage. the more the
community is stratified, the more finely the habitat
Biodiversity is a term used to describe the
is divided into additional niches.
enormous variety of life on Earth. It can be used
more specifically to refer to all of the species in one PROTECTING SPECIES
region or ecosystem. Biodiversity refers to every
living thing, including plants, bacteria, animals, and • not all species are endangered as a result
humans. of habitat depeltion.

3 Types of Biodiversity • for example the white rhinoceros is

endangered because poachers hunt and kill it for its
• GENETIC DIVERSITY- is the variety of valuable horn.
species expressed at the genetic level by each
individual in a species. No two individuals • legislation that bans international trade in
belonging to the same species are exactly similar. endangered species can play an important play an
For example, in the species of human beings, each important part of this type of conservation.
human shows a lot of diversity in comparison to
another human. People living in different COMMUNITY INTERACTION

Types of Biodiversity: Genetic, Species,

• major influences on population growth • Is the consumption of one living organism,
involve various interactions that tie the community plant or animal by another.
together.
• Serve to move energy through the
• competition ecosystem,

• predation • Regulate population and promote natural

selection by weeding the unfit from a population.
• co-evolution
Examples:
• adaptation
Rabbit>Grass
COMPETITION
Fox>rabbit
• When shared resources is in short supply,
organisms compete, those that are more successful Plants>grazers, consumption of seeds and fruits.
survive. Animals have a highly developed social
organization through which resources CO- EVOLUTION

-space -mate • Is the joint evolution of two unrelated

species that have a close ecological relationship-
-food -territory that is evolution of one species depends in part on
the evolution of the other.
COMPETITIVE INTERACTION
CO-EVOLUTION
- Competition among members of different
species results in the division of resources • Occurs when species evolve together.
in the community
• Often happens in species that have
DOMINANT INDIVIDUAL symbiotic relationships

- Exclude subdominant individuals from the • In Coevolution relationships may be positive

resource for one species or both or maybe an evolutionary
- Territoriality arm race between predator and prey

Subdominant Individivual • Examples: flowering plants and their

pollinators arms
- Forced to live in poorer habitat, leave the
area, ADAPTATION
- succumb to starvation, exposure and
predation • Evolutionary adaptation, or simply
adaptation, is the adjustment of organisms to their
COMPETITION IN PLANTS environment in order to improve their chances of
survival in that environment.
Plants compete for light by growing quickly to reach
it and often shade other plants with their leaves. • Organisms can adapt to an environment in
When an old tree in a forest dies and falls to the different ways. They can adapt biologically,
ground, there is a race to fill in the gap in the meaning they alter body functions. An example of
canopy. It doesn’t look like a race to us because it biological adaptation can be seen in the bodies of
happens slowly. people living at high altitudes, such as Tibet.
Tibetans thrive at altitudes where oxygen levels are
water,mineral,space up to 40 percent lower than at sea level
PREDATION INTERSPECIFIC INTERACTION
• parasitism • example: in ants we can distinguish several
caste by their rank of influence
• mutualism
-fertile queens,infertile queens, soldier, infertile
• commensalism workers, and fertile male.
• intraspecific interactions fertile queens occupy the main rank in the colony
while the males are the lowest rank.
• social dominance
SOCIAL HIERARCHY
• social hierarchy
• is the domination of an individual over the
• territoriality
other individuals of the same popluation.
• close associations between species are
• example:
called symbiotic relationship
in poultry pen, the stronger adult rooster, alpha
- if the host is essential, the relationship is called
male has the
obligatory. if not the relationship is called
absolute control of the other members of that
facultative.
populations.
PARASITISM
-the alpha male has preferences to a particular hen
• the dependent species or parasite, benefits
- this becomes the aplha female
at the expense of the host.
two constituents of species diversity
-lice
SPECIES RICHNESS
-plasmodium, causes malaria are called
endoparasites. • number of different species present in an
ecosystem.
MUTUALISM
• tropical areas have greater species richness
• is an organization in which both organisms
as the environment is conducive for large number
benefit.
of species.
• -referred as endosymbiosis
SPECIES EVENNESS
• example: lichens are formed by mutualistic
• relative abundance of individuals of each of
association between algae and fungi.
those species.
COMMENSALISM
• if the number of individuals within a species
-one organism gains while the other neither gains is fairly constant across communities, it is said to
nor loses. example: hydratinia echinata and the have high evennes and if the number of individuals
hermit crab varies from species to species, it is said to have low
evenness.
SOCIAL DOMINANCE

