Environmental Science

and Engineering-GE 2021

Unit-1
Biodiversity

Dr. V.Nagarajan

Ecosystem Regulation
All ecosystems regulate themselves and maintain
themselves under a set of environmental conditions.
Ecosystem, by itself, tries to resist the change
and
maintain itself in equilibrium with the environment due to a
property known as homeostasis.
Homeostasis is the inherent property of all living systems to
resist change.
The system can show this tolerance or resistance only
within a maximum and a minimum range, called
homeostatic plateau.
Within this range , if any stress tries to cause a deviation,
then the system has its own mechanisms to counteract
these deviations which are known as negative feedback
mechanisms.
If the stress is too high and beyond the range of
homeostatic plateau, then another type of mechanisms
known as positive feedback mechanisms.

Human beings should try to keep the ecosystems within

Biodiversity
Bio Life
Diversity Variety
Biodiversity is the variety of life on Earth and the essential
interdependence of all living things.
The tremendous variety of life on Earth is made possible by
complex interactions among all living things including
microscopic species like algae and mites.
Biodiversity refers to the variety and variability among all groups of
living organisms and the ecosystem complexes in which they occur.

In the Convention of Biological diversity (1992) biodiversity has

been defined as the variability among living organisms from all
sources including inter alia, terrestrial, marine and other
aquatic ecosystems and the ecological complexes of which
they are a part.

Biodiversity has Intrinsic Value.

(Intrinsic Value = Something that has
value in and of itself).

Biodiversity also has utilitarian Value.

Utilitarian Value (goods, services, information) =

the value something has as a means to anothers
end.

Biodiversity: Who cares?

Which do you like better?

Which do you like better?

Which do you like better?

Which do you like better?

Which do you like better?

Which do you like better?

Which do you like better?

Biodiversity gives:
Oxygen
Food
Clean Water
Medicine
Aesthetics
Ideas

Should we be concerned about

biodiversity?
What we know:
The Earth is losing species at an alarming
rate
Scientists have identified more than 2 million
species. Tens of millions -- remain unknown
Some 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.

Threats to biodiversity
Habitat destruction
Pollution
Species Introductions
Global Climate Change
Exploitation

33 components
components of
of biodiversity
biodiversity
GENETIC
GENETIC DIVERSITY
DIVERSITY
ItIt is
is the
the basic
basic source
source of
of biodiversity.
biodiversity.
The
The genes
genes found
found in
in organisms
organisms can
can form
form enormous
enormous
number
number of
of combinations
combinations each
each of
of which
which gives
gives rise
rise to
to
some
some variability.
variability.
Genes
Genes are
are the
the basic
basic units
units of
of hereditary
hereditary information
information
transmitted
transmitted from
from one
one generation
generation to
to other.
other.
When
When the
the genes
genes within
within the
the same
same species
species show
show different
different
versions
versions due
due to
to new
new combinations,
combinations, itit is
is called
called genetic
genetic
variability.
variability. For
For example,
example, all
all rice
rice varieties
varieties belong
belong to
to the
the
species
species Oryza
Oryza sativa,
sativa, but
but there
there are
are thousands
thousands of
of wild
wild and
and
cultivated
cultivated varieties
varieties of
of rice
rice which
which show
show variations
variations at
at the
the
genetic level and differ in their color, size, shape, aroma

There are 3 components of

biodiversity
1. Diversity of genes

Chihuahuas, beagles, and rottweilers are all dogsbut

they're not the same because their genes are different.

Chihuahua

Beagle
Rottweilers

SPECIES
SPECIESDIVERSITY
DIVERSITY

This
This is
is the
the variability
variability found
found within
within the
the population
population of
of aa
species
species or
or between
between different
differentspecies
species of
of aa community.
community.

ItIt represents
represents broadly
broadly the
the species
species richness
richness and
and their
their
abundance
abundance in
in aa community.
community.

There
There are
are two
two popular
popular indices
indices of
of measuring
measuring species
species
diversity
diversity known
known as
as

Shannon-Wiener
Shannon-Wiener index
index and
and

Simpson
Simpson index.
index.
ItIt is
is quite
quite likely
likely that
that aa large
large fraction
fraction of
of these
these species
species may
may
become
become extinct
extinct even
even before
before they
they are
are discovered
discovered and
and
enlisted.
enlisted.

