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    Biodiversity and Conservation

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    rajketansinghchirom
    The document discusses biodiversity, defined as the variety of genes, species, and ecosystems in a given area, and highlights its three levels: genetic, species, and ecological diversity. It explains global species diversity, noting that over 1.5 million species exist, with a significant proportion being animals, and describes patterns of biodiversity influenced by latitudinal gradients and species-area relationships. The importance of species diversity for ecosystem stability, productivity, and health is emphasized, along with the Rivet Popper Hypothesis illustrating the consequences of species extinction.

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    Biodiversity and Conservation

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    rajketansinghchirom
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    The document discusses biodiversity, defined as the variety of genes, species, and ecosystems in a given area, and highlights its three levels: genetic, species, and ecological diversity. It explains global species diversity, noting that over 1.5 million species exist, with a significant proportion being animals, and describes patterns of biodiversity influenced by latitudinal gradients and species-area relationships. The importance of species diversity for ecosystem stability, productivity, and health is emphasized, along with the Rivet Popper Hypothesis illustrating the consequences of species extinction.

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    The document discusses biodiversity, defined as the variety of genes, species, and ecosystems in a given area, and highlights its three levels: genetic, species, and ecological diversity. It explains global species diversity, noting that over 1.5 million species exist, with a significant proportion being animals, and describes patterns of biodiversity influenced by latitudinal gradients and species-area relationships. The importance of species diversity for ecosystem stability, productivity, and health is emphasized, along with the Rivet Popper Hypothesis illustrating the consequences of species extinction.

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    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    0 views2 pages

    Biodiversity and Conservation

    Uploaded by

    rajketansinghchirom
    The document discusses biodiversity, defined as the variety of genes, species, and ecosystems in a given area, and highlights its three levels: genetic, species, and ecological diversity. It explains global species diversity, noting that over 1.5 million species exist, with a significant proportion being animals, and describes patterns of biodiversity influenced by latitudinal gradients and species-area relationships. The importance of species diversity for ecosystem stability, productivity, and health is emphasized, along with the Rivet Popper Hypothesis illustrating the consequences of species extinction.

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    UNIT X ECOLOGY

    CHAPTER 15 BIOIVERSITY AND CONSERVATION


    BIODIVERSITY (Bios- life; diversity- varied forms)
    It is the occurrence of different types of genes, gene pools, species, habitats and ecosystems
    in a particular place and various parts of earth.

    — term coined by Walter G. Rosen (1985) and popularised by Edward Wilson


    — Differs from place to place

    LEVELS OF BIODIVERSITY
    1. Genetic Diversity
    It is the diversity in the number and types of genes and chromosomes within same
    species and variations in genes and their alleles within the same species.
    e.g. 50,000 genetically different strains of rice and 1000 variations of mango present
    in India.
    2. Species Diversity
    It is the variety in the number and richness of species of a region.
    Number of species per unit area is called species richness.
    e.g. The Western Ghats have a greater amphibian species diversity than the Eastern
    Ghats.
    3. Ecological Diversity
    It is the measure of diversity at community and ecosystem levels.
    e.g. Ecological Diversity is greater in India than other countries due to presence of
    large number of ecosystem like deserts, rainforests, wetlands, coral reefs, estuaries,
    meadows, etc.

    GLOBAL SPECIES DIVERSITY


    According to IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources)
    2004 total number of plant and animal species is over 1.5 million.

    70 pc- animals

    22 pc- plants

    Amongst animals, insects comprise the largest group.

    PATTERNS OF BIODIVERSITY
    Biodiversity is not uniform throughout the world because it is affected by two factors-
    latitudinal gradient and species-area relationship.
    CHAPTER 15 BIODIVERSITY AND CONSERVATION

    Latitudinal gradient

    — Biodiversity increases from poles to equators i.e. from high to low latitude.
    — Tropics (23.5°N to 23.5°S) have more species than temperate or polar regions.
    — Tropical rain forests of Amazon in South America possess the greatest biodiversity on
    earth.
    — Greater biological diversity is observed in tropics because
    1. Tropical regions remained undisturbed while temperate regions have been
    subjected to frequent glaciations in the past.
    2. Tropics are less seasonal, more constant and predictable.
    3. Tropics have greater solar energy exposure which contribute to higher
    productivity and greater diversity.

    SPECIES-AREA RELATIONSHIP
    — German naturalist and geographer Alexander von Humboldt observed that within a

    region, species richness increased with increasing explored area but up to a limit.
    — The relationship between species richness and area for a wide variety of taxa (like
    Vascular plants, birds, bats and fresh water fishes) appears as a rectangular
    hyperbola.

    IMPORTANCE OF SPECIES DIVERSITY TO THE ECOSYSTEM


    The maintenance of biodiversity is important because of the following reasons:

    1. Ecological Stability
    Species diversity provides stability to the ecosystem. A diverse ecosystem can
    withstand environmental stress. In ecosystem with high species diversity alien species
    are unable to establish themselves.
    2. Productivity
    Ecosystem with high biodiversity are more productive than those with lower
    biodiversity.
    3. Ecosystem health
    Biodiversity provides various checks and controls. All the species are interlinked
    through various types of relationships.

    RIVET POPPER HYPOTHESIS


    proposed by Paul Ehrlich

    In Airplane (Ecosystem), all parts are joined together using thousands of rivets (species). If
    every passenger starts popping a rivet (causing a species to become extinct) it may not affect
    flight safety (proper function of the ecosystem) initially but as more and more rivets are
    removed the plane becomes dangerously weak over a period of time. Loss of rivets on the
    wings is a more serious threat to flight safety than loss of a few rivets on the seats or
    windows.

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