is the stratification of groups in a society given by

the influence that one individual or a group of examples of the ecosystems with high species
individuals has on the other individuals or groups in diversity
the same society.
• tropical rainforest
-they contain half of the world’s species. there are • has social values such as cultural and
about 5-10 million insect species present. 40% of spiritual values, recreational and tourism values
the world’s 2,75,000 species of flowering plants are and educational values.
present in the tropical regions. 30% of total bird
species are present in tropical forests. the species • for example some indigenous communities
richness of tropical forests is mostly due to view certain plants and animals as sacred and use
relatively constant environmental conditions. them in their cultural practices

coral reefs-colonies of tiny coral animals build the ETHICAL VALUES

large coral reefs ecosystem. the clarity of the water • biodiversity has social values, such as the
in the coral reef systems allow the sunlight to intrinsic value of biodiversity which recognizes that
penetrate deep, resulting in the high level of biodiversity has a value in and of itself regardless of
photosynthesis in the algae present inside the its usefulness to humans.
coral. adaptation to various disturbances and niche
specialisation gives rise to species richness. AESTHETIC VALUES

VALUE OF BIODIVERSITY • includes the beauty and wonder of nature

and the pleasure and enjoyment people derive from
• consumptive uses nature.
• productive values OPTION VALUES
• social values • biodiversity has option values, who may
• ethical values derive benefits from biodiversity for future
generations, who may derive benefits from
• aesthetic values biodiversity that are currently unknown or
unforeseen.
• option values
INTRODUCTION
CONSUMPTIVE USES
。 Biogeographic classification of India is the
• include the use of biodervisity
division of India according to biogeographic
for food, medicine, fuel and other material. characteristics.

PRODUCTIVE VALUES • Biogeography is the study of the distribution of

species (biology), organisms, and ecosystems in
• biodiversity also has productive values such geographic space and through geological time.
as the use of forests for timber and non-timber
forest products and the use of biodiversity for o India is the seventh largest country in the world
bioprospecting and biotechnology. and Asia's second largest nation with an area of
3,287,263 sq.km. encompassing a varied
• bioprospecting- is defined as a systematic landscape rich in natural resources.
and organized search for useful products derived
from bioresources including plants, o India is shielded by the world's highest
microorganisms, animals, etc., that can be mountains, the Himalayas, in the north.
developed further for commercialization and overall
Biogeography is important as a branch of
benefits of the society.
geography that sheds light on the natural habitats
SOCIAL VALUES around the world. It is also essential in
understanding why species are in their present
locations and in developing and protecting the
world's natural habitats.
INDIA'S BIOGEOGRAPHIC ZONES SUCCULENTS ARE A COMMON TYPE OF
XEROPHYTE
Our country is divided into ten major regions, based
on the geography, climate and pattern of vegetation Xerophytic plants are adapted to living in dry
seen and the communities of mammals, birds, conditions.
reptiles, amphibian, insects and other invertebrates
that live in them by the Forest and Wildlife Dept of - Most xerophytes live in deserts, but wet
Government of India. environments that don't allow the plant to access
water, such as acid bogs or saline soil, can also
1. TRANS-HIMALAYAN REGION result in xerophytic adaptations.

o The Himalayan ranges immediately north of the AGAVE

Great Himalayan range are called the Trans-
Himalayas. Nerium oleander

o The Trans-Himalayan region with its sparse Desert Lavender (Condea emoryi)
vegetation has the richest wild sheep and goat 4. WESTERN GHATS
community in the world.
o The mountains along the west coast of peninsular
The snow leopard is found here, as is the migratory India are the Western Ghats, which constitute one
black-necked cranes. of the unique biological regions of the world.
2. HIMALAYAS 5. NORTH-WEST DESERT REGIONS
o The Himalayas consist of the youngest and o This region consists of parts of Rajasthan, Kutch,
loftiest mountain chains in the world. Delhi and parts of Gujarat.
o The forests are very dense with extensive growth o The climate is characterized by very hot and dry
of grass and evergreen tall trees. Oak, chestnut, summer and cold winter. Rainfall is less than 70
conifer, ash, pine, deodar are abundant in cms.
Himalayas. There is no vegetation above the
snowline. 7. GANGETIC PLAIN

