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Biodiversity And Conservation

INTRODUCTION

Biodiversity - Edward Wilson (Sociobiologist)

-Combined diversity at all the levels of biological
organization

Various Types of Biodiversity

⬋ ⬇ ⬊
Genetic Species Ecological
Diversity Diversity Diversity

GENETIC DIVERSITY
-Single species show diversity at genetic level
-India has more than 50,000 genetically different strains
of rice
-1000 Varieties of Mango

-Example : The genetic variation of the Medicinal Plant

‘Rauwolfia vomitoria' in potency & concentration of the
active chemical reserpine that the plant produces
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SPECIES DIVERSITY
-Diversity at Species level

-Example : Western Ghats have a greater amphibian

species diversity than the Eastern Ghats

ECOLOGICAL DIVERSITY
-Diversity at ecosystem Level

-For example : deserts , rain forests , mangroves , coral

reefs , wetlands , estuaries , & alpine meadows of India has
a greater ecosystem diversity than a Scandinavian
country like Norway

Number Of Species On Earth And In India

-According to IUCN (2004) - Total number of plant &

animal species is more than 1.5 million

-Robert May places the global species diversity at about

7 million

SPECIES
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⬋ ⬊
70% Animals 22% Plants
-70% Insects -Algae
-30% Other Animals -Bryophytes
-Fungi
-Gymnosperms
-Angiosperms

-No estimation of Prokaryotes Because Conventional

Taxonomic methods not suitable for species
-Many species are Not culturable under laboratory
conditions

INDIA
-India has only 2.4% of the world’s land area
-8.1% of Global species Diversity
-India is one of the 12 mega diversity countries of the
world

45,000 - Plant Species

90,000 - Animal Species

May's Global estimates - Only 22% species

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Discovered
⬈ 1,00,000 Plant Species
Yet To Be Discovered
⬊ 3,00,000 Animal Species

Equator has more species diversity as compared to

Poles

PATTERNS OF BIODIVERSITY

(1) LATITUDINAL GRADIENTS

-Species diversity decreases as we move away from the

equator towards the poles

-Tropics harbor more species than temperate or polar

areas

-Colombia located near the equator has nearly

1,400 species of birds
-New York at 41° N - 105 Species
-Greenland at 71°N - 56 Species
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-India , with much of its land area in the tropical latitudes ,

has more than 1,200 species of birds

-Tropical Amazonian rain forest , South America

has the greatest biodiversity on earth
40,000 Species - Plants
3,000 Species - Fishes
1,300 Species - Birds
427 - Mammals
427 - Amphibians
378 - Reptiles

More than 1,25,000 invertebrates

Q. Tropics have greatest biodiversity because -

(a) Unlike temperate regions subjected to frequent
glaciations in the past , tropical latitudes have remained
relatively undisturbed for millions of years

(b) Tropical environments are less seasonal & more

constant & predictable - Promote niche specialization &
lead to a greater species diversity
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(c) More solar energy available in the tropics -

contributes to higher productivity thus contributing
indirectly to greater diversity

(2) SPECIES-AREA RELATIONSHIPS

-Alexander von Humboldt Observed

↓
within a region species richness increased with increasing
explored area , but only up to a limit

-Relation between species richness & area for a wide

variety of taxa such as angiosperm plants , birds , bats ,
freshwater fishes turns out to be a rectangular hyperbola

-On a logarithmic scale , the relationship is a straight line

log S = log C + Z log A
Where
S = Species richness
A = Area
Z = Slope of line (regression coefficient)
C = Y-intercept
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-Z lies in range of 0.1 to 0.2 regardless of taxonomic

group or region
-Species-area relationships among very large areas like
the entire continents , the slope of the line is much
steeper (Z values in the range of 0.6 to 1.2)

Example :
-Frugivorous (fruit-eating) birds & mammals in the tropical
forests of different continents , the slope is found to be
1.15

Figure-15.2
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Importance of Species Diversity To The Ecosystem

-Communities with more species , tend to be more stable

than those with less species

Stable Community
-Not show too much variation in productivity from year
to year
-Resistant to occasional disturbances
-Resistant to invasion by Alien species

David Tilman's long term ecosystem experiment

-Plot with more species Diversity
-Shows less year to year variation in total biomass
-Higher productivity

Rivet Popper Hypothesis

-By ecologist ‘Paul Ehrlich'

-In an airplane (ecosystem) all parts are joined together

using thousands of rivets (species)
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-Every passenger travelling in airplane starts popping a

rivet to take home (causing a species to become extinct) ,
may not affect flight safety (proper functioning of the
ecosystem) initially , but as more & more rivets are
removed , the plane becomes dangerously weak over a
period of time

