Ecosystem

The interrelation of an organism

with its environment is the concept
of an ecosystem.
 Concept of ecosystem
A biotic community can not live in isolation
The biotic community and its physical
environment in which matter cycles and energy
flows is called as ecosystem
The term was first proposed by A.G. Tansley in
1935
According to him it is a smallest unit of
biosphere that has all the characteristics to
sustain life
An ecosystem is a grouping of nutrients,
minerals, plants, animals and their wastes linked
together by flow of food energy etc.
 Structure And Function of an
Ecosystem
Structure
The composition of biological community
including species, population, biomass, life
history, distribution in space etc are a part of
structure.

Every ecosystem has two major components

Abiotic and biotic components

 Components of an Ecosystem
Ecosystem

Abiotic components biotic components

• non-living substances
• physical factors of
environment

Autotrophs Heterotrophs
Or
Producers
Consumers Decomposers
 Abiotic component
It is the nonliving components includes physical
and climate factors such as soil, temperature, light
and water
Chemical factors includes inorganic and organic
substance
Biotic component
It is the living components and made of many
different populations which are interdependent to
each other & with their nonliving components of
ecosystem.
 includes autotrophic and heterotrophic
 Autotrophic components
It is the components in which fixation of light
energy, use of simple inorganic substance and
build up of complex organic substances

The members of these components are

producer which are self nourishing e.g. algae,
green plants and photosynthetic bacteria

These producer drive energy from sunlight

 Heterotrophic components
It is the components in which utilization,
rearrangement and decomposition of complexes
are predominant
The members of these components are
consumer which are consume organic matter
from producers e.g. animals
It includes macro consumer e.g.
Primary consumer e.g. herbivores which feed
directly on living plants (vegetarian)
Secondary and tertiary consumer e.g. carnivores
which feed on consumers (non-vegetarian)
 Saprotrophs components

It includes micro consumer also know as

decomposer e.g. bacteria , actinomyces and
fungi

They absorb almost decomposition products

and release inorganic compounds in ecosystem
making them available again to producer
 Function
Ecosystem have some function which kept the
different parts working together for example

Rate of biological energy flow

Rate of material or nutrient cycles

Productivity and decomposition

Development and stabilization

 Sun energy

Plants (Producer)

Harbivores (Consumer)

Carnivores (Consumer)

Top Carnivores (Consumer)

Decomposer
 Ecological Succession
The process in which organisms occupy a site
and gradually change environmental conditions
so that the other species can replace the original
inhabitants is known as ecological succession
It is due to three causes
Initial cause: initial causes are climate as well
as biotic
Ecesis causes: continuing causes are due to
migration, aggregation, competition of the biotic
components .
Stabilizing causes: due to stabilizing of
community
 Type of Succession

Primary Succession: It occurs when a

community begins to develop on a site previously
unoccupied
Secondary Succession : It is reestablishment
of an ecosystem

Example of succession: Sand dune Succession,

Bog succession and succession in ocean
 Food Chain

It is based on the transfer of energy derived

from the sun through the biological system

The simple chain of eating and being eaten

away is termed as food chain for example
 Grass Algae

Insects
Deer
Fish
Man
Man
Lion
Lion
Death
Death
bacteria
Primary consumers are harbivores e.g. cow,
buffaloes, sheep, goat etc.

Secondary consumers are carnivores e.g. Frog,

Snakes, Lizards, Birds etc.

Tertiary consumers are hawks, peacock, lion,

tiger & owl etc.

Whereas decomposers are microorganism and

bacteria
Saprophytes:

Decomposer or micro consumers or reducers

Eg. Parasites: Bacteria, Fungi, protozoan

Scavengers: animals, termites, worms, beetle

etc.
 Food Webs
A network of food chain which are
interconnected at various trophic levels, to form a
no. of feeding connections amongst different
organisms of a biotic community is known as food
web for example

Grain Mouse Hawk

Grain Mouse Snake Hawk
Grass Insect Lizard Snake Hawk
Grass Insect Sparrow Snake Hawk
 Ecological Pyramids
It is graphical representation of an ecological
parameters like no. of individuals or amount of
biomass or amount of energy present in various
trophic levels of a food chain with producer
forming the base and top carnivores the tip.

