BIODIVERSITY

BIODIVERSITY BIODIVERSITY
Definition: biological diversity or biodiversity is that part of nature which Definition: Biodiversity is that part of nature which includes the differences in genes among includes the differences in genes among the individuals of a species, the variety and richness the individuals of a species, the variety of all the plants and all the plants different scales and richness ofanimal species atand animal in space, locally, in a region, in in space, species at different scales a country and the world, and various types of ecosystems, both locally, in a region, in a country and the terrestrial and aquatic, within a defined area world, and various types of ecosystems, both terrestrial and aquatic, within a defined area

 Levels of Biodiversity: Genetic Diversity Species Diversity Ecosystem Diversity Genetic Diversity: o Large number of combinations are possible in the genes that give every individual specific characters o Gene pool o Loss in genetic diversity can lead to extinction

 Species Diversity: o Number of species and plants that are present in a region constitute its species diversity o Natural tropical forests vs plantations o At the moment 1.8 million species on the earth o Area rich in species diversity is called as Hotspots Ecosystem Diversity: o Can be described for a specific geographical region or country or a state etc

Countries with the Highest Biological Diversity (in descending order): 1. Brazil 2. Colombia 3. Indonesia 4. China 5. Mexico 6. South Africa 7. Venezuela 8. Ecuador 9. Peru 10. United States 11. Papua New Guinea 12. India 13. Australia 14. Malaysia 15. Madagascar 16. Democratic Republic of Congo (Zaire) 17. the Philippines Counting Hawaii as part of the US, sixteen of the seventeen most biodiverse counties on earth have tropical rainforests.

Area (in %) covered by each zone

ZONE NAME % OF INDIA

Trans Himalayas Himalayas Deserts Semi-arid Western Ghats Deecan Peninsular Gangetic Pains North East Coasts Islands

5.62 6.41 6.56 16.60 4.03 41.99 10.79 5.21 2.52 0.25

 THE TRANSHIMALAYAN ZONE:

o Very cold and arid o Sparse alpine steppe vegetation o Extensive areas consist of bare rock and glaciers o Faunal group is best represented by wild sheep and goats, snow leopard, black necked crane etc

 THE HIMALAYAN ZONE:

o Flora and fauna vary according to altitude and climatic conditions o The lower levels of the mountain range support many types of orchids o Animals in the Himalayas show several behavioral adaptations o Snow leopard and brown bear inhabit the alpine region o There are variety of carnivores in the higher mountains, some of which are threatened with extinction

 THE DESERT ZONE:

o Sparse vegetation o The rare Indian Wild Ass is found in small pockets in the Little Rann of Kutch o The Greater Rann of Kutch is the only large breeding colony of flamingo o Animals: wolf, desert fox, rodents, black bucks, neelgai o Birds: The Great Indian Bustard, florican, partridge, quails etc o Reptiles: specialized snakes and lizards

 SEMI ARID ZONE:

o Range from thorn forests to open savannah like plains, semi arid grasslands or scrublands o This belt surrounds the desert and extends into the Deccan o Animals: black buck, chinkara, neelgai, Asiatic lions can be located in the Gir National Park o Reptiles: Star tourtise o Bishnois efforts

 THE WESTERN GHATS:

o They form a long range of hills from Gujarat, through Maharashtra, Karnataka and Kerela o They cover only 4% of Indias land but are home to more than 4,000 of the countrys plant species of which 1800 are endemic o Each valley can have endemic plant species o Within a couple of kilometers the vegetation changes due to variation in rainfall o Hills have complex forests communities, which can vary from one hill slope to the next o The Nilgiri langur, lion tailed macaque, Malabar grey hornbill, Malabar giant squirrel and most amphibian species are also endemic

 THE DECCAN PENINSULAR:

o It is bound by the Satpura

ranges in the North, Western Ghats in the West and Eastern Ghats in the East o Deccan is characterized by patches of deciduous and thorn forests which are surrounded by large tracts of semiarid grasslands o The elevation of the plateau varies 900 mts in the west to 300 mts in the east o Animals: Tiger, sloth bear, wild boar, sambar, chital etc

 THE GANGETIC PLAINS:

o The plains merge into the semi arid region to the West and into extremely wet North Eastern regions in the East o The rainfalls range from a low of 500mm/yr in the West to 5000mm/year in the East o Animals: Northern parts include elephant Gaur, sambar, hog deer, wild buffalo o The turtle species and the gangetic dolphin are under great threat

 THE NORTH EAST ZONE:

o Consists mainly of evergreen forests o The are relatively undisturbed patches of these forests which have unimaginable biological diversity o Most of the plant species are endemic o Animals: Tiger, leopard, elephants, rhino, wild buffalo, swamp deer etc o The rare golden lungur and the capped langur are endemic to this area o This zone has the largest population of Indian elephants

 THE COASTAL REGIONS:

o The natural vegetation consists of mangroves o Animal species include dolphins, crocodiles etc o The highest tiger population is found in the Sunderbans o There are 26 species of fresh water turtles and tortoises in India and 5 species of marine turtles which inhabit the coastal waters and lay their eggs on suitable beaches

 o o o o

THE INDIAN ISLANDS: It is a group of 325 islands. Andaman and Nicobar are separated by about 160 kms At present, 21 of the 325 islands are inhabited About 2200 species of plants are found here of which 200 are endemic o 112 bird species, the Andaman water monitor, giant robber crab, 4 species of turtles the harmless Andaman water snake are only found on these islands o Coral reefs are in plenty

Major threats to the biogeographical zones

Habitat destruction Habitat fragmentation Introduction of exotic species Developmental activities Exploitation Marine pollution Natural disasters like floods, earthquakes and forest fires

