BIODIVERSITY

Table of Contents

1. Biodiversity

Biodiversity
Biodiversity is defined as ‘the variability among living organisms from all sources, including terrestrial, marine and other aquatic ecosystems
and the ecological complexes of which they are a part; this includes diversity within species, between species and of ecosystems’ – United
Nations Earth Summit (1992).

Endemism is the state of a species being native to a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other
defined zone;

In our biosphere immense diversity (or heterogeneity) exists not only at the species level but at all levels of biological organization
ranging from macromolecules within cells to biomes.
According to IUCN (2004), the total number of plant and animal species described so far is slightly more than 1.5 million.
More than 70 per cent of all the species recorded are animals, while plants (including algae, fungi, bryophytes, gymnosperms and
angiosperms) comprise no more than 22 per cent of the total.
Among animals, insects are the most species-rich taxonomic group, making up more than 70 per cent of the total.
India accounts for nearly 7% of recorded species.
Largest biodiversity is found in Amazon rain forest on earth.

Latitudinal gradients: Diversity of plants and animal is not uniform throughout the world.
Patterns of
Species diversity decreases as we move away from the equator towards the pole.
Biodiversity:
Tropic harbour more species than temperature or polar areas

Why Tropic Account Greater Biological Diversity?

1. Speciation: It is function of time, unlike temperate regions subjected to frequent glaciations in the past, tropical latitudes have
remained relatively undisturbed for millions of years.
2. Tropical environments, unlike temperate ones, are less seasonal, relatively more constant and predictable. Such constant
environments promote niche specialization and lead to a greater species diversity.
3. More solar energy available in the tropics, which contributes to higher productivity; this in turn might contribute indirectly to greater
diversity.

MEASUREMENT OF BIODIVERSITY

SPECIES EVENNESS SPECIES RICHNESS

Measurement of the relative frequency of each The number of species found in said
species. environment.
Species richness is the number of different Species evenness refers to how close in
species represented in an ecological numbers each species in an environment is.
community, landscape or region. Species Mathematically it is defined as a diversity
richness is simply a count of species, and it index, a measure of biodiversity which
does not take into account the abundances of quantifies how equal the community is
the species or their relative abundance numerically. So if there are 40 foxes and
distributions. 1000 dogs, the community is not very even.
Note: Species diversity of an environment is ALPHA DIVERSITY: Diversity
essentially a combined measurement of within a particular area or ecosystem,
richness and evenness. Sometimes, it is called expressed by the number of species in
the “Shannon” Diversity Index. that ecosystem.
BETA DIVERSITY: Comparison of
diversity between ecosystems,
calculated as change in amount of
species between the ecosystem.
 GAMA DIVERSITY: Measures
overall diversity for different types of
ecosystems within a region.

LEVELS OF BIODIVERSITY

The differences in DNA content among individuals within species and population. Allows
Genetic Diversity: species to adapt to changing environments. E.g. butterflies, roses, parakeets or coral in a
myriad hue.
Refers to the variety of living organisms on earth. For example: the western ghats have a
Species Diversity:
greater amphibian species diversity than the eastern ghats.
Ecosystem/ Refers to the different types of habitats. A habitat is the cumulative factor of the climate,
Community vegetation and geography of a region. Example: deserts, forests, mangroves, coral reefs,
Diversity: wetlands etc.

ECOSYSTEM SERVICES

Protection of water resources + Soils formation and protection + Nutrient storage and recycling + Pollution breakdown and absorption +
Contribution to climate stability + Maintenance of ecosystems + Recovery from unpredictable events.

TERMINOLOGIES RELATED TO SPECIES

DIFFERENT TYPES OF SPECIES EXAMPLES

FLAGSHIP SPECIES– Species chosen to represent an
environmental cause, like an ecosystem might be in need Indian tiger, the giant panda, the Golden
of conservation. Chosen for their Vulnerability, lion, the African elephant, Asian elephant,
attractiveness or distinctiveness. etc.

KEYSTONE SPECIES: Species whose addition to or

subtraction from an ecosystem leads to major changes in
abundance or occurrence of at least one other species. All top predators like Lion, Tiger,
Plays role in structure, functioning or productivity of a Crocodile, Elephant.
habitat or ecosystem.