There are 3 components of

biodiversity
Diversity of species
For example, monkeys, dragonflies, and
meadow beauties are all different species.

Saki Monkey

Golden Skimmer

Meadow Beauty

ECOSYSTEM
ECOSYSTEM DIVERSITY
DIVERSITY
oo This
This is
is the
the diversity
diversity of
of ecological
ecological complexity
complexity showing
showing
variations
variations in
in ecological
ecological niches,
niches, trophic
trophic structure,
structure, food-webs,
food-webs,
nutrient
nutrient cycling
cycling etc.
etc.
oo The
The ecosystems
ecosystems also
also show
show variations
variations with
with respect
respect to
to
physical
physical parameters
parameters like
like moisture,
moisture, temperature,
temperature, altitude,
altitude,
precipitation
precipitation etc.
etc.
oo In
In forest
forest ecosystem,
ecosystem, aa tropical
tropical rainforest,
rainforest, aa tropical
tropical
deciduous
deciduous forest,
forest, aa temperate
temperate deciduous
deciduous forest
forest and
and aa boreal
boreal
forest,
forest, the
the variations
variations observed
observed are
are just
just too
too many
many and
and they
they
are
are mainly
mainly due
due to
to variations
variations in
in the
the above
above mentioned
mentioned
physical
physical factors.
factors.
oo The
The ecosystem
ecosystem diversity
diversity is
is of
of great
great value
value that
that must
must be
be kept
kept
intact.
intact. This
This diversity
diversity has
has developed
developed over
over millions
millions of
of years
years of
of
evolution.
evolution.
oo IfIf we
we destroy
destroy this
this diversity,
diversity, itit would
would disrupt
disrupt the
the ecological
ecological
balance.
balance. We
We cannot
cannot even
even replace
replace the
the diversity
diversity of
of one
one
ecosystem
ecosystem by
by that
thatof
of another.
another.
oo Coniferous
Coniferous trees
trees of
of boreal
boreal forests
forests cannot
cannot take
take up
up the
the
function
function of
of the
the trees
trees of
of tropical
tropical deciduous
deciduous forest
forest lands
lands and
and
vice
vice versa,
versa, because
because ecosystem
ecosystem diversity
diversity has
has evolved
evolved with
with

There are 3 components of

biodiversity
Variety of ecosystems
Prairies, Ponds, and tropical rain forests are all
ecosystems. Each one is different, with its own set of
species living in it.

Prairie

F Pond
Rain Forest

BIOGEOGRAPHICAL CLASSIFICATION OF INDIA

India has different types of climate and topography in different
parts of the country and these variations have induced enormous
variability in flora and fauna.
India has a rich heritage of biological diversity and occupies 10th
position among the plant rich nations in the world.
It is important to study the distribution, evolution, dispersal and
environmental relationship of plants and animals in time and space.
Biogeography (comprising phytogeography, zoogeography) deals
with these aspects of plants and animals.
rts

VALUE
VALUEOF
OFBIODIVERSITY
BIODIVERSITY

The
The value
value of
of biodiversity
biodiversity in
in terms
terms of
of its
its commercial
commercial utility,
utility,
ecological
ecological services,
services, social
social and
and aesthetic
aesthetic value
value is
is enormous.
enormous.
Very
Very small,
small, insignificant,
insignificant, useless
useless looking
looking organism
organism may
may play
play
aa crucial
crucial role
role in
in the
the ecological
ecological balance
balance of
of the
the ecosystem
ecosystem or
or
may
may be
be aa potential
potential source
source of
of some
some invaluable
invaluable drug
drug for
for
dreaded
dreaded diseases
diseases like
like cancer
cancer or
or AIDS.
AIDS.
The
The multiple
multiple uses
uses of
of biodiversity
biodiversity or
or biodiversity
biodiversity value
value has
has
been
been classified
classified by
by McNeely
McNeely et
etal
al in
in 1990
1990 as
as follows:
follows:
(i)
(i) Consumptive
Consumptive use
use value:
value: These
These are
are direct
direct use
use values
values
where
biodiversity
where the
the
biodiversity product
product can
can be
be
harvested
directly
harvested and
and consumed
consumed
directly e.g.
e.g. fuel,
fuel,
food,
food, drugs,
drugs, fibre
fibre etc.
etc.
Food:
Food:
a.
a.AA large
large number
number of
of wild
wild plants
plants are
are consumed
consumed by
by human
human
beings
beings as
as food.
food.
b.
b.About
About 80,000
80,000 edible
edible plant
plant species
species have
have been
been reported
reported from
from
wild.
wild.
c.
c.Wild
Wild relatives
relatives usually
usually possess
possess better
better tolerance
tolerance and
and
hardiness.
hardiness.