The graphical representation of the trophic

structure and also trophic function is called as
ecological pyramid.
First discovered by British ecologist Charles
Elton also called Eltonion pyramids.
Pyramids of biomass is the graphical
representation of mass present per unit area
of different trophic levels. It measures both
fresh and dry weight.
 Most biomass pyramids narrow sharply from
primary producers to top-level carnivores because
energy transfers are inefficient.
Pyramid of biomass
 Tertiary Tertiary
consumer consumer
Secondary Secondary
consumer consumer

Primary Primary
consumer consumer
Producer Producer

Grass land pyramid Energy flow pyramid

 Top
Hyperparasite Carnivores

Carnivores
Parasites

Harbivores
Harbivores

Producer Tree

Inverted pyramid Forest pyramid

Biodiversity:
Biodiversity is the variety and differences among
living organisms from all sources, including
terrestrial, marine, and other aquatic ecosystems
and the ecological complexes of which they are a
part.
It is virtually synonymous with “Life on earth”.
Biologists most often define "biological diversity"
or "biodiversity" as the "totality of genes, species,
and ecosystems of a region".
The biodiversity found on Earth today consists of
many millions of distinct biological species,
which is the product of nearly 3.5 billion years
of evolution.
 Levels of Biodiversity:
1) Genetic diversity:
It is a level of biodiversity that refers to the
total number of genetic characteristics in the
genetic makeup of a species.

Genetic diversity serves as a way for populations

to adapt to changing environments with more
variation.
 it is more likely that some individuals in a
population will possess variations of traits that are
suited for the environment.

Genetic diversity serves as a raw material from

which new species arise through evolution.
Those individuals are more likely to survive to
produce offspring bearing that traits.

The population will continue for more

generations because of the success of these
individuals.
 It is distinguished from genetic variability, which
describes the tendency of genetic characteristics to vary.

 Genetic diversity can be assessed at three levels:

• Diversity within breeding populations

• Diversity between breeding population

• Diversity within species

 2) Species diversity:

 It refers to the variety of species within a region.

 Species diversity is an index that incorporates the

number of species in an area and also their relative
abundance.
 It is generally a much more useful value than species
richness.
 Species diversity arises from micro-organisms to
multicellular plants.
To check the Species diversity two parameters are
there:

• Species Richness: measure of Species per unit area.

• Evenness or equitability: Taxonomic diversity

For eg: an island with two species of birds and one

Species of lizard has a greater Taxonomic diversity

(taxonomically unrelated) than an island with three
species of birds and no species of lizards.
 3) Community and Ecosystem diversity:
Ecosystem diversity refers to the diversity of a place at
the level of ecosystems.

Ecosystem diversity can also refer to the variety of

ecosystems present in a biosphere, the variety of species
and ecological processes that occur in different physical
settings. This has 3 perspective:

Alpha Diversity: Within community diversity. Alpha

diversity refers to the diversity of organisms sharing the
same Community/Habitat.

Beta Diversity: Between community diversity. It

refers to the diversity of organisms sharing two habitat.
Gamma Diversity : Diversity of the habitat over the
total landscape or geographical area is called gamma
diversity.

Some examples of ecosystems that are rich in

diversity are:

• Deserts
• Forests
• Large marine ecosystems
• Marine ecosystems
• Old growth forests
• Rainforests
• Tundra
• Coral Reefs
 Value of Biodiversity
• Biodiversity has a fundamental value
to humans because we are so dependent on it
for our cultural, economic, and environmental
well-being.
• Biodiversity forms the backbone of viable
ecosystems on which we depend on for basic
necessities, security, and health.
• By breaking down plant and animal matter,
for example, insects and other invertebrates
make nutrients available to plants and are
integral to the carbon and nitrogen cycles.
 Values of Biodiversity:
 Food: About 80,000 edible plants and about 90% of present
day food crops have been domesticated from wild.
 Drugs & Medicines: About 75% of world’s population
depend on plants or plant extracts.
 Fuel: Forests have been used since ages for fuel wood. Fossil
fuels are also products of Biodiversity.
 Social Value: Many of the plants like Tulsi, Lotus, Peepal etc
are considered holy and sacred.

