Unit 4: Biodiversity and Conservation

Dr. Urvashi Sanwal

Rajdhani College
University of Delhi

1. Biological diversity, or biodiversity is sum total of all living organisms.

2. It is largely governed by latitude, longitude, altitude, geology, climate (temperature and rainfall)
of any particular region.

3. Due to such distinct flora and fauna world is divided into various BIOGEOGRAPHIC ZONES.

4. India has TEN biogeographically distinct regions due to:

a. Different physical conditions

b. Species assemblage
 Megadiversity centres/ zones
1. The term and concept was first developed by Russell Mittermeier in 1988, as a way to prioritize
conservation action.

2. Based on an analysis of primate conservation priorities, he found that four countries accounted
for two-thirds of all primate species.

3. The analysis was then expanded to include other mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, plants
and selected groups of insects.

4. This resulted in 17 countries being identified, representing more than two-thirds of all (known)
life forms and the majority of tropical rainforests, coral reefs and other priority systems. This
group of countries has less than 10% of the global surface, but support more than 70% of the
biological diversity on earth.

5. Define: Areas with high species richness and large variation and number of endemic species.
 • Australia • Indonesia • Ecuador

• The Congo • Malaysia • Mexico

• Madagascar • Papua New Guinea • Peru

• South Africa • Philippines • United States

• China • Brazil • Venezuela

• India • Colombia

Biodiversity hotspots
1. British ecologist Norman Myers in 1988 defined BIODIVERSITY HOTSPOTS as tropical areas of
world that hold highest no. of endemic species and are under immediate threat of species
extinction and habitat destruction.

2. To qualify as a biodiversity hotspot, a region must meet two strict criteria:

a) it must contain at least 0.5% or 1,500 species of vascular plants as endemics, and

b) it has to have lost at least 70% of its original habitat.

3. Hotspots cover 2.3% of land area.

4. Endemic species: are those plant and animal species that are found in just one region and nowhere
else in the world. For example, kangaroos are originally endemic to Australia and are found nowhere
else in the world.

Hotspots in India
 India as a Mega diverse nation
1. MoEFCC, 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.

2. About 62% of amphibians and 50% of lizards are endemic to India. Western Ghats are the site
of maximum endemism.

3. Nearly 5000 species of flowering plants and 166 species of crop plants had their origin in India.

4. Along 7500 km long coastline, 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.), and corals. Several species of
Mangrove plants and Marine algae are also found. Indian forests cover 64.01 million hectares
having a rich biodiversity of plants in the Trans-Himalayan and Himalayan forests, western
ghats, coasts, deserts, Gangetic plains, deccan plateau and the Andaman, Nicobar and
Lakshadweep islands.

5. Due to very diverse climatic conditions there is a complete rainbow spectrum of biodiversity
in our country.

Hot spots in India

 Red List is a critical indicator of the health of the world’s
The IUCN

biodiversity. Far more than a list of species and their status, it is a powerful tool to inform and
catalyze action for biodiversity conservation and policy change, critical to protecting the natural
resources we need to survive. It provides information about range, population size, habitat and
ecology, use and/or trade, threats, and conservation actions that will help inform necessary
conservation decisions.

1. 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.

2. 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.

3. A species is said to be in vulnerable category if its population is facing continuous decline due to
overexploitation or habitat destruction. Such a species is still abundant, but under a serious
threat of becoming endangered if causal factors are not checked.

4. Species which are not endangered or vulnerable at present, but are at a risk are categorized as
rare species. These taxa are usually localized within restricted areas i.e. they are usually
endemic. They have small population sixe in the world. Sometimes they are thinly scattered
over a more extensive area.

The Zoological Survey of India reported that Cheetah, Pink headed duck and mountain quail have
already become extinct from India.
Levels of biodiversity
 GENETIC DIVERSITY
• Related to variation of genes within species.

• When the genes within the same species show different versions due to new
combinations.

• It is basis for evolution.

• Genetic diversity within an interbreeding population increases the chances of survival

during changing environmental conditions or during the outbreak of disease.

• The genes found in organisms can form enormous number of combinations each of
which gives rise to some variability.

• Genes are the basic units of hereditary information transmitted from one generation to
other.

• For example, all rice varieties belong to species Oryza sativa, but there are thousands of
wild and cultivated varieties of rice which show variations at the genetic level and differ
in their color, size, shape, aroma and nutrient content of the grain. This is the genetic
diversity of rice.
 Species diversity
• variability found within the population of a species or between different species of a
community.

• measure of the number of species which occur within a particular region.

• It represents broadly the species richness (no. of species per unit area) and their evenness
(measure of relative abundance of different species of an area) in a community.

• Variation in no. of species, type of species and no. of individuals per species leads to greater
diversity.
 Community/ Ecosystem diversity
1. Diversity in habitat.

2. This diversity shows variations in, trophic structure, food-webs, nutrient cycling etc.

3. The ecosystems also show variations with respect to physical parameters like moisture,
temperature, altitude, precipitation etc. Thus, there occurs tremendous diversity within the
ecosystems, along these gradients.

4. Forest ecosystem, which is supposed to have mainly a dominance of trees. But, while
considering a tropical rainforest, a tropical deciduous forest, a temperate deciduous forest and a
boreal forest, the variations observed are just too many and they are mainly due to variations in
the above mentioned physical factors.

5. This diversity has developed over millions of years of evolution. If we destroy this diversity, it
would disrupt the ecological balance. We cannot even replace the diversity of one ecosystem by
that of another. Coniferous trees of boreal forests cannot take up the function of the trees of
tropical deciduous forest lands and vice versa, because ecosystem diversity has evolved with
respect to the prevailing environmental conditions with well regulated ecological balance.
How to measure ecosystem diversity ??
 Keystone species
1. Keystone species is a species which has a large effect on its natural environment relative to its
abundance.

2. They play a critical role in maintaining structure of an ecological community.

3. Help to determine the type and number of various other species in the community.

4. Without them, ecosystem will be different; KS are noticed when they are removed or they
disappear from an ecosystem, resulting in dramatic changes of the rest of the community.

5. It is any organism but commonly it’s a predator

• Sea otters eat sea urchins

• Sea urchins eat kelp

• Kelp forests act as ecosystems for many species and as nurseries for young fish

• Hunting sea otters for fur impacted on the kelp forest ecosystems.
Umbrella species
Flagship species
 Indicator species

• The organisms are monitored for changes that may indicate a problem within their ecosystem.

• Bio-indicators are organisms, such as lichens, birds and bacteria, that are used to monitor the
health of the environment.

• The changes can be chemical, physiological or behavioral. Specific physiological and behavioral
changes in bio indicators are used to detect changes in environmental health.

• Bio indicators are relevant for Ecological health.

• Bio indicators are used to:

a) detect changes in the natural environment,

b) monitor for the presence of pollution and its effect on the ecosystem in which the
organism lives,

c) monitor the progress of environmental cleanup and test substances, like drinking water
for the presence of contaminants.
1. Abundance of Eichhornia sp.(water hyacinths) indicates sewage and heavy metal pollution of
water .

2. Annual weeds and short lived perennials like Amaranthus (chulaee), Chenopodium (bathua) and
Polygonum etc. grow better in overgrazed areas. They are the indicators of overgrazing.
Habitat change and degradation, combined with total habitat loss, account for 45% of species losses.

Anthropogenic activities are the prime reasons for habitat loss.

• Habitat loss refers to changes in the environment that leads to decline in functional value of an
ecosystem. Habitat degradation is the process by which a habitat gradually declines in quality,
often leading to the reduced survival of species living there. The habitat can no longer
accommodate and support the life of the organisms present, thereby declining their
population.

• Habitat fragmentation is a process by which large and contiguous habitats get divided into
smaller, isolated patches of habitats. The initiation of these smaller habitats has a direct impact
on all of the species, their community structure, and the overall ecosystem of those fragments.

• Habitat fragmentation is not only responsible for change in the characteristics of a fragment
but also causes extinction of many species.
• With that, travelling through one fragment to another becomes dangerous as it involves having
to cross roads, rail tracks, and even fences.

• POACHING: Illegal trade of wildlife products by killing endangered animals from their natural
habitats.

• It is usually occurs when an animal possesses something that is considered valuable (i.e. the
animal’s fur or ivory). Poaching poses a growing threat to elephants, rhinos, and other
charismatic animals, as well as to smaller and more obscure creatures, like certain lizards and
monkeys.
 1. Overexploitation refers to the act of overharvesting species and natural resources at rates faster
than they can actually sustain themselves in the wild and due to this species population is put
into great risk of reduction.

2. Overharvesting, overfishing, and overhunting are some examples of overexploitation

3. If the act of overexploitation continues, it can ultimately bring extinction to many species, even
if they still exist in the wild.

4. An exotic species can be any kind of organism that has been introduced to a foreign habitat.
This introduction can cause major threats to the native species as they often become subjected
to great competition for resources, disease, and predation. When these species have
successfully colonized the area, they are already called “invasive” ones.

5. Next to habitat loss, invasive species are ranked as the second biggest threat to biodiversity.

6.

In-situ conservation of biodiversity is the conservation of species within their natural habitat. Natural
ecosystem is maintained and protected.

Advantages of in-situ conservation:

 • cost-effective and a convenient method of conserving biodiversity.

• A large number of living organisms can be conserved simultaneously.

• Since the organisms are in a natural ecosystem, they can evolve better and can easily adjust to
different environmental conditions.

Ex-situ conservation (alternate method) of biodiversity involves breeding and maintenance of

endangered species in artificial ecosystems such as zoos, nurseries, botanical gardens, gene banks,

• Advantages:

• The animals are provided with breeding activity.

• Species bred in captivity can be reintroduced in the wild.

• Genetic techniques can be used for the preservation of endangered species.

In situ methods
 Difference Between Wildlife Sanctuary And National Park

Wildlife Sanctuary National Park

Human activities are allowed. No human activities are allowed.

The main aim is to protect a particular flora Can include flora, fauna or any other objects of historical/geographic
or fauna. significance.

There are no fixed boundaries. Boundaries are fixed and defined.

It is open to the general public Not usually open to the public.

Sanctuaries are usually formed by the order National Parks are formed by the State or central Legislature.
of Central or the State Government

A sanctuary can be upgraded to a national A national park cannot be downgraded to a sanctuary.

park

• Conservation reserves and community reserves in India are terms denoting

protected areas of India which typically act as buffer zones to or connectors and migration
corridors between established national parks, wildlife sanctuaries and reserved and protected
forests of India.

• They were introduced because of the reduced in and around existing protected areas due to
private ownership of land, and land use.
Ex situ methods