(b)
(b)Drugs
Drugsand
andmedicines:
medicines:
About
About 75%
75% of
of the
the worlds
worlds population
population depends
depends upon
upon plants
plants or
or
plant
plantextracts
extractsfor
formedicines.
medicines.
The
The wonder
wonder drug
drug Penicillin
Penicillin used
used as
as an
an antibiotic
antibiotic isis derived
derived
from
fromaafungus
funguscalled
calledPenicillium.
Penicillium.
AAlarge
large number
number of
of marine
marine animals
animals are
are supposed
supposed to
to possess
possess
anti-cancer
anti-cancer properties
properties which
which are
are yet
yet to
to be
be explored
explored
systematically.
systematically.
(c)
(c)Fuel:
Fuel:
Our
Ourforests
forestshave
havebeen
beenused
usedsince
sinceages
agesfor
forfuel
fuelwood.
wood.
The
The fossil
fossil fuels
fuels coal,
coal, petroleum
petroleum and
and natural
natural gas
gas are
are also
also
products
productsof
offossilized
fossilizedbiodiversity.
biodiversity.
Firewood
Firewood collected
collected by
by individuals
individuals are
are not
not normally
normally
marketed,
marketed, but
but are
are directly
directly consumed
consumed by
by tribals
tribals and
and local
local
villagers,
villagers,hence
hencefalls
fallsunder
underconsumptive
consumptivevalue.
value.

(ii)
(ii)Productive
Productiveuse
usevalues:
values:
These
These are
are the
the commercially
commercially usable
usable values
values where
where the
the product
product isis
marketed
marketed and
and sold.
sold. ItIt may
may include
include lumber
lumber or
or wild
wild gene
gene resources
resources
that
that can
can be
be traded
traded for
for use
use by
by scientists
scientists for
for introducing
introducing desirable
desirable
traits
traitsininthe
the crops
cropsand
anddomesticated
domesticatedanimals.
animals.
These
These may
may include
include the
the animal
animal products
products like
like tusks
tusks of
of elephants,
elephants,
musk
musk from
from musk
musk deer,
deer, silk
silk from
from silk-worm,
silk-worm, wool
wool from
from sheep,
sheep, fir
fir of
of
many
manyanimals,
animals,lac
lacfrom
fromlac
lacinsects
insectsetc,
etc,all
allof
ofwhich
whichare
aretraded
tradedininthe
the
market.
market.
Many
Many industries
industries are
are dependent
dependent upon
upon the
the productive
productive use
use values
values of
of
biodiversity
biodiversity e.g.e.g.- the
the paper
paper and
and pulp
pulp industry,
industry, Plywood
Plywood industry,
industry,
Railway
Railway sleeper
sleeper industry,
industry, Silk
Silk industry,
industry, textile
textile industry,
industry, ivory-works,
ivory-works,
leather
leatherindustry,pearl
industry,pearlindustry
industryetc.
etc.
Despite
Despite international
international ban
ban on
on trade
trade inin products
products from
from endangered
endangered
species,
species, smuggling
smuggling of
of fur,
fur, hide,
hide, horns,
horns, tusks,
tusks, live
live specimen
specimen etc.
etc.
worth
worthmillions
millionsof
ofdollars
dollarsare
arebeing
beingsold
soldevery
everyyear.
year.