 About 2.1 million species have been identified till date,

while many more species are believed to exist.
 According to UNEP estimate, approximately 9.0 – 52
million of species exist on Earth
 India’s position is 10th in the world & 4th in Asia in
terms of Plant diversity.
- Penicillin, used as an antibiotic is
derived from a fungus called penicillium.
- Tetracyclin from a bacterium.
- Quinine is obtained from bark
cinchona tree.
- Vimblastin and Vincristine, two anti
cancer drugs have been obtained from
periwinkle(catharanthus) plant.
- Penicillin, used as an antibiotic is derived
from a fungus called penicillium.
- Tetracyclin from a bacterium.
- Quinine is obtained from bark cinchona tree.
- Vimblastin and Vincristine, two anti
cancer drugs have been obtained from
periwinkle(catharanthus) plant.
 - Penicillin, used as an antibiotic is derived
from a fungus called penicillium.
- Tetracyclin from a bacterium.
- Quinine is obtained from bark cinchona tree.
- Vimblastin and Vincristine, two anti
cancer drugs have been obtained from
periwinkle(catharanthus) plant.
Fuel
- Forests used for Fuel Wood.
- Fossil fuels Coal, Petroleum and
Natural Gas are also products of fossilized
Biodiversity.
Productive Use Value
Commercially usable values where the
product is marketed and sold
» Wild Gene Resources – traded for
use by scientists for introducing
desirable traits in the crops and
domesticated animals
» Others – Tusks of Elephants, Musk
from Musk deers, Silk from Silk
Worms, Wool from Sheep etc.
Industries dependant upon the productive use value of
Biodiversity.

→ Paper and Pulp

Industry
→ Plywood Industry
→ Railway Sleeper
Industry
→ Textile Industry
→ Ivory Works
→ Leather Industry
→ Pearl Industry
Social Value
→ Values associated with social life,
customs, religion and psycho-spiritual
aspects of the people.
→ Plants like Tulsi, Peepal, Mango, Lotus
etc are considered holy and their
leaves, fruits and flowers are used in
worship.
Ethical Value
→ Ethical issues like “ all life must be preserved ”.

→ Based on the concept of “ Live and Let Live

”.

Aesthetic Value
→Eco-tourism
→ “ Willingness to pay” concept

→ Eco-tourism is estimated to generate about 12

million dollars of revenue annually.

 Option Values
→ Values include the potential of Biodiversity
that are presently unknown and need to be
explored.
→ Option value is the value of knowing
that there are biological resources on this
biosphere that may one day prove to be an
effective option for something important in
the future.
Ecosystem Service Value
→ Non-consumptive use value related to
self maintenance of the ecosystem and various
important ecosystem.
→ Refers to services provided by ecosystems
like:
» Prevention of Soil Erosion.
» Prevention of floods.
» Maintenance of soil fertility.
» Cycling of nutrients.
» Pollutant absorption and
reduction of the threat of Global
Warming.
** Different categories of biodiversity value
clearly indicate that ecosystem, species and genetic
biodiversity all have enormous potential and a
decline in biodiversity will lead to huge economic,
ecological and socio-cultural losses.
Biodiversity Value of some selected
organisms in monetary terms
+ A male Lion living upto the age of 7 years
can generate upto $ 515000 due to its aesthetic
value as paid by tourists.
+ In a lifetime a Kenyan Elephant can earn
worth $ 1 million as tourist revenue.
+ The mountain Gorillas in Rwanda are fetching
upto $ 4 million annually through eco-tourism.
+ Whale watching on Hervey Bay on Queensland’s
coast earns $ 12 million annually.

+ Tourism to great barrier reef in Australia earns $ 2

billion each year.

+ A tree provides $ 19,62,150 worth of ecological

services as oxygen, clean air, water recycling,
fertile soil, erosion control, wild life habitat, toxic
gas moderation etc… whereas its worth is only $
590 if sold in market as timber.
Global Biodiversity
→ Roughly 1.8 million species are known till date.
→ Most of the world’s bio-rich nations are in the south
– developing nations.
→ The majority of the countries capable of exploiting
bio-diversity are northern regions – developed
nations.

International agreements – World Heritage Convention

attempt to protect and support such areas
India is a signatory to the convention and has included
areas covering Manas on the border between Bhutan
and India, Kaziranga in Assam, Bharatpur in UP,
Nandadevi in the Himalayas and the sunderbans in the
Ganges delta in west bengal.
Indian Biodiversity
 every country is characterised by its own

biodiversity depending upon its climate.

 india has rich biological diversity of flora and fauna.

 6% of the global species are found in india.

The total number of species found in India is 150,000.

Out of a total of 25 biodiversity hotspots in the world,

India posses 2, one in the northern region and one in the

western ghats.
12 Megabiodiversity regions of World
 India is one of the 12 mega diversity countries in the
world.
 Australia
 Brazil
 China
 Columbia
 Ecuador
 The United States
 India
 Indonesia
 Madagascar
 Mexico
 Peru
 The democratic Republic of Congo
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 hot spots at global level
The Indian hotspots are not only rich in floral
wealth and endemic species of plants but
also reptiles, amphibians, swallow tailed
butterflies and some mammals.
 Global Hot Spots of Biodiversity
Tropical Andes Mediterranean Basin

Mesoamerican Forests Caucasus

Caribbean Sundal Land

Brazil’s Atlantic Forests Wallacea
Darien of Panama Western Ecuador Philippines

Central Chile Indo-Burma Eastern Himalayas

California Floristic Province South Central China

Madagascar Western Ghats

Eastern Arc and Coastal Forest of Tanzania. South Western Australia

Western Africa Forests. New Caledonia

Cape Floristic Province New Zealand

Succulent Karoo Polynesia/Micronesia
Threats to Biodiversity
→ Extinction or elimination of a species is a
natural process of evolution.
→ However, the rate of loss of species in
geologic past has been a slow process.
→ The process of extinction has become
particularly fast in the recent years of human
civilization
→ One of the estimates by E O. Wilson puts
the figure of extinction at 10,000 species per
year.
Major causes for loss of Biodiversity

→ Loss of Habitat – Destruction and loss of

natural habitat is the single largest cause of
Biodiversity loss.
→ Billions of hectares of forests and grasslands
have cleared over the past 10,000 years.
→ Sometimes the loss of habitat is in installments
so that the habitat is divided in to small and
scattered patches – Habitat fragmentation.
→ Poaching – Illegal trade of wildlife products.
Hot- spots of Biodiversity: (important)
 A biodiversity hotspot is a biogeographic region with a
significant reservoir of biodiversity that is threatened with
destruction.
 An area is designated as a hot spot when it contains at least
0.5% of plant species as endemic.
 There are 25 such hot spots of biodiversity on a global level,
out of which two are present in India extending into
neighbouring countries.
 These are:
 Indo- Burma (covering the Eastern Himalayas) and

 The western Ghats & Sri Lanka..

 These hot spots covering less than 2% of the world’s land

area are found to have about 50% of the terrestrial
biodiversity.
 Criteria for determining hot-spots:
 No. of Endemic Species i.e. the species which are found no
where else.
 Degree of threat, which is measured in terms of Habitat loss.

Indo- Burma (Eastern Himalayas) Hotspot:

 The hotspot includes all of Cambodia, Vietnam & Laos, and
nearly the entire areas of Thailand, Myanmar & Bhutan as
well as part of Nepal, far eastern India and extreme southern
China.
 It is rich in Endemic plants species i.e. temperate forest with
numerous primitive angiosperm families are there.
 In addition, it covers several offshore Island including Mainan
Islands in the south China Sea and Andaman & Nicobar
Islands in Indian Ocean.
 Indo-Burma is one of the most threatened biodiversity
hotspots, due to the rate of resource exploitation and habitat
loss.
 Western Ghats and Sri Lanka:
 Western Ghats and Sri Lanka, also known as the “Sahyadri Hills”
encompasses the montane forests in the southwestern parts of
India(Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Kerala & Maharashtra) and on
the neighboring Islands of Sri Lanka.
 In Kerala two main centers of biodiversities are there: (i) Silent
Valley or Agastryamalai hills (ii) New Amambalam reserve.
 The entire extent of hotspot was originally about 1,82,500 square
kms, but due to tremendous population pressure, now only 12,445
square Km or 6.8% is in pristine condition.
 The important populations include Asian elephant, Indian tigers
and the endangered lion, tailed macaque.
Threats to Biodiversity:
 Extinction is a natural event and a geological perspective,
routine.
 In last century, human impact has been so severe that
thousands of species and varieties are becoming extinct
annually.
 Some of the main causes are:

Habitat loss, degradation, fragmentation:

 Habitat destruction is the process in which natural habitat
is rendered functionally unable to support the species
present.
 In this process, the organisms that previously used the place
are displaced or destroyed, reducing biodiversity.
Habitat destruction by human activity mainly for the
purpose of harvesting natural resources for industry
production and urbanization.
Clearing habitats for agriculture is the principal cause of
habitat destruction.
Other important causes of habitat destruction include
mining,, development of human settlement, etc.
It is a process of natural environmental change that may be
caused by habitat fragmentation, geological processes,
climate change or by human activities such as the
introduction of invasive species
 degradation are major causes
of species extinction, affecting
89% of all threatened birds,
83% of mammals & 91% of all
threatened plants assessed
globally (IUCN, 2000).

According to ICUN,UNEP
report, more than 50% of
wildlife habitat has been
destroyed in 49 out of 61 old
world tropical countries.
 Poaching of Wildlife:

 Poaching is the illegal taking of wild plants or animals

contrary to local and international conservation and wildlife
management laws. Violations of hunting laws and
regulations are normally punishable by law and, collectively,
such violations are known as poaching.
 It may be illegal and in violation because
The poacher is illegally selling the animal, animal parts or
plant for a profit.
The animal is being hunted outside of legal hours.
The hunter used an illegal weapon for that animal.
The animal or plant is on restricted land.
The right to hunt this animal is claimed by somebody.
The type of bait is inhumane. (e.g. food unsuitable for an

animal's health)
The means used are illegal (for example, baiting a field while

hunting other animals, using spotlights to stun or paralyze

deer, or hunting from a moving vehicle, watercraft, or
aircraft).
 Poaching is another threat that has emerged in recent
decades as one of the primary reason for decline in number
of species.
 Wildlife is sold and traded in many countries for live
specimens, folk medicines, furs, Skin, and other products
such as Ivory, horns etc amounting to millions of dollars.
 Man – wildlife conflicts:
Human-wildlife conflict refers to the interaction between
wild animals and people and the resultant negative impact on
people or their resources, or wild animals or their habitat.
 It occurs when wildlife needs overlap with those of human

populations, creating costs to residents and wild animals.

The conflict between man and wildlife started with the
evolution of man, but intensity increased due to the activities
of modern man
Due to the lack of stable food and disruption of
movement, wild animals came out of forest area and
attack the agricultural field and humans and in turn got
killed by the humans.
 CASE SYUDY
 For example, in
Mozambique, communities
started to grow more chili
plants after making the
discovery that elephants don't
like spicy foods.
This creative and effective
method prevents elephants
from trampling community
farmers fields as well as
protects the species.
Human-wildlife conflict could occur in various forms
Some of them are:
 Crop damage
 Livestock depredation
 Injuries to people
 Loss of human life
 Damage to property
 Injuries to wildlife
 Animal deaths
 Destruction of habitat
 Introduction of Exotic species:
 Organisms introduced into habitats where they are not
native are termed as exotics.
 They can be thought of as Biological Pollutants and are
considered to be among the most damaging agents of
habitat alteration and degradation the world.

 Climate change:
A changing global climate threatens species and
ecosystems.
 The distribution of species (biogeography) is largely
determined by climate.
 Climate change may simply shift these distributions
but, for a number of reasons, plants and animals may
not be able to adjust.
Endemism and provincialism
Endangered : A species whose no. are reduced to the
point that it is in a danger of becoming extinct.
Threatened: A species whose no. are low enough or
whose population trend shows that it may become
endangered if corrective actions are not taken
Endemism: a species, genus of family is restricted to
one or a few geographic regions.
Organisms can be endemic to a location for two
different reasons:
• because they originated in that one place.
• because they now survive in only a small part of
their former range.

Endemic species tend to be concentrated in certain

regions,this concentration is called provincialism.
Endangered Species:
 According to The International Union of Conservation of
Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN), the species that
considered in imminent danger of extinction and whose
survival is unlikely, if factors causing their decline continue
to operate.
 Out of about 47,000 species of plants in our country, 7000
are endemic
 India contains 172 species of animals considered globally
threatened by IUCN, or 2.9% of the world’s total number of
threatened species.
 These include 53 species of mammals, 69 birds, 23 reptiles
and 3 amphibians
 As many as 3,000- 4,000 higher plants may be under high
degree of threat in India
 Thus Indian subcontinent has about 62% endemic
flora, restricted mainly to Himalayas, khasi Hills &
Western Ghats.
 Sapria himalayana, Uvaria lurida, Napenthes khasians
etc. are some endemic flora of our country.
 A large number out of a total of 81,000 species of
animals in our country is endemic. About 62%
amphibians and 50% lizards are endemic to western
Ghats.
 Golden monkey, Niligiri Langur, Indian Wolf, Red Fox,
Himalayan Brown Bear, Great Indian One Horned
Rhinoceros, White Winged Wood Duck, Black Necked
Crane, Indian Pea Fowl, Gharial, Indian egg eating
Snake, Indian Salamandar etc. are some examples of
endemic animal species of India.
Endemic plant species in India
 India has many endemic plant and vertebrate species.
Among plants, species endemism is estimated at 33% .
Areas rich in endemism are north-east India, the Western