Lichens– indicators of air quality

INDICATOR SPECIES: It defines trait or
(sensitive to sulfur dioxide), Amphibians
characteristics of the environment.
(e.g. Frog) indicates global warming and
They are chosen as an indicator of, or proxy for, the state
air pollution.
of an ecosystem or of a certain process within that
ecosystem. Fish, invertebrates, periphyton,
macrophytes, etc.
FOUNDATION SPECIES: Dominant primary producer
in an ecosystem both in terms of abundance and
Corals
influence.

CHARISMATIC SPECIES: Large animal species with

widespread popular appeal that environmental activists Barasingha (Bhoorsingh from kanha
use to achieve conservation goals well beyond those national park), Giant panda, The Bengal
species. tiger, Blue whale.

Conservation of Tiger, efforts have been

UMBRELLA SPECIES: It acts as umbrella.
made to save the populations of wild Tigers
Conservation of umbrella species would extend
in order to save other species that are
protection to other species as well.
present in the same ecosystems such as
Leopards, Monkey, Hares, Boars, etc
INVASIVE ALIEN SPECIES OF INDIA: Species that Goat weed, Alternanthera paronychioides,
occur outside their natural range + threaten native plants Prickly poppy, Palmyra, Toddy palm,
and animals or other aspects of biodiversity. Calotropis/ Madar, Swallow wort, Water
Hyacinth.
SOME IMPORTANT TERMS RELATED TO ECOSYSTEM

Practice in which indigenous knowledge of nature, originating with indigenous

Biopiracy: peoples, is used by others for profit, without authorization or compensation to the
indigenous people themselves.
Systematic and organized search for useful products derived from bioresources
Bioprospecting: including plants, microorganisms, animals, etc., that can be developed further for
commercialization and overall benefits of the society.
Process of using microorganisms (microbes) to extract metals of economic interest
Biomining: from rock ores or mine waste. Biomining techniques may also be used to clean up sites
that have been polluted with metals
A test in which organisms are used to detect the presence or the effects of any other
physical factor, chemical factor or any other type of ecological disturbance. It is very
Bioassay:
common in pollution studies; the aim is to detect lethal concentration or effective
concentration causing mortality or other effects.

DIFFERENCE BETWEEN BOTANICAL GARDEN AND ZOOLOGICAL PARK

BOTANICAL GARDEN ZOOLOGICAL PARK

Zoo is an establishment, whether stationary or mobile,
Botanical garden refers to the scientifically planned where captive animals are kept for exhibition to the
collection of living trees, shrubs, herbs, climbers and public and includes a circus and rescue centers but does
other plants from various parts of the world not include an establishment of a licensed dealer in
captive animals – CZA

Die-back: Phenomena in which progressive dying of plant happens, usually backwards from the tip of any portion of plant. This is one of
the adaptive mechanisms to avoid adverse conditions.

CAUSES OF BIODIVERSITY LOSS

1. Habitat loss and Fragmentation: Habitat loss due to pollution, breaking of large habitats into small fragments due to various human
activities, mammals and birds requiring large territories, animals with migratory habitat are badly affected, leading to population
decline.
2. Over Exploitation: Humans have always depended on nature for food and shelter, but whgen ‘need’ turns to ‘greed’. it leads to over
exploitation.
3. Alien Species Invasions: Alien species are species that occur outside their natural range. These species when turn invasive and cause
decline or extinction of indigenous species. Ex- like water hyacinth, prosopis juliflora, lantana camara etc.
4. Co-extinctions: When a species becomes extinct, the plant and animal species associated with it in an obligatory way also become
extinct.

BIODIVERSITY IN INDIA

India, a mega diverse country with only 2.4% of the world’s land area, accounts for 7-8% of all recorded species, including over
45,000 species of plants and 91,000 species of animals.
The country’s diverse physical features and climatic conditions have resulted in a variety of ecosystems such as forests, wetlands,
grasslands, desert, coastal and marine ecosystems.
Four of 34 globally identified biodiversity hotspots: The Himalayas, the Western Ghats, the North-East, and the Nicobar Islands, can
be found in India.
In terms of species richness, India ranks seventh in mammals, ninth in birds and fifth in reptiles.
INDIA REPRESENTS
Ten Bio-
Two ‘Realms’ Five Biomes Twenty-five Bio-geographic provinces
geographic Zones
Ecosystem or biotic subdivision of
Large spatial regions Main groups of It deals with realms
within which geographical
plants and animals
ecosystems share a living in areas of distribution of
broadly similar biota. certain climate plants and animals.
Unifying features of patterns.
geography and fauna
and flora.