-Loss of rivets on the wings is more serious threat to

flight safety than loss of a few rivets on the seats or
windows inside the plane

LOSS OF BIODIVERSITY

-Colonization of tropical Pacific Islands by humans led to

the extinction of more than 2,000 species of native bird

-IUCN Red List (2004) documents the extinction

of 784 Species in last 500 years
⬋ ⬇ ⬊
338 vertebrates 359 87 Plant Species
Invertebrates
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RECENT EXTINCTION
Dodo - Mauritius
Quagga - Africa
Thylacine - Australia
Seller's sea cow - Russia
Bali , Javan , Caspian - Tiger

Last 20 Years - Extinction of 27 Species

‘Sixth Extinction' presently in progress

Current rate of species extinction is 100-1000 times
faster than pre-human times

Loss of biodiversity in a region may lead to -

(1) Decline in plant production
(2) Lowered resistance to environmental perturbations
such as drought
(3) Increased variability in certain ecosystem processes
such as plant productivity , water use , ,& pest & disease
cycles

CAUSE OF BIODIVERSITY LOSS

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(1) Habitat Loss & Fragmentation

-Most important cause for extinction
-Tropical rainforest covering 14% - Now cover no more
than 6%
-'Amazon rain forest' - ‘Lungs of the planet'
↓
Being cut & cleared for cultivating soya beans or for
conversion to grasslands for raising beef cattle
-Breaking of large areas into small fragments cause
biodiversity loss

(2) Over-Exploitation
-Many species extinctions in the last 500 years were due
to overexploitation by humans
-Eg : Steller’s sea cow , passenger pigeon

(3) Alien Species Invasions

-When alien species are introduced these cause decline
or extinction of indigenous species
-Eg : Nile perch introduced into Lake Victoria in east
Africa led eventually to the extinction of an ecologically
unique assemblage of more than 200 species of cichlid
fish in the lake
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-Parthenium (Carrot grass)

-Latana
-Water Hyacinth (Eicchornia)
-Introduction of African catfish Clarias gariepinus for
agriculture purposes posing threat to indigenous catfishes

(4) Co-extinctions
-Species becomes extinct , the plant & animal species
associated with it in an obligatory way also become
extinct
-Eg : When a host fish species becomes extinct , its
unique assemblage of parasites also meets the same fate
-In plant-pollinator mutualism extinction of one invariably
leads to the extinction of the other

BIODIVERSITY CONSERVATION

~Reasons of conserving biodiversity is grouped into three

categories -
(1) Narrowly utilitarian
(2) Broadly utilitarian
(3) Ethical
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Narrowly utilitarian
-Humans derive countless direct economic benefits from
nature
-Such as : cereals , pulses , fruits , firewood, fiber,
construction material
Industrial products -
Like tannins , lubricants , dyes , resins , & perfumes

Broadly Utilitarian
-Biodiversity plays a major role in many ecosystem
services that nature provides
-Amazon forest is estimated to produce , through
photosynthesis , 20 per cent of the total oxygen in the
earth’s atmosphere
-Bees , bumblebees , birds & bats pollinate the flowers
without which plants cannot give us fruits or seeds

Ethical
-Its our moral duty to take care for well being of species
with whom we share this planet & pass our biological
legacy to future generation

HOW TO CONSERVE BIODIVERSITY

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In situ Conservation
-Protecting biodiversity at all levels by conserving &
protecting the whole ecosystem

-Biodiversity hotspots are the regions with very high

levels of species richness and high degree of Endemism

-Three hotspots – Western Ghats & Sri Lanka ,

Indo-Burma & Himalaya – cover high biodiversity region

-Biodiversity-rich regions are legally protected as

biosphere reserves , national parks & sanctuaries

-India now has 14 biosphere reserves , 90 national parks &

448 wildlife sanctuaries

SACRED GROVES
-Forests in which tracts of forest were set aside , & all
the trees & wildlife within were venerated & given total
protection
Eg : Aravalli hills & Rajasthan
-Khasi & Jaintia hills in Meghalaya
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-western ghat regions of Karnataka & Maharashtra &

sarguja
-Chanda & Bastar areas of Madhya Pradesh

Ex situ Conservation
-Threatened animals & plants are taken out from their
natural habitat & placed in special setting where they can
be protected & given special care
-Eg : Zoological parks , botanical gardens & wildlife safari
park

-Gametes of threatened species can be preserved in

viable and fertile condition for long periods using
cryopreservation techniques , eggs can be fertilized in
vitro , & plants can be propagated using tissue culture
methods

EARTH SUMMIT

-In Rio de Janeiro , 1992

-Historic convention on Biological diversity
-All nations to take appropriate measures for
conservation of biodiversity & sustainable utilisation of it's
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benefits

WORLD SUMMIT

-Held in Johannesburg , South America -2002

-Emphasis on sustainable development
-190 countries pledged to significantly reduce the current
rate of biodiversity loss at global , regional & local lever

BIOPROSPECTING

-Exploring Molecular , Genetic & Species level

diversity for products of economic importance