(iii)
(iii)Social
SocialValue:
Value:
These
Theseare
arethe
thevalues
valuesassociated
associatedwith
withthe
thesocial
sociallife,
life,customs,
customs,religion
religion
and
andpsycho-spiritual
psycho-spiritualaspects
aspectsof
ofthe
thepeople.
people.
Many
Manyof
ofthe
theplants
plantsare
areconsidered
consideredholy
holyand
andsacred
sacredininour
ourcountry
countrylike
like
Tulsi
Tulsi (holy
(holy basil),
basil), Peepal,
Peepal, Mango,
Mango, Lotus,
Lotus, Bael
Bael etc.
etc. The
The leaves,
leaves, fruits
fruits
or
or flowers
flowers of
of these
these plants
plants are
are used
used inin worship
worship or
or the
the plant
plant itself
itself isis
worshipped.
worshipped.
The
The tribal
tribal people
people are
are very
very closely
closely linked
linked with
with the
the wild
wild life
life inin the
the
forests.
forests. Their
Their social
social life,
life, songs,
songs, dances
dances and
and customs
customs are
are closely
closely
woven
wovenaround
aroundthe
thewildlife.
wildlife.
Many
Many animals
animals like
like Cow,
Cow, Snake,
Snake, Bull,
Bull, Peacock,
Peacock, Owl
Owl etc.
etc. also
also have
have
significant
significant place
place inin our
our psycho-spiritual
psycho-spiritual arena
arena and
and thus
thus hold
hold special
special
social
socialimportance.
importance.
Thus
Thus biodiversity
biodiversity has
has distinct
distinct social
social value
value attached
attached with
with different
different
societies.
societies.
(iv)
(iv)Ethical
Ethicalvalue:
value:
ItItisisalso
alsosometimes
sometimesknown
knownas
asexistence
existencevalue.
value.
ItItinvolves
involvesethical
ethicalissues
issueslike
likeall
alllife
lifemust
mustbe
bepreserved.
preserved.
ItItisisbased
basedon
onthe
theconcept
conceptof
ofLive
Liveand
andLet
LetLive.
Live.
IfIf we
we want
want our
our human
human race
race to
to survive,
survive, then
then we
we must
must protect
protect all
all
biodiversity,
biodiversity,because
becausebiodiversity
biodiversityisisvaluable.
valuable.
(v)
(v)Aesthetic
AestheticValue:
Value:Willingness
Willingnessto
topay.
pay.

(vi)
(vi)Option
Optionvalues:
values:
These
Thesevalues
valuesinclude
includethe
thepotentials
potentialsof
ofbiodiversity
biodiversitythat
thatare
arepresently
presently
unknown
unknownand
andneed
needto
tobe
beexplored.
explored.
There
Thereisisaapossibility
possibilitythat
thatwe
wemay
mayhave
havesome
somepotential
potentialcure
curefor
forAIDS
AIDS
or
or cancer
cancer existing
existing within
within the
the depths
depths of
of aa marine
marine ecosystem,
ecosystem, or
or aa
tropical
tropicalrainforest.
rainforest.
Thus
Thus option
option value
value isis the
the value
value of
of knowing
knowing that
that there
there are
are biological
biological
resources
resources existing
existing on
on this
this biosphere
biosphere that
that may
may one
one day
day prove
prove to
to be
be
an
aneffective
effectiveoption
optionfor
forsomething
somethingimportant
importantininthe
thefuture.
future.
The
The option
option value
value also
also includes
includes the
the values,
values, inin terms
terms of
of the
the option
option to
to
visit
visit areas
areas where
where aa variety
variety of
of flora
flora and
and fauna,
fauna, or
or specifically
specifically some
some
endemic,
endemic,rare
rareor
orendangered
endangeredspecies
speciesexist.
exist.
(vii)
(vii)Ecosystem
Ecosystemservice
servicevalue:
value:

Recently,
Recently, aa non-consumptive
non-consumptive use
use value
value related
related to
to self
self
maintenance
maintenance of
of the
the ecosystem
ecosystem and
and various
various important
important
ecosystem
ecosystemservices
serviceshas
hasbeen
been recognized.
recognized.
It
It refers
refers to
to the
the services
services provided
provided by
by ecosystems
ecosystems like
like
prevention
prevention of
of soil
soil erosion,
erosion, prevention
prevention of
of floods,
floods,
maintenance
maintenance of
of soil
soil fertility,
fertility, cycling
cycling of
of nutrients,
nutrients, fixation
fixation
of
of nitrogen,
nitrogen, cycling
cycling of
of water,
water, their
their role
role as
as carbon
carbon sinks,
sinks,
pollutant
pollutant absorption
absorption and
and reduction
reduction of
of the
the threat
threat of
of global
global
warming
warmingetc.
etc.