1. Himalayan region 1. Tropical humid 1. Trans Himalayas 1A: Himalaya – Ladakh Mount.
represented by forests
Palearctic realm 2. The Himalayas 1B: Himalaya-Tibetan Plateau
2. Tropical Dry or
2. Rest of subcontinent Deciduous forests 3. Desert 1C: Trans-Himalaya Sikkim
represented by Malayan
realm 3. Warm deserts and 4. Semi-arid 2A: Himalaya-North west Himalaya
semi deserts
5. Western ghats 2B: Himalaya-west Himalaya
4. Coniferous forest
6. The Deccan 2C: Himalaya-Central Himalaya
5. Alpine meadows. Peninsula
2D: Himalaya-East Himalaya
7. The Gangetic
Plains 3A: Desert –Thar

8. The Coasts 3B: Desert-Kachchh

9. Northeast India 4A: Semi-arid-Punjab plains

10. Islands 4B: Semi-arid Punjab plains

5A: Western Ghats-Malabar plains.

5B: Western Ghats-Western Ghats

Mountains

6A: Deccan Peninsular-Central

Highlands

6B: Deccan Peninsular Chota Nagpur.

6C: Deccan Peninsular –Eastern

Highlands

6D: Deccan Peninsular- Central Plateau

6E: Deccan Peninsular-Deccan south.

7A: Gangetic Plain-Upper Gangetic

plains

7B: Gangetic Plain- Lower Gangetic

Plains

8A: Coasts-West Coast

8b: Coasts- East Coast

8C: Coasts-Lakshadweep

9A: North-East Brahmaputra Valley

9B: North-East-North East Hills

10A: Islands-Andamans
 10B: Islands-Nicobar

PLANT DIVERSITY OF INDIA

Insectivorous Plants: Plants are specialized in trapping insects. This is an adaptability mechanism of plant in nutrient poor soil.

The green non differentiated plants (non – differentiated into organs like root, stem
Algae and leaf) possessing chlorophyll

Non-green non differentiated plants characterized by total absence of chlorophyll

Fungi are called Fungi.

Non-chlorophyllous micro-organisms which lead saprophytic or parasitic existence.

Bacteria Many of them are pathogenic; Saprophytic bacteria are rather beneficial.

A lichen is a peculiar combination of an alga and a fungus– the two live deriving
Lichens mutual benefit.

The plant body is differentiated into a small stem and simple leaves, but true roots
Bryophytes are absent.

The pteridophytes have well-differentiated plant bodies, consisting of roots, stems

Pteridophytes and leaves. Moreover, they possess vascular bundles.

Gymnosperms (Gymnos à naked, Sperma à seed) are the naked-seeded plants.

Gymnosperms
Angiosperms (Angeion à a case) are the closed-seeded plants.
Angiosperms

Plants are specialized in trapping insects. This is an adaptability mechanism of

Insectivorous
Plants plant in nutrient poor soil.

BIRD’S MIGRATION

Migration refers to the regular, recurrent and cyclical seasonal movement of birds from one place to other. The distance of
migration ranged from short distance to thousands of kilometers. But at the end of period, birds will eventually return to the original
place.
Reasons for migration: To avoid extreme climatic condition + To manage food shortage + To manage shortage of water + To have a
better breeding conditions + Less competition for safe nesting places.