Ghats and the north-western and eastern Himalayas.

A small pocket of local endemism also occurs in the Eastern

Ghats.
The Gangetic plains are generally poor in endemics.

 while the Andaman and Nicobar Islands contribute at least

220 species to the endemic flora of India

 Endemic Vertebrates
The 396 known endemic higher vertebrate species are

identified.
Endemism among mammals and birds is relatively low.

Only 44 species of Indian mammal have a range that is

confined entirely to within Indian territorial limits.

Four endemic species of conservation significance occur

in the Western Ghats.

They are the Lion-tailed macaque Macaca silenus, Nilgiri

leaf monkey (locally better known as Nilgiri langur),

Brown palm civet and Nilgiri tahr.
Endemic birds
Only 55 bird species are endemic to India, with

distributions concentrated in areas of high rainfall.

These areas, mapped by Birdlife International

(formerly the International Council for Bird

Preservation).

They are located mainly in eastern India along the

mountain chains where the monsoon shadow occurs,

south-west India (the Western Ghats), and the Nicobar
and Andaman Islands (ICBP, 1992).
 Endemism in amphibians and reptiles
There are around 187 endemic reptiles, and 110 endemic

amphibian species.

Eight amphibian genera are not found outside India. They

include, among the caecilians, Indotyphlus, Gegeneophis

and Uraeotyphlus; and among the anurans, the toad
Bufoides, the microhylid Melanobatrachus, and the frogs
Ranixalus, Nannobatrachus and Nyctibatrachus.

Perhaps most notable among the endemic amphibian

genera is the monotypic Melanobatrachus which has a

single species known only from a few specimens collected in
the Anaimalai Hills in the 1870s (Groombridge, 1983).
Conservation of Biodiversity:
 The convention on Biological Diversity held in June,
1992 stressed the need of the conservation of
Biodiversity for sustainable development and
perpetuation of human beings on earth.
 Conservation is defined as “ the management of human
use of the biosphere so that it may yield the greatest
sustainable benefit to the present generation while
maintaining its potential to meet the needs and
aspirations of the future generations”.
 The two basic approaches to wildlife conservation in
protected habitats are:
1) In- situ conservation and
2) Ex- situ conservation.
 In- situ conservation:
 It simply means conservation of species in its natural
ecosystem or even in man made ecosystems.
 This strategy emphasizes protection of total ecosystem
through a network of “protected area”.
 Protected Areas: an area of land and/or sea specially
dedicated to the protection and maintenance of biological
diversity and managed through legal effective means.
 There are different categories of protected areas which are
managed with different objectives. These include; Biosphere
reserves, National parks, Wild Life Sanctuaries etc.
At present we have 11 major biosphere reserves, 80
National parks, 420 wildlife sanctuaries in our country
covering 4% of the geographic area.
The JIM CORBETT National Park was 1st national park
established in India.
Examples of Biosphere reserves of India:
1.Nilgiri- 5,520 sq.km
2.Nanda Devi- 5,860.69 sq. km
3.Manas – 2837 sq. km
4.Gulf of Mannar – 10,500 sq. km
5.Great Nicobar – 885 sq. km
6.Panchmarhi – 4,926.28 Sq Km
Examples of some National park in India
1. Kaziranga- Assam,
2. Gir National Park- Gujarat,
3. Periyar – Kerala,
4. Sariska – Rajasthan
Examples of some Wild Life Sanctuaries of India:
1. Ghana Bird sanctuaries
2. Hazaribagh sanctuaries
3. Abohar wild life sanctuaries
4. Jaldapara wild life sanctuaries
5. Mudamalai wild life sanctuaries
 Ex- situ conservation:
 It is defined as “the conservation of component of
biological diversity (Sample of genetic diversity,
particularly of endangered species) outside their natural
habitats”.
 Ex- situ conservation includes conservation of
samples genetic diversity through establishment of gene
bank which include genetic resources centres Example:
Zoos, Botanical Gardens, Aquaria, Nurseries, DNA
bank, Seed bank, Gene bank etc.
It involves maintenance and breeding of endangered
plant and animal species under partially or wholly
controlled conditions. Example: Zoos, Botanical
Gardens, Aquaria, Nurseries, DNA bank, Seed bank,
Gene bank etc.

There are more than 1500 Botanical gardens in the

world containing more than 80,000 species.
There are more than 800 zoos around the world
with about 3,000 species of mammals, birds, reptiles
and amphibians.
 In India, we have many gene bank. The important ones are:

 National Bureau of Plant genetic Resources (NBPGR),

New Delhi:
 Agricultural and horticultural crops and their wild varieties
are preserved by cryo-preservation of seeds (at -196º C in
Liquid Nitrogen), pollen etc.
 National Facility for Plant Tissue Culture Repository
(NFPTCR) at NBPGR Campus New Delhi:
 It has been set up for the development of a facility of
conservation of varieties of crop plants/ trees by tissue
culture.
 INDIA (MEGA DIVERSITY )

•A MEGA DIVERSITY CENTRE AND A CENTRE OF CROP ORIGIN

• 2.4% LAND AREA HOLDS 8% OF WORLDS BIODIVERSITY; 10TH
AMONG PLANT RICH COUNTRIES OF THE WORLD; 4TH AMONG
COUNTRIES OF ASIA
• APPROXIMATELY 9000 HIGHER PLANT SPECIES OUT OF 17,000
ARE MEDICINAL PLANTS; 25-30% ARE ENDEMIC

• ABOUT 70% OF INDIA’S POPULATION DEPEND ON PLANTS FOR

PRIMARY HEALTHY CARE
• GREAT RAW MATERIAL (LOW VALUE) EXPORTER;
75% OF WORLDS PLANT BASED DRUGS COME
FROM INDIAN PLANTS
• DIVERSITY WITHIN SPECIES (GENETIC
DIVERSITY) IS RICH DUE TO DIVERSE SOIL AND
ECO-CLIMATIC FACTORES; OVER POPULATED ;
HABITAT DEGRADATION AND LOSSES COMMON;

• 27,500 HECTARES OF FOREST LAND DEPLETED

ANNUALLY
Biogeographic classification of india
India is the seventh largest country in the world

with an area of 3287263km2.It can be divided into

ten recognizable biogeographic zones:
Trans himalayans
The himalaya in the far north
The desert zone
The semi arid region
The wastern ghats
The deccan plateau
The gangetic plain
The northeast of india
Coast
The island
 Megabiodiversity regions of World

Mexico, Columbia, Equador, Peru, Brazil, Zaire,

Medagascar, China, India, Malaysia, Indonesia,
Australia
India is one of the twelve megadiversity countries in the
world

In India species richness is often accompanied by

enormous genetic diversity found within individual species.
This makes India one of the Vivacious Centres of diversity
and origin of about 167 crop plants and the primary or
secondary centres of domestication of a few animals.
Ecosystem wise, India has 42
vegetation types, 16 major forest
types, 10 biogeographical zones and
25 hot spots of endemic centres
 Case Study
 The grizzly bear also known as the silvertip bear, the
grizzly, or the North American brown bear.
 It is a subspecies of brown that generally lives in the
uplands of western North America.

 due to numerous ecological

factors , Grizzly bears have one
of the lowest reproductive rates
of all terrestrial mammals in
North America.
 Causes of Extinction
• The grizzly bear is listed as threatened in the United States
and endangered in parts of Canada.
• Hunting causes an imbalance between the male and female
ratio.
• since older males are primarily sought to be hunted for their
size.
•The hunting of older males creates a gender imbalance within
an area specific population.
•The killing of older male bears in their own territory allows other
males to migrate in and claim the late bear's territory.
Hunting:
• Unlike the smaller black bears, adult
grizzlies are too large to escape danger
by climbing trees.
• so they respond to danger by standing
their ground and warding off their
attackers.
• Mothers defending their cubs are the
most prone to attacking.
•Historically, bears have competed with
other large predators for food, which