Biodiversity Data
The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) outlines eight
major
categories of biodiversity data for country studies (UNEP,
1993).
These data sets will serve three main objectives of CBD namely,

the conservation of biodiversity,

the sustainable use of biological resources and

the equitable sharing of the benefits from using those resources.

The categories are as follows:

Biological: Information on ecosystem, species, and genetic resources.

Physical: Information on physical factors such as climate, topography
and hydrology that allows biological data to be placed within a physical
context.
Socio-economic: Information on socio-economic attributes such as
population, population distribution and transport routes.

Biodiversity Data
Cost and Benefits : A value of biodiversity that takes into account
the cost and benefits of management options.
Pressure and Threats: Information on both potential and actual
threats to biological diversity.
Sustainable management: Information on current and past
management activities particularly the use of biological resources.
Sources and Contacts: Information models, standards and
technologies, and appropriate agencies or experts who can be
contacted.
Interrelationships : Information on the interrelationship between
and among species and ecosystems so as to forecast the effects of
proposed actions.
Users of Biodiversity Data
The users of biodiversity data into three broad categories:
National-level decision makers,
International policy analysts; and
The biological scientific community.

Definitions
Habitat: the place where a species or group of species lives,
including the healthy ecosystem parts the species needs
Species: group of organisms that breed with one another,
usually ISOLATED in some way, (a river, a valley, an island, etc.)
Population: a group of the same species
Community: group of populations occupying the same habitat
Ecosystem: community PLUS the physical parts: weather, soil,
physical cycles, fires, geology, (many others).
Ecosystem Examples: eastern woodlands (SE Ohio), coral reefs,
rainforests, a pond in your backyard, an aquarium
Biosphere: ALL of the ecosystems on planet earth some believe in the
Gaia hypothesis, that the earth itself is a SUPERORGANISM: each
species plays a vital role
Genetic diversity: the number of alleles in a population- the more, the
better for the population
Gene: segment of DNA that codes for a protein
Allele: alternative form of a gene (one allele from the male and one from
the female) usually, one is dominant one is recessive

Definitions

Loss of Genetic Diversity: ex.: once a population

gets down to a small number, they no longer may
have the genes needed to fight off a disease (Blackfooted ferret, ex.)
Biodiversity: basically, the number of sps. in a
particular habitat or ecosystem again, the more the
better greater biodiversity is better for man
Loss of Biodiversity Ex.: in many areas of Ohio
former praries, wetlands (after drainage), woodlands,
become farmlands of basically: corn and soybeans
(hundreds of species reduced to basically two)
Conservation Biology: the discipline developed to
deal with the tragic loss of habitat, species, genetic
diversity, and, damaged ecosystems, AND what we

GLOBAL
GLOBAL BIODIVERSITY
BIODIVERSITY

1992-Earth
1992-Earth Summit
Summit at
at Rio
Rio de
de JaneiroJaneiro- scientifically
scientifically
name,
name, the
the huge
huge number
number of
of species
species which
which are
are still
still
unknown
unknown on
on this
this earth.
earth.
Roughly
Roughly 1.5
1.5 million
million species
species are
are known
known till
till date
date
which
which is
is perhaps
perhaps 15%
15% or
or may
may be
be just
just 2%
2% of
of the
the
actual
actual number.
number.
Tropical
Tropical deforestation
deforestation alone
alone is
is reducing
reducing the
the
biodiversity
biodiversity by
by half
half aa percent
percent every
every year.
year.
Mapping
Mapping the
the biodiversity
biodiversity has
has therefore,
therefore, been
been
rightly
rightly recognized
recognized as
as an
an emergency
emergency task
task in
in order
order
to
to plan
plan its
its conservation
conservation and
and practical
practical utilization
utilization in
in
aa judicious
judicious manner.
manner.
Terrestrial
Terrestrial biodiversity
biodiversity of
of the
the earth
earth is
is best
best
described
described as
as biomes,
biomes, which
which are
are the
the largest
largest
ecological
ecological units
units present
present in
in different
different geographic
geographic
areas
areas and
and are
are named
named after
after the
the dominant
dominant

 The
The tropical
tropical rainforests
rainforests are
are inhabited
inhabited by
by teeming
teeming millions
millions of
of
species
species of
of plants,
plants, birds,
birds, amphibians,
amphibians, insects
insects as
as well
well as
as
mammals.
mammals.
Tropical
Tropical rainforests
rainforests are
are the
the earths
earths largest
largest storehouse
storehouse of
of
biodiversity.
biodiversity.
About
About 50
50 to
to 80%
80% of
of global
global biodiversity
biodiversity lies
lies in
in these
these rainforests.
rainforests.
More
More than
than one-fourth
one-fourth of
of the
the worlds
worlds prescription
prescription drugs
drugs are
are
extracted
extracted from
from plants
plants growing
growing in
in tropical
tropicalforests.
forests.
Out
Out of
of the
the 3000
3000 plants
plants identified
identified by
by National
National Cancer
Cancer Research
Research
Institute
Institute as
as sources
sources of
of cancer
cancer fighting
fighting chemicals,
chemicals, 70%
70% come
come
from
from tropical
tropical rain
rain forests.
forests.
Very
Very recently,
recently, extract
extract from
from one
one of
of the
the creeping
creeping vines
vines in
in the
the
rainforests
rainforests at
at Cameroon
Cameroon has
has proved
proved effective
effective in
in the
the inhibition
inhibition
of
of replication
replication of
of AIDS
AIDS virus.
virus.
ItIt is
is interesting
interesting to
to note
note that
that the
the common
common Neem
Neem tree,
tree, so
so popular
popular
in
in tropical
tropical India,
India, known
known for
for its
its medicinal
medicinal properties
properties has
has now
now
come
come into
into lime
lime light
light even
even in
in the
the western
western temperate
temperate countries.
countries.
There
There is
is an
an estimated
estimated 1,25,000
1,25,000 flowering
flowering plant
plant species
species in
in
tropical
tropical forests.
forests.
The
The Silent
Silent Valley
Valley in
in Kerala
Kerala is
is the
the only
only place
place in
in India
India where
where
tropical
tropical rain
rain forests
forests occur.
occur.
Silent
Silent Valley
Valley Hydroelectric
Hydroelectric Project,
Project, which
which was
was abandoned
abandoned

 Temperate
Temperate forests
forests have
have much
much less
less biodiversity,
biodiversity,
but
but there
there is
is much
much better
better documentation
documentation of
of the
the
species.
species.
Globally,
Globally, we
we have
have roughly
roughly 1,70,000
1,70,000 flowering
flowering
plants,
plants, 30,000
30,000 vertebrates
vertebrates and
and about
about 2,50,000
2,50,000
other
other groups
groups of
of species
species that
that have
have been
been described.
described.
There
There is
is aa stupendous
stupendous task
task of
of describing
describing the
the
remaining
remaining species
species which
which may
may range
range anywhere
anywhere
from
from 88 million
million to
to 100
100 million.
million.
Marine
Marine diversity
diversity is
is much
much higher
higher than
than terrestrial
terrestrial
biodiversity
biodiversity and
and ironically,
ironically, they
they are
are still
still less
less
known
known and
and described.
described.
Estuaries,
Estuaries, coastal
coastal waters
waters and
and oceans
oceans are
are
biologically
biologically diverse
diverse and
and the
the diversity
diversity is
is just
just
dazzling.
dazzling.
Sea
Sea is
is the
the cradle
cradle of
of every
every known
known animal
animal phylum.
phylum.
Out
Out of
of the
the 35
35 existing
existing phyla
phyla of
of multicellular
multicellular