Several animals live in the Himalayan ranges. Chief o In the North is the Gangetic plain extending up to
species include monal, wild sheep, mountain goats, the Himalayan foothills. This is the largest unit of
ibex, shrew, and tapir. Panda and snow leopard are the Great Plain of India.
also found here.
o The Great Plains cover about 72.4mha area with
3. SEMI-ARID AREAS the Ganga and the Brahmaputra forming the main
drainage axes in the major portion.
o Adjoining the desert are the semi-arid areas, a
transitional zone between the desert and the 8. NORTH-EAST INDIA
denser forests of the Western Ghats.
o North-east India is one of the richest flora regions
o The natural vegetation is thorn forest. This region in the country.
is characterized by discontinuous vegetation cover
with open areas of bare soil and soil-water deficit o It has several species of orchids, bamboos, ferns
throughout the year. and other plants.

Asiatic lions, Birds, jackals, leopards, eagles, Here the wild relatives of cultivated plants such as
snakes, fox, buffaloes are found in this region. banana, mango, citrus and pepper can be found.

EXAMPLES OF XEROPHYTES 9. ISLANDS

o The two groups of islands, i.e., the Arabian Sea there are large variety of different ecosystems on
islands and Bay Islands differ significantly in origin earth. Each having their own complement of
and physical characteristics. distinctive interlinked species based on the
differences in the habitat.
o The Arabian Sea Islands (Laccadive, Minicoy,
etc.) are the foundered remnants of the old land Habitat loss can be described when an animal
mass and subsequent coral formations. On the loses their home. Every animal in the animal
other hand, the Bay Islands lay only about 220 kingdom has a niche, a their in their animal
kms. community and without their habitat they no longer
have a niche.
10. COASTAL REGION
Reasons of habitat loss by humans: ~agriculture,
India has a coastline extending over 5,500 kms. farming
The west coast is narrow except around the Gulf of
Canbary and the Gulf of Kutch. ~harvesting natural resources for personal use ~for
industrial and urbanization development
In the extreme south, however, it is somewhat
wider along the south Sahyadri. The backwaters Habitat destruction is currently ranked as the
are the characteristic features of this coast. primary causes of species extinction world wide

*Larger parts of the coastal plains are covered by Solutions on for this..
fertile soils on which different crops are grown. Rice
is the main crop of these areas. Coconut trees grow ~ Protecting remaining intact section of natural
all along the coast. habitat.

Biodiversity ~Reduce human population and expansion of

urbanisation and industries.
Biodiversity is that part of nature which includes
the differences in genes among the individuals of a ~Educating the public about the importance of
species. natural habitat and bio diversity.

The variety and richness of all the plants and ~Solutions to habitat loss can include planting
animals species at different scales in space-locally, trees, planting home gardens so as to reduce need
in a region, in the country and the world. for man to need large lands for agricultural farms
which lead to habitat loss.
And the type of ecosystem, both terrestrial and
aquatic within a define area. Poaching

Biodiversity can be observed at three levels Poaching is the hunting and harvesting taking of
wild plants or animals, such as through hunting,
1)Genetic diversity harvesting, fishing, or trapping.

each member of any animal or plants species History of poaching

differs widely from other individual in its genetic
makeup. ~ Millions of years ago, in the Stone Age ~Followed
through the ages, to even the tribal natives
2)Species diversity
~but it was during the Late Middle Ages that
number of species of plants and animals that are poaching became a punishable offense
present in a region constitutes its species diversity.
Why Poaching is done?
3) Ecosystem diversity
Poaching is done for large profits gained by the
illegal sale or trade or animal parts, meat and pelts
Exists because there is a demand for these short range because of its poor senses (elephants,
products, cause by a lack of education or disregard bear) and then attacks out of fear.
for the law amongst the buyers
reporters and sub editors should avoid biased or
Many cultures believe yhat certain animal parts sensationalized reports
have medical value
In India, wild elephants probably kill far more
Poaching is not limited to animals its also for people than tiger, leopard or lion.
plants too
Damage to agricultural crops and property, killing of
Three of the most often poached species in the livestock and human beings are some of the worst
park are galax, black cohosh, and ginseng forms of man-animal conflict.