WILDLIFE DIVERSITY OF INDIA

Ø Flora: Natural monsoon evergreen and semi-evergreen forests; Species like Sal, giant
bamboos, silk cotton trees; tall grassy meadow with savannahs in terai are dominant.
Himalayan Ø Fauna: Elephant, sambar, swamp deer, cheetal, hog deer, barking deer, wild boar tiger,
foothills: panther, hyena, black bear, sloth bear, Great Indian one-horned rhinoceros, wild buffalo,
Gangetic gharial, golden langur
Ø Flora: Natural monsoon evergreen and semi-evergreen forests; rhododendrons; dwarf
hill bamboo and birch forests mixed with alpine pastures.
Western Ø Fauna: Tibetan wild ass (kiang), wild goats (thar, ibex) and blue sheep; antelopes (Chiru
Himalayas and Tibetan gazelle), deers (hangul of Kashmir stag and shou or Sikkim stag, musk deer);
(High altitude golden eagle, snow cocks, snow partridges; snow leopard, black and brown bears; birds like
region) Griffon vultures.
Ø Flora: The Eastern Himalayas can be divided into the following climatic regions: arctic,
sub-arctic, temperate, subtropical, and warm tropical. The forests are moist, dense,
evergreen, semi-evergreen, or temperate. Precipitation is very high and the forest region is
very humid. Sal forests and evergreen trees are found extensively all along the foothills of
the Eastern Himalayas. Subtropical forests cover the hills up to an elevation of about 2000
m. Oaks, magnolias, laurels and birches covered with moss and ferns; coniferous forests of
 pine, fir, yew and junipers with an undergrowth of scrubby rhododendrons and dwarf
bamboos; lichens, mosses, orchids, and other epiphytes dominant.
Ø Fauna: Red panda, hog badgers, forest badgers, crestless porcupines, Great one-horned
rhinoceros Asian elephant ,Takin ,Wild water buffalo, Swamp Deer, Tiger Snow leopard,
Eastern
Clouded leopard.
Himalayas
Ø Flora: Sal in north and east extensions (higher rainfall) and teak in southern plateau are
dominant trees. Western Ghats have evergreen vegetation (flora and fauna similar to
evergreen rainforests of northeastern of India. In dry areas of Rajasthan and Aravalli hills,
trees are scattered, and thorny scrub species predominate.
Ø Fauna: Elephant, wild boar, deers (cheetal or axis deer), hog deer swamp deer or
Peninsula barasinga, sambar, muntjac or barking deer, antelopes (four-horned antelope, Nilgiri,
India: blackbuck, chinkara gazelle), wild dog or dhole, tiger, leopard, cheetah, lion, wild pig,
monkey, striped hyena, jackal, gaur.
Ø Flora: Thorny trees with reduced leaves like babool, ber, khejri tree; cactus, other
succulents are the main plants.
Ø Fauna: Its diverse fauna includes the great Indian bustard, blackbuck, chinkara, fox,
Indian desert Bengal fox, wolf, caracal, rodents, Asiatic wild ass, desert cat, red fox; reptiles (snakes,
lizards and tortoise) well represented. Desert lizards include geckos.
Distributed in areas of Western Ghats and northeast India.

Ø Flora: Extensive grasslands interspersed with densely forested gorges of evergreen

vegetation known as shoals occur in the Nilgiris (an offshoot of Western Ghats). The rain
forests of the Western Ghats have dense and lofty trees with much species diversity.
Mosses, ferns, epiphytes, orchids, lianas and vines, herbs, shrubs make diverse habitat.
Ebony Indian rosewood, Malabar Kino, teak and Indian laurel trees predominate in these
forests.
Ø Fauna: Wild elephants, gaur and other larger animals. The most prominent are hoolock
Tropical rain gibbon (only ape found in India), golden langur, capped langur or leaf monkey, Assam
forest region macaque and the pig-tailed macaque, lion-tailed macaque, Nilgiri langur, slender loris, bats,
giant squirrel, civets, flying squirrels, Nilgiri mongoose, spiny mouse.
Mangrove Ø Flora: Various species of mangroves.
swamps of Ø Fauna: In the higher regions of mangroves, there are spotted deer, pigs, monitor lizard,
Sundarbans: monkey, Royal Bengal Tiger.

Sea cow, Dugong dugon occurs in near shore waters of Gulf of Mannar, Gulf of Kachchh and Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

WHAT’S IN NEWS?