BIOLOGICAL
BIOLOGICAL DIVERSITY
DIVERSITY AT
AT NATIONAL
NATIONAL LEVEL
LEVEL
(Indian
(Indian Biodiversity):
Biodiversity):
Every
Every country
country is
is characterized
characterized by
by its
its own
own biodiversity
biodiversity
depending
depending mainly
mainly on
on its
its climate.
climate.
India
India has
has aa rich
rich biological
biological diversity
diversity of
of flora
flora and
and fauna.
fauna.
Overall
Overall six
six percent
percent of
of the
the global
global species
species are
are found
found in
in
India.
India.
ItIt is
is estimated
estimated that
that India
India ranks
ranks
10th
10th among
among the
the plant
plant rich
rich countries
countries of
of the
the world,
world,
11
11thth in
in terms
terms of
of number
number of
of endemic
endemic species
species of
of
higher
higher vertebrates
vertebrates and
and
66thth among
among the
the centers
centers of
of diversity
diversity and
and origin
origin of
of
agricultural
agricultural crops.
crops.
The
The total
total number
number of
of living
living species
species identified
identified in
in our
our
country
country is
is 150,000.
150,000.
Out
Out of
of aa total
total of
of 25
25 biodiversity
biodiversity hot-spots
hot-spots in
in the
the world,
world,
India
India possesses
possesses two,
two, one
one in
in the
the north-east
north-east region
region and
and
one
one in
in the
the western
western ghats.
ghats.
Indian
Indian is
is also
also one
one of
of the
the 12
12 mega-biodiversity
mega-biodiversity

REGIONAL
REGIONAL OR
OR LOCAL
LOCAL BIODIVERSITY
BIODIVERSITY
Biodiversity
Biodiversity at
at regional
regional level
level is
is better
better understood
understood by
by
categorizing
species
categorizing
species richness
richness into
into four
four types,
types, based
based upon
upon
their
their spatial
spatial distribution
distribution as
as
(i)
(i) Point
Point richness
richness refers
refers to
to the
the number
number of
of species
species that
that
can
found
can be
be
found at
at aa single
single point
point in
in aa given
given space.
space.
(ii)
(ii) Alpha
Alpha (a-)
(a-) richness
richness refers
refers to
to the
the number
number of
of
species
aa small
species found
found in
in
small homogeneous
homogeneous area.
area.
It
It is
is strongly
strongly correlated
correlated with
with physical
physical
environmental
variables.
environmental
variables. For
For example,
example,
there
arctic
there are
are 100
100 species
species of
of tunicates
tunicates in
in
arctic
waters,400
waters,400 species
species in
in temperate
temperate waters
waters and
and 600
600 in
in
tropical
tropical seas.
seas. Thus,temperature
Thus,temperature seems
seems to
to be
be the
the most
most
important
important factor
factor affecting
affecting alpha
alpha richness
richness of
of
tunicates.
tunicates.
(iii)
(iii) Beta
Beta (b-)
(b-) richness
richness refers
refers to
to the
the rate
rate of
of change
change in
in
species
composition
species
composition across
across different
different
habitats.
habitats.
ItIt is
is the
the cumulative
cumulative number
number of
of species
species increases
increases as
as more
more
heterogeneous
heterogeneous habitats
habitats are
are taken
taken into
into consideration.
consideration. For
For
example,
example, the
the ant
ant species
species found
found in
in local
local regions
regions of
of north
north
pole
pole is
is merely
merely 10.
10. As
As we
we keep
keep on
on moving
moving towards
towards the
the

INDIA AS A MEGA-DIVERSITY NATION

India is one of the 12 mega diversity countries in the
world.
The Ministry of Environment and Forests, Govt. of India
(2000) records 47,000 species of plants and 81,000
species of animals which is about 7% and 6.5%
respectively of global flora and fauna.

Endemism:
Species which are restricted only to a particular area are known
as endemic. India shows a good number of endemic species.
About
62% of amphibians and 50% of lizards are endemic to India.

Western ghats are the site of maximum endemism.

Center of origin:
A large number of species are known to have originated in India.
Nearly 5000 species of flowering plants had their origin in India.
From agro-diversity point of view also our country is quite rich.
India has been the center of origin of 166 species of crop plants and
320 species of wild relatives of cultivated crops, thereby providing a
broad spectrum of diversity of traits for our crop plants.

Marine diversity:
Along 7500 km long coastline of our country in the mangroves,
estuaries, coral reefs, back waters etc. there exists a rich
biodiversity. More than 340 species of corals of the world are found
here. The marine diversity is rich in mollusks, crustaceans (crabs
etc.),polychaetes and corals. Several species of Mangrove plants and
seagrasses (Marine algae) are also found in our country.

A large proportion of the Indian Biodiversity is still unexplored.

There are about 93 major wet lands, coral reefs and mangroves
which need to be studied in detail.
Indian forests cover 64.01 million hectares having a rich
biodiversity of plants in the Trans-Himalayan, northwest,west, central and eastern Himalayan forests, western
ghats, coasts,deserts, Gangetic plains, deccan plateau and
the Andaman, Nicobar and Lakshadweep islands.
Due to very diverse climatic conditions there is a complete
rainbow spectrum of biodiversity in our country.
HOT SPOTS OF BIODIVERSITY

Areas which exhibit high species richness as well as high

species endemism are termed as hot spots of biodiversity.
The term was introduced by Myers (1988).
There are 25 such hot spots of biodiversity on a global level
out of which two are present in India, namely the Eastern
Himalayas and Western Ghats

(a) Eastern Himalayas:

They display an ultra-varied topography that fosters species

diversity and endemism.

There are numerous deep and semi-isolated valleys in Sikkim

which are extremely rich ( 60% ) in endemic plant species.
The forest cover of Eastern Himalayas has dwindled to about 1/3rd
of its original cover.
Out of the world.s recorded flora 30% are endemic to India of
which 35,000 are in the Himalayas.

(b) Western Ghats:

It extends along a 17,000 Km2 strip of forests in Maharashtra,

Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kerala and has 40% of the total
endemic plant species, 62% amphibians and 50% lizards are
endemic to Western Ghats.

The major centers of diversity are Agastyamalai Hills and Silent

Valley.the New Amambalam Reserve Basin.

Threats to biodiversity
Extinction or elimination of a species is a natural process of
evolution.

1. Habitat destruction,Loss of Habitat and Habitat

fragmentation.
2. Pollution
3. Species Introductions
4. Global Climate Change
5. Exploitation
6. POACHING -( Illegal trade of wildlife products by killing prohibited
endangered animals i.e. poaching is another threat to wildlife.)

Man-made conflicts
1.Causes Elephant, Tiger and Leopard.
2. Remedial Measures to Curb the Conflict
(TCP, WWF,compensation, food for
elephants)

ENDANGERED SPECIES OF INDIA

The International Union for Conservation of Nature and
Natural
Resources (IUCN) publishes the Red Data Book which includes
the
list of endangered species of plants and animals.

In India, nearly 450 plant species have been identified in the categories of
endangered, threatened or rare.
Existence of about 150 mammals and 150 species of birds is estimated to
be threatened while an unknown number of species of insects are
endangered.
The Zoological Survey of India reported that Cheetah, Pink headed duck and
mountain quail have already become extinct from India.

l A species is said to be extinct when it is not seen in the wild for 50 years at a
stretch e.g. Dodo, passenger pigeon.
l A species is said to be endangered when its number has been reduced to a critical
level or whose habitats, have been drastically reduced and if such a species is not
protected and conserved, it is in immediate danger of extinction.
l A species is said to be in vulnerable category if its population is facing continuous
decline due to over exploitation or habitat destruction. Such a species is still
abundant, but under a serious threat of becoming endangered if causal factors are
not checked.
l Species which are not endangered or vulnerable at present,but are at a risk are
categorized as rare species. They are usually endemic. Sometimes they are thinly
scattered over a more extensive area.

ENDEMIC SPECIES OF INDIA

India has two biodiversity hot spots and thus possesses a large
number of endemic species.
Out of about 47,000 species of plants in our country 7000 are
endemic.
Thus, Indian subcontinent has about 62% endemic flora,
restricted mainly to Himalayas, Khasi Hills and Western Ghats.
Some of the important endemic flora include orchids and
species like Sapria himalayana, Uvaria lurida, Nepenthes
khasiana, Pedicularis perroter etc.
A large number out of a total of 81,000 species of animals in
our country is endemic.
The western ghats are particularly rich in amphibians (frogs,
toads etc.) and reptiles (lizards, crocodiles etc.).
About 62% amphibians and 50% lizards are endemic to
Western Ghats. Different species of monitor lizards
(Varanus), reticulated python and Indian Salamander and
Viviparous toad Nectophhryne are some important endemic
species of our country.

CONSERVATION OF BIODIVERSITY
The enormous value of biodiversity due to their genetic,
commercial,medical, aesthetic, ecological and optional
importance emphasizes the need to conserve biodiversity.
Biodiversity - Gift of Nature.

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 etc.