How does poaching affect the environment? Farmers sometimes poison and shoot wild animals
as they damage their crops, but this can be
~Poaching or illegal hunting causes animals prevented by taking certain measures.
endangered of being extinct. If more animals
becomes extinct there's a disruption in the food 2006-07/31/342
chain, and that will cause major problems in our
ecosystem, resulting eventually in new adaptations 2007-08/34/241
of animals, and or species beyond human control. 2008-09/46/726
~Poaching results in animals being hunted too soon 2010-11/52/689
for them to have time to reproduce and repopulate.
Ways to reduce the conflicts
Man-wildlife conflict
Governments is working on improvement of habitat
wildlife) is unacceptably disadvantageous to other to augment food and water availability and to
Increase in man wildlife conflict is due to resource reduce movement of animals from the forests to the
limitation like : habitations.

1. Space Training forest staff and police to tackle these

situations and creating awareness among the
2. Food people about the Do's and Don'ts to minimize
conflicts.
3. Shelter
construction of boundary walls and solar fences
It is also due to Increasing population of human around the sensitive areas to prevent the wild
beings, Loss of forest, decrease in quality of forest animal attacks.
and development activities.
Some devices of Information Technology, viz.,
A 'Conflict' of Words radio collars with Very High Frequency, Global
Positioning System and Satellite uplink facilities can
One-sided Reporting Can Harm Wildlife
be used to track the movements of wild animals.
The headlines are invariably provocative - menace,
IMPORTANCE OF BIODIVERSITY
threat, fear, attack and death!
> Generation of soils and maintenance of soil
In 99.9 per cent of these cases (with the exception
quality
of deliberate stalking and predation on humans by
big cats), it's never an aggressive attack by the > Maintenance of air quality
animal. The animal gets cornered, surrounded by
people (big cats) or faces an abrupt encounter at > Maintenance of water quality
> Pest control ARKIVE

> Detoxification and decomposition of wastes Markhor

> Pollination and crop production Marbled cat

> Climate stabilization Indian elephant

> Prevention and mitigation of natural disasters OTHER ENDEMIC SPECIES

> Provision of food security Nilgiri langur

Endangered and Sendemic species of India Brown palm civet

Endangered species Sapria himalayana

An endangered species in a population of organism Ovaria lurida

which is at a risk of becoming extinst because is
either few in numbers, or threatened by changing Nepenthis khasiana
environmental ar predation panamaters Factors affecting endangered species
Endemic charies Human beings dispose wastes indiscriminately in
When species are found in particular geographical nature thereby polluting the air, land and water.
region because of its isolation, soil and climatic These pollutants enter the food chain and
conditions, it is said to be endemic accumulate in living creatures resulting in death.

Some endangered and endemic species of India Over-exploitation of natural resources and
poaching of wild animals also leads to their
Asiatic lion extinction.

The Asiatic lion which survives today only in the Gir Climate change brought by green house gases
forest of Gujarat, were also known as Indian lion or threatens organisms and ecosystems leading to
Persion lion. In 2005 Gujarat government reported their death and extinction.
that 354 Asiatic lions were sighted in the Gir forest.
Factors affecting endemic species.
Nilgiri tahr
Habitat loss and fragmentation due to draining and
Nilgiri tarh is endemic to nilgiri hills and the filling of inland wetlands. Pollution also plays an
southern portion of western ghats in the states of important role.
tamil nadu and kerela in southern India.
MEASURES TO CONSERVE ENDANGERED
Sumatran rhinocerous AND ENDEMIC SPECIES

Sumatran rhinocerous is the smallest rhino Know what species in your area are endangered.
weighing about 500-800 kg. The decline in the Volunteer your time to protect the wildlife in your
number of sumatran rhinocerous is attributed area. Make certain that your home is not a hazard
primarily to poaching for their Forns. They are to wildlife.
estimated to be 300 in number.
Plant native flora. Do not use toxic herbicides or
OTHER ENDANGERED SPECIES pesticides. Watch the road and drive carefully.
Recycle and buy recycled or reusable products.
Asiatic cheetah Bengal fox
Do not purchase illegal products that come from
Gaur endangered species. ✓ Support zoos and other
wildlife parks. Get active and spread the word In terms of the number of organism and number
Reduce the amount of pollution that you cause of species of each kind, biodiversity has varied
markedly through geological time
Read up on the subject.
In terms of present day species richness,
biodiversity varies greatly across the globe.
BIODIVERSITY at GLOBAL LEVEL The present global patterns in biodiversity
The Global Patterns in Biodiversity indicate that the species richness tends to vary
geographically according to a series of well define
The present geological era is perhaps the richest
rules
in biological diversity .
For example case of terrestrial environments:
About 2.6 million species have been identified till
date, while many more species are believed to Warmer areas hold more species than the colder
exist. areas.
According to UNEP (1993-94) (UN convention on Wetter areas hold more species than the drier
environment protection) estimate, the total number ones;
of species that might exist on Earth range between
9.0-52 million Larger areas hold more species than the smaller
areas;
• Invertebrate animals and plants make-up most of
the speces. For example, case of terrestrial environments:

About 70% of all known species are invertebrates Areas of varied climate and topography hold
(animals without backbones such as insects, more species than the areas of uniform climate and
sponges, worms, etc.); topography

About 15% are plants. Areas at lower altitude (elevation) hold more
species than the high altitude areas; and
The rest of the species constitute 15%
Less seasonal areas hold more species than the
Mammals, the animal group to which man belong, highly seasonal areas
comprise a comparatively small number of species.
In case of pelagic marine species
Of all the global species, only 10 to 15% live in
North America and Europe.

BUT the major centers of greatest biodiversity tend ⚫ there tends to be more species in warmer and
to be in the tropics. less seasonal waters(i.e. at lower latitudes.)

The twenty countries most rich in biodiversity are In a simplified way, it can be said that there are
listed in Table much more species, both per unit area and
overall, in the tropics than in temperate regions.
Patterns in Biodiversity and somewhat more in the temperate regions
than in Polar Regions.
Species are not uniformly distributed over the
Earth, The moist tropical forests
diversity varies greatly from place to place. •The moist tropical forests, in general, are the
most species rich areas /environments on earth
Though they cover about 7% of the world's
surface; but may hold more than 90% of the INDiA as mega diverse biodiversity
world's species,
Biodiversity has three aspects, viz genetics,
In constrast species and ecosystem.

If small tropical forest insects are discounted, then India is uniquely rich in all these three aspects.
the areas with similar richness will be in; The country has a rich heritage of biodiversity,
encompassing a wide spectrum of habitats (from
tropical rainforests to alpine vegetation, and
from temperate forests to coastal wetlands.)
• Coral reefs; and areas of Mediterranean climate
in South Africa and Western Australia. Almost ALL the biogeographical regions of the
world are represented in India.
These areas are rich in angiosperm species.
With a mere 2.4% of the total land area of the
Reasons for Greater Biodiversity in the Tropics
world, the known biodiversity of India contributes
1. Tropical areas receive more solar energy over 8.22% of the known global biodiversity
the year. Therefore, tropical communities are more
india is one of the twelve mega-diversity nations of
productive resulting in a greater resource base
the world accounting for 7.31% of the global faunal
that can support a wider range of species.
and 10.88% of the global floral total species.
2. Warm temperatures and high humidity of Currently India is in tenth position in the world and
tropical areas provide favourable environmental fourth in the Asia in plant diversity. INDIA ranks
conditions for many species. tenth in mamimallan sp in the world, and in terms of
endemic species of higher
3. Over geological times, the tropics have had a
more stable climate than the temperate areas. In Indias one of the twelve mega-diversity nations of
tropics, therefore, local species continued to the world accounting for 7.31% of the global faunal
thrive and live there itself; whereas, in temperate and 10.58% of the global floral total species.
zones, they tend to disperse to other areas.
Currently India is in 10th position in the world and
4. There has been more time for tropical 4th in the Asia in plant diversity. INDIA ranks 10th
communities to evolve as they are older than in mammalian sp in the world, and in terms of
temperate ones. endemic species of higher vertebrates, it ranks 11"

This has allowed tropical communities greater SALIENT FEATURES OF NATIONAL

degree of specialization and local adaptation to BIODIVERSITY
occur.
India has two major realms called the Palaearctic
5. in tropics, the greater pressure from pests, and the Indo Malayan; and three biomes, namely
parasites and diseases does not allow any single the tropical humid forests, the tropical dry
species to dominate. Thus, there is opportunity for deciduous forests and the warm desert/semi-
many species to coexist. deserts.