IUCN Other
Species Habitat
status information
Least
Grey francolin Plains and drier parts of the Indian subcontinent —
Concern
State Animal
of West
Bengal,
Chilika
Development
Mangrove forests of the Sundarbans, foothills of the Himalayas along Authority
Fishing Cat (Prionailurusviverrinus) Vulnerable
the Ganga and Brahmaputra river valleys and in the Western Ghats (CDA)
designated the
Fishing Cat as
ambassador of
Chilika Lake,
Odisha.
Chinese Pink Dolphins/Indo-Pacific Coastal waters of the eastern Indian
Vulnerable
humpback dolphin and western Pacific Oceans
Critically
Himalayan Brown Bears Highlands of the Himalayas
endangered
India has the
highest
Dhole/Asian Wild Dog Endangered’ — number of
dholes in the
world
Narcondam hornbill Endangered Found only on the island of Narcondam in the Andaman Sea.
Himalayas at elevations ranging from 3,000 to 4,500 m across Jammu
Snow Leopard Vulnerable and Kashmir, Ladakh, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Sikkim, and
Arunachal Pradesh
Tiger species
native to India,
Indian Tiger or Royal Bengal Tiger largest
Endangered Native to the Indian subcontinent
(Panthera tigris) populations of
Bengal tigers
are in India
Least
Bullfrog (Hoplobatrachustigerinus) It is native to the Indian subcontinent
Concern
Endemic to the South Andaman Island. naturally occurs only in a tiny,
Critically
Pinanga Andamanensis evergreen forest pocket in South Andaman’s Mount Harriet National Palm species
endangered
Park
Performs
Arribada
India’s Odisha and Andhra Pradesh coast are famous for their nesting
Olive Ridley Turtles Vulnerable (Synchronized,
(Gahirmatha beach, rushikulya river mouth etc are some famous sites)
largescale
neting)
Critically
Sal Forest Tortoise Eastern and northern India and Southeast Asia.
endangered
One of the
Critically Used to be found in the river mouths of Odisha and the Sunderbans. As largest turtles
Brackish Water Turtle (Batagurbaska)
Endangered of now it is considered extinct in much of its former range. to be found in
Southeast Asia
Gir Gir National Park,
Endangered
Lions/Asiatic lion/Panthera Leo Persica Gir Sanctuary, Pania Sanctuary, Mitiyala Sanctuary and Girnar Sanctuary
Indian Gaur Vulnerable Nagarhole, Bandipur, Kabini and Masinagudi (Mudumalai)
Gee’s Golden Langur/Golden Langur Endemic to the semi-evergreen and mixed-deciduous forests straddling
Endangered
(Trachypithecus geei) India and Bhutan

OTHER SPECIES IN NEWS

Species Found in Other information

Trimeresurus Salazar Arunachal Pradesh A new species of green pit viper
Abortelphusa Namdaphaensis Namdapha Tiger Reserve New freshwater crab species
Spialia zebra Rajasthan Butterfly
King of Himalayan Flowers,
Brahma Kamal Flower Himalaya
state flower of Uttarakhand
Golden birdwing Founded in Uttarakhand India’s largest butterfly
New species of marine
Tetrastemma Freyae Coast of Tamil Nadu invertebrate i.e. ‘Tetrastemma
Freyae’
Globbaandersonii Researchers recently
Restricted mainly to Teesta River Valley “rediscovered” this rare and
IUCN status: Critically region critically endangered plant
Endangered species
India’s only Golden Tiger found in
Kazi 106F
Kaziranga National Park of Assam
New species of fish discovered in
Schizothorax sikusirumensis
Arunachal Pradesh

NATIONAL PARKS AND OTHER HABITATS IN NEWS

Nanda Devi national park (Uttarakhand) – Status- World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1988 (Nanda Devi National Park + Valley
of Flowers National Park) together makes – Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve and this reserve is recognized as UNESCO World
Network of Biosphere Reserves since 2004. Species – Asiatic black bear, snow leopard, brown bear and blue sheep etc
Dehing Patkai Elephant Reserve (Assam) – Why in news? National Board for Wild Life (NBWL) has recommended coal mining in a
part of this reserve.
Panna Tiger Reserve (Madhya Pradesh) = New entry into world network of biosphere reserves (WNBR) under MAB Programme.
Presently, there are 18 notified biosphere reserves in India of which 12 are recognized under MAB Program.
 Eravikulam National Park (Kerala) à It houses the special Neelakurinji flowers Strobilantheskunthianam) that bloom once every 12
years. The park holds the largest viable population of the endangered NilgiriTahr.
Gorumara National Park = West Bengal
Dehing Patkai Wildlife Sanctuary (Assam): – Referred as ‘The Amazon of East’
Melghat Tiger Reserve (Maharashtra)
India’s 1st Lichen Park (Uttarakhand)

‘Animal Discoveries 2019’ and ‘Plant Discoveries 2019’ = Annual Publication released
by Zoological Survey of India (ZSI) and the Botanical Survey of India (BSI) respectively.

Sphaerotheca Magadha: burrowing frog discovered in farm fields of Jharkhand.

Amomum nagamiense: A wild ginger variety, discovered from the forest behind Kohima Zoo in Nagaland.
Pteris subiriana: A wild fern, found not just in Kerala but also Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra
Cnemaspis anandani: A rock-dwelling gecko, endemic to the Western Ghats
Enoplotrupes tawangensis: a dung beetle from Tawang, Arunachal Pradesh.

DOWNLOAD PDF