Unit II - Ecosystem and Biodiversity
Unit II - Ecosystem and Biodiversity
1. Climatic factors- which include the climatic regime and physical factors of the
environment like sunlight, humidity, temperature, wind, rainfall,
water, etc.,
2. Edapic factors - which are related to the structure and composition of soil such as
minerals, soil organisms, organic substances, etc.,
2.Carnivores or Meat eaters: They feed on other animals for their food
It receives energy from sun and transfers it through various biotic and abiotic
components.
All life on earth depends upon this flow of energy. Besides energy, various nutrients
and water also exchanged within the biotic and abiotic community.
Food web is a network of food chains where different organisms are connected at
different tropic levels, so that there are a number of options of eating and being eaten at
each tropic level.
Nature has evolved food webs in ecosystems instead of simple linear food chains
Because food webs give greater stability to the ecosystem.
Moreover, because of its non-biodegradable character, it can remain in soil or water for
many years leading to a very dangerous and concerning process – bio-magnification.
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These tropical forest ecosystems cover less than ten percent of earth's surface, and
contain about ninety percent of the world's species.
Marine biodiversity is usually higher along coasts in the Western Pacific, where sea
surface temperature is highest, and in the mid-latitudinal band in all oceans.
It encompasses the evolutionary, ecological, and cultural processes that sustain life.
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The closest relations of an organism are members of its own species. Members of a species
share genes.
Genes are the bits of biochemical information that partly determine how an organism looks,
behaves, and lives.
Virtually every species in an environment has a similar and closely related species in a
neighboring environment.
The genetic structure and subdivision of this crop remain unclear at both global and local
scales.
Using 84 nuclear simple sequence repeat markers, we genotyped a panel of 153 global rice
cultivars covering all previously recognized groups and 826 cultivars representing the
diversity of Chinese rice germplasm.
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On the basis of model-based grouping, neighbour-joining tree and principal coordinate
analysis, we confirmed the widely accepted five major groups of rice cultivars (indica, aus,
aromatic, temperate japonica and tropical japonica), and demonstrated that rayada rice was
unique in genealogy and should be treated as a new (the sixth) major group of rice
germplasm.
Additionally, every species has other, more distantly related species. These two species share
a more general set of traits.
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Values of biodiversity
Introduction:
Biodiversity is the most precious gift of nature the mankind is blessed with. The
uniqueness of our planet Earth is due to the presence of life manifested through the
diversity in flora and fauna.
As all the organisms in an ecosystem are interlinked and interdependent, the
value of biodiversity in the life of all the organisms including humans is enormous.
Besides its ecological and environmental value, biodiversity has significant socio-
economic values as well.na.
Biodiversity or biological diversity simply means the variety and variability
among living organisms and the ecological complexes in which they occur. Such
variety refers to the variety at the species, genetic and ecosystem level.
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Value of Biodiversity:
The biodiversity value has been classified by McNeely et al in 1990 as follows;
Humans use at least 40,000 species of plants and animals on a daily basis.
Many people around the world still depend on wild species for most of their needs like
food, shelter and clothing. The tribal people are completely dependent on the forests for
their daily needs.
Similarly, fishermen in the coastal areas are dependent on the marine
resources. The wood derived from the forests has been used from the birth of civilization
as fuel.
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Common modern drugs obtains rom plants
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(ii) Productive Use Value:
This is assigned to products that are commercially harvested and
marketed.
It may include lumber or wild gene resources that can be traded for use by
scientists for introducing desirable traits in the crops and domesticated animals. These
may include the animal products like tusks of elephants, musk from musk deer, silk
rom silk-worm, wool from sheep, fur of many animals, lac from lac insects etc. all of
which are traded in the market.
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(iii) Social Value:
These are the values associated with the social life, customs, religion and
psycho-spiritual aspects of the people.
While traditional societies had valued and preserved their biodiversity
and its resources, modern man has depleted it up to the extent leading to
irrecoverable loss due to extinction of several species.
Ecosystem people’ value biodiversity as a part of their livelihood , as well
as through cultural and religious sentiments.
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(iv) Ethical Value:
Ethical values of biodiversity are based on the importance of protecting all form of life. It
is known as existence value. It involves ethical issues like “all life must be preserved”. It is based
on the concept of “Live and Let Live”. If we want our human race to survive, then we must protect
all biodiversity, because biodiversity is valuable.
Most religious and secular creeds believe that all form of life have the right to exist on
Earth. Man is only a small part of the Earth’s great family of species; plants and animals have an
equal right to live and exist on our planet. There are several cultural, moral and ethical values,
associated with the holiness of all forms of life.
Morality and ethics teach us to preserve all forms of life and not to harm any organism
unnecessarily. Some people take pleasure in the hunting of animals. People also sometimes
degrade and pollute the environment by their unethical actions.
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(v) Aesthetic Value:
The beauty of our planet is because of biodiversity, which otherwise would have
resembled other barren planets dotted around the universe. Biological diversity adds to
the quality of life and provides some of the most beautiful aspects of our existence.
Biodiversity is responsible for the beauty of a landscape. Humans are also attracted
towards the biologically rich regions and nobody likes to live or visit a barren place.
People go to far off places to enjoy the natural surroundings and wildlife.
This type of tourism is referred to as eco-tourism, which has now become a
major source of income in many countries. Eco-tourism includes visiting wildlife
sanctuaries, national parks, coral reefs, exotic islands, safaris and trekking in the
mountainous and forested areas. In some countries like Nepal, Bhutan, Kenya, Rwanda,
eco-tourism has now become the major source of foreign currency income.
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(vi) Optional Value:
This refers to the value of biodiversity that is yet unknown, but needs to be
explored for future possibilities and use. Scientists have discovered and named about
1.75 million species, which is of utmost importance. We should preserve all the world’s
biodiversity that can be used by the future generations.
A species potential to provide an economic benefit to human society at some
point in the future is its option value. As the needs of the society change , so must the
methods of satisfying those needs. The option value of species could be only recently
utilized by human beings
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Health agencies and pharmaceutical companies are making a major effort to
collect and screen species for compounds that have the ability to fight cancer.
In some cases well known species have been found to have exactly those
properties needed to deal with a significant human problem.
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(vii) Ecosystem service value:
Include:
Primary production
Flood control
Climate regulation
Waste treatment
Water purification, