Biodiversity

Biodiversity and its Conservation: 1. Define Biodiversity? “The variability of all species of plants, animals & microorganisms together with the ecosystem in which they thrive”.  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.  About 1.7 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. 2. What are the levels of Biodiversity? Biodiversity is usually considered at three different levels:  Genetic diversity  Genetic diversity refers to the variation of genes within species.  This covers genetic variation between distinct populations of the same species.  It also covers genetic variation within a population.  Genetic diversity can be measured using a variety of DNA-based and other techniques.  Species diversity  Species diversity is measured in relation to a given area. It can be assessed in terms of the number of species or the range of different types of species an area contains.  So far, 1.7 million species have been described worldwide.  Estimates of the total number of species on Earth range from 5 to 100 million.  Ecosystem diversity  Ecosystem diversity encompasses the broad differences between ecosystem types, and the diversity of habitats and ecological processes occurring within each ecosystem type.  Different physical settings favor very different communities of species.

1

3. Explain the values of Biodiversity  Value of biodiversity:  Consumptive Use – food, clothing, shelter, medicines, proteins, enzymes, papers, sports goods, musical instruments, beverages, pets, zoo specimens, tourism and trade concern  Productive Use – domesticated agricultural...