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.
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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...
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