Biodiversity

Bio diversity:- the occurrence of different kind of organism at a particular place reflect to its biodiversity. Biodiversity
differs from place to place. Bio diversity has made many medicinal & economical uses & also provides valuable indirect
services through natural ecosystems. Habitat loss & fragmentation, disturbance & introduction of alien species pose
greatest threats to bio diversity. In recent tomes, humans have caused the extinction of many species & the rate of
species loss is increasing every year. Now most people have started recognizing the importance of biodiversity.
Conservation strategies includes in situ (on site) & ex situ (off site) approaches. Convention of biodiversity is an
important international instrument promoting biodiversity conservation globally.

The term biodiversity refers to the totality of genes, species & ecosystems of a region. Biodiversity differs
according to location & climate. The known number of species on the earth is between 1.7 to 1.8 millions which are for
less the actual number. New species are now being discovered faster than ever before due to the efforts of projects like
global biodiversity.

Types or levels of Biodiversity

Biological biodiversity includes three levels or types:

Genetic biodiversity:- it refers to the variation of gene within species. This difference could be in entire genes or in
chromosomal structure.

The genetic diversity enables a population to adapt to its environment & to respond to natural selection. The genetic
variation is the basis of specification & has a key role in the maintenance of diversity at species & community levels.
Genetic diversity within a species often increases with environmental variations.

Species biodiversity: - it refers to the variety of species within a region. The species diversity depends on the number &
kind of species as well as the number of individuals per species. Higher the kind of species & higher number of per
species show greater diversity.

Community & Ecosystem Diversity: It refers to the number of species share the same habitat. In other words the
variety of species if sharing a same habitat then it would be known as community or ecosystem diversity.

The community or ecosystem diversity depends on how the habitat is relevant for the species n how it is providing the
facility to the species living on it.

© Himanshu Kolhatkar
Gradients of biodiversity
Bio diversity varies with change in latitude or altitude. Biodiversity increases from poles towards equators &
forms high elevations to low elevations.

India has a rich diversity of the biogeographically regions due to varying physical conditions & species groupings.

Uses of Biodiversity

Human derive many direct & indirect benefits from the living world.

1. Source of food & Improved Varieties: Biodiversity is useful to modern agriculture in 3 ways:

(i) .As a source of new crops: many new species may be investigated & grown for food.

(ii).As a source of material for breading of improved varieties, such as gene received from wild rice species (Oryza Nivara)
was used to provide resistance to the rice varieties grown in Asia.

(iii).As a source of new biodegradable pesticides.

2. Drugs & Medicines: biodiversity is a rich source of several medicines & other substances of therapeutic properties.
E.g. Paper Somniferum ios a source of morphine, which is used as an analgesic to yield quinine.

3. Aesthetic & cultural benefits: Biodiversity has a great aesthetic value such as ecotourism, bird watching, wild life, pet
keeping, gardening etc. Biodiversity is also related to human culture & religious belief.

4. Ecosystem Service: Biodiversity provides a number of ecosystem services like maintenance of gaseous composition of
the atmosphere, climate control by forests, oceanic system, natural pest control, protection of soil, conservation &
purification of water & nutrients.

Threats of Biodiversity

Habitat los, fragmentation & introduction of alien (exotic) species pose greatest threats of Biodiversity.

1. Habitat loss & fragmentation: Destruction of habitats (forests, grass lands) is the primary reason for the loss of
biodiversity. With the fragmentation of large forest tracts, species occupying deeper parts of forests become
more threatened.
2. Disturbance & pollution: Natural or man made disturbances ( Fire, floods, pollution, deforestation, felling of
trees) adversely affect the communities. Pollution may reduce & eliminate populations of sensitive species.
3. Introduction of Exotic species: Introduction of some exotic (alien) species may cause disappearance of native
species through changed biotic interactions. Exotic species has large impact in islands ecosystems which harbors
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much of the threatened biodiversity.

© Himanshu Kolhatkar
Extinction of species
Disappearance of a species from the earth is referred to extinction. Extinction of species occurs by three processes:

(a) Natural Extinction: with the change in some environmental conditions, some species disappear & other which
are adopted changed conditions, takes there place.
(b) Mass extinctions: this extinction means a large number of extinction of species due to any natural disasters,
such as flood, earthquake, volcano, forest fire, drought etc.
(c) Anthropogenic extinction: This referrers to man made extinction of species & represents a very severe
depletion of species or biodiversity.

In recent time human have caused the extinction of many species & the rate of species loss is increasing. It is
estimated that 1400 to 4000 species are being lost per year from the tropical forest alone.

Susceptibility to extinction: the species which are susceptible to extinction are generally characterized by the
following features:

(A) Large body size ( Bengal tiger, lion, elephant)

(B) Small population size & low reproductive rate (Blue whale & giant Panda)
(C) Feeding at high tropic levels in food chain (Bald Eagle & Bengal Tiger)
(D) Fixed migratory routs & habitat (Blue whale & whoorping crane)
(E) Localized & narrow range of distribution ( woodland caribou)

Conservation of Biodiversity
There are two strategies of biodiversity conservation.

In situ (on site)

Ex situ (off the site)

1. In situ conservation: In in situ conservation strategy emphasis is on protection of a group of typical ecosystem
through a network of protected areas.

(i). Protected area: - These are areas of land & sea especially dedicated to the protection & maintenance of
biological diversity. These are managed through legal or other effective means. India has more than 500 protected
areas in the form of national parks and wildlife sanctuaries.
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Benefits of Protected areas:-

(a) Maintaining viable population of all species & subspecies.

(b) Preventing human caused introduction of alien species.

© Himanshu Kolhatkar
(c) Making it possible for species/ habitat to shift in response to environment change.

(ii). Biosphere reserves:- these are special category of protected areas of land &/ or coastal environment where in
people are an integral of the system.

A biosphere reserve consists of core or natural zone (undistributed & legally protected ecosystem),
buffer zone (surrounded the core area & is managed to accommodate a greater variety of resource use strategies &
research & educational activities) & transition zone (outer most part of the biosphere reserve) having an active
cooperation between reserve management & the local people.

Function of Biosphere reserve:

(a). Conservation of landscape, ecosystem and genetic resources.

(b). Scientific research monitoring & education & information exchange related to local, national & global issue of
conservation & development.

(c). Economic development which is culturally, socially & ecologically.

2. Ex situ conservation: In Ex situ conservation strategy the species are shifted to any other place where the
conditions are similar to the conditions of their natural habitat. The Ex situ conservation strategy includes
botanical gardens, Zoos, gene banks, seed banks, tissue culture, DNA banks.

(i).Seed or gene banks are primary and simplest method of conservation of wild and cultivated plants at low
temperature in cold rooms.

(ii).Preservation of genetic recourses is carried out in gene banks under normal growing conditions.

(iii). Cryopreservation is another method of preservation of vegetable parts, biological and genetic data. In
cryopreservation these data is preserved in liquid nitrogen at about (-) minus 200 degree centigrade.

Hot spots of Biodiversity

A concept of hot spot of biodiversity is developed in 1988 by Norma Myers to designate priority areas for in situ
conservation. The hot spots are the richest and the denser reservoirs of plants and animal life in any ecosystem.
Twenty five hot spots of terrestrial biodiversity have been identified of which two are in India. Which are Western
Ghats and Eastern Himalayas.

© Himanshu Kolhatkar