VALUES OF BIODIVERSITY

Direct Consumptive value Productive value

Indirect

Social values Option value Aesthetic value Recreation and tourism values Educational and scientific values Ethical and moral values

Global species diversity

Group
Bacteria and blue green algae Fungi Algae Bryophytes ( Mosses) Gymnosperms ( Conifers) Angiosperms (Flowering plants) Protozoa Sponges Coral sand jellyfish Roundworms and earthworms Crustaceans Insects Other arthropods and minor invertebrates Molluscs Starfish Fishes Amphibians Reptiles Birds Mammals

No. of described species

4760 46983 26900 17000 750 250000 30800 5000 9000 24000 38000 751000 132461 50000 6100 19056 4184 6300 9198 4170

BIODIVERSITY AT GLOBAL, NATIONAL AND LOCAL LEVELS

Developed vs developing nations Developed world has come to support the concept that biodiversity must be considered as a global resource Why the exclusion of oil, uranium or intellectual and technological expertise as global aspects?

 Countries with diversities greater than India are located in South America as Brazil, and South East Asian countries such as Malaysia and Indonesia. World Heritage Convention: Manas (border of Bhutan and India) Kaziranga (Assam) Bharatpur (UP) Nandadevi (Himalayas) Sunderbans (Ganges belt in West Bengal) Convention of International Trade of Endangered Species (CITES)

INDIA AS A MEGA DIVERSITY NATION

Our country has a special place as one of the worlds biologically rich nations India is rated among the top 10 to 15 nations for its great biodiversity of plant life Many of the species found in India are endemic Our national hot spots are the forests of NorthEast and the Western Ghats

 The forests in India are home to nearly 45,000 species of plants which constitute 6.4% of plant species on earth The Andaman and Nicobar Islands alone have about 2200 species of flowering plants and 120 species of ferns India is rich with its 1200 bird species and 350 species of wild mammals Out of the total species of amphibians found in India, 62% are unique to this country Among lizards, of the 153 species, 50% are endemic

INDIAN SPECIES DIVERSITY

World ranking No. of species

Mammals Birds Reptiles Amphibians Angiosperms

8th 8th 5th 15th 15th 20th

350 1200 453 182 14,500

ANIMAL ENDEMISM IN INDIA

Mammals relatively low Birds relatively high Reptiles lizards 50% are endemic Amphibians very high endemism (62%)

Marine sediment worms high endemism

Mayflies and centipedes high endemism

PLANT ENDEMISM IN INIDA

33% of Indian endemic species are of flowering plants 18% of all plants are endemic

THREATS TO BIODIEVRSITY
Habitat destruction Habitat fragmentation Population factor Pollution Exotic species Exploitation of recourses Poaching Natural disasters

COMMON PLANT SPECIES OF INDIA

Teak Sal Mango Ficus species Neem Tamarind Babul Jamun Flame of the Forest Tendu Jackfruit Amla Pine Coconut Orchids Drosera Lotus Grasses Bamboo

COMMON ANIMAL SPECIES OF INDIA

MAMMALS: Common deer species: Sambar, Chital, Barasingha and Barking deer Rare deer species: Hungul Blackbuck Chinkara Chausingha or four horned antelope Nilgai

 Indian wild ass Little Rann of Kutch Himaliyan Tahr Himalayan regions Niligari Tahr Nilgiri and Annamalai hills in south India Rhinoceros now restricted to Assam Wild buffalo now redistricted to Terai Elephants North-Eastern and Southern states Tiger Asiatic lion Gir forests in Gujarat Leopard Snow leopard Himalayan wolf

Bonnet macaque Rhesus macaque Lion-tailed macaque Common langur Golden langur Capped langur Niligiri langur
BIRDS: Hornbills Parakeets, barbets, bulbuls Flycatchers, bee-eaters Great Indian Bustard

Quails, partridges, larks, munias Waders, gulls, terns Ducks and geese Storks, cranes, spoon-bills, flamingo, pelicans REPTILES: Common garden lizards, fan throated lizard, chamelion, common monitor, water monitor Pythons, russells viper, Vine snake Star tortoise, travancore tortoise are rare Olive Ridley, flapsheel turtle Largest reptile: Crocodile Gharial AMPHIBIA: Bull frog, tree frog

INVERTEBRATES Zooplanktons Worms Molluscs (snails) Spiders Crabs Jellyfish Octopus Insects: grasshopper, bugs, beetles, ants, bees, butterflies and moths MARINE LIFE: Some endangered fishes: Mahseer, whales, sharks, dolphins

CONSERVATION OF BIODIVERSITY
Main methods are: In-situ and Ex-situ conservation

IN-SITU CONSERVATION: Formation of National Parks and Wildlife Scantuaries

1)

2)

3)

4)

FUNCTIONS OF NATIONAL PARKS AND SCANTUARIES: Biodiversity preservation - gene recourse - species protection Ecological processes - fixing and cycling of nutrients - soil formation - circulation and cleansing of air - maintain water balance Watershed protection - erosion control - Local flood reduction Consumptive benefits - fuel wood, fodder, fiber

5) Education and research 6) Recreation and tourism 7) Non consumptive benefits - Aesthetic - spiritual - cultural/historical -existence value 8) Future values -option value

 EX-SITU CONSERVATION When is ex-situ conservation used? - usually as the last resort, when a population is too small or so endangered that it cannot survive without extreme intervention - sometimes it is the only choice as the species no longer exists in the wild Zoos Captive breeding: cross fostering, double clutching, artificial insemination, cloning Botanical gardens Aquaria Seed banks