In temperate areas, there is reduced pressure India has ten biogeographic regions, namely the
from pests, parasites and diseases due to cold, that Trans-Himalayan, the Deccan Peninsula, the
Himalayan, the Indian desert. the semi-arid zone,
6. In tropics, higher rates of out crossing among the Genetic plain, North-East India, the Islands, and
plants may lead to higher levels of genetic the coasts
variability.
India is one of the 12 mega-diversity nations of the
BIODIVERSITY at NATIONAL LEVEL world.
ALIENT FEATURE TERES OF NATIONAL India has the origin of 30,000 to 50,000 varieties of
BIODIVERSITY RICE,pigeon-pea, mango, turmeric, ginger,
sugarcane,gooseberries, etc. and ranks 7th in
India is one of the 12 centres of origin of cultivated terms of contributionto world agriculture.
plants
India also boasts rich marine biodiversity,along the
There are two hotspots that extend into india. There coastline of 7516.5 km with exclusive economic
are the Western Ghats Sen Lanka and the Indo- zone of 202 million sq.km,supporting the most
Burma region productive ecosystems such as mangroves,
estuaries, lagoons and coral reefs.A number of

zooplankton cereid is about 16,000 species.

(covering the Eastern Himalayas). Further these
hotspots are included amongst the top The benthic fauna largely consists of polychaeta
(62%),crustacean (20%) and molluscs (18%) with
India has 26 recognised endemic centres that are
the biomass of about 12 gm per square metre.
home to nearly 1/3rd of all the flowering plants
(angiosperms) identified and described to date. Over 30 species of marine algae and 14 species of
sea grass have been reported.
India has SIX Ramsar Wetlands. Chilka Lake
(odisha), Hari-ke Lake (punjab), Loktak Lake There are over 45 species of mangrove plants over
(Manipur), Keoladeo National Park (Bharatpur 342 species of 76 genera of corals reported and
Rajasthan), Wular Lake (J & K) and
BIODIVERSITY at LOCAL LEVEL (karnataka
India has 5 world heritage sites namely, Kaziranga state)
National Park, Keolades Ghana National Park,
Manas Wildlife Sanctuary,Nanda Devi National BIOVERSITY at LOCAL LEVEL
Park and Sundarban National Park.
It is the Southern states of India having 3.83 Million
Todia has twelve biosphere reserves, namely ha of recorded forest area which is around 20
Nilgiri, Nanda Devi, Nokrerk, Manas, Great percent of its geographical area
Nicobar, Similpal, Dibru-Saikhowa, Dehang
Debang,Sunderbans,Gulf or Mannar,Pachmarchi •Karnataka consists of 3 regions;
and Kanchanjunga Coastal zone: 320 km with estuaries, lagoons,
there are 88 national parks and 490 sanctuaries bays, creeks, cliffs, dunes etc
covering an area of 1.53 lakh sq.km. • Western ghats: 1600 km, 60% located in
NATIONAL BIODIVERSITY Karnataka

About 2/3 of the geographical area of the country, • Eastern plainS

has at present 89,317 species of fauna and 45,364 Coastal Karnataka
species of flora representing about 7.32% of the
world fauna and 10.88% the world flora Offers good opportunities to sight sea birds like
terns and gulls and many other water birds,
Among plants, the species richness is high in particularly in winter.
angiosperms bryophyta pteridophyta orchidaceae.
The beaches of Uttara Kannada district offer
Among animals, arthropoda (insects) are spectacular views of the White bellied Sea Eagle.
predominant.
Western ghats
India is rich in agro-biodiversity.
Over 4500 species of flowering plants (38%
There are over 167 crop species and wild relatives. endemic)
330 butterflies (11% endemic),
plan
156 reptiles (62% endemic)
in e
508 birds (4% endemic)

150 mammals (12% endemic)

How
289 fishes (41% endemic)
arou
135 amphibians (75% endemic) mill
Eastern plains bee
The species occur here are mostly Acacias, des
Hardwikicia, Neem, Pongamia, Somida, Santalam
albam, Ficus etc.
mos
1421 species of angiosperms under 140 families.
inse
107 species are listed as medicinal plants but due
to scarce occurrence many are not harvested.

to refer to all of the

species in one
region or
ecosystem.
Biodiversity refers
to every living thing,
including plants,
bacteria, animals,
and
Scientists have
estimated that
there are around 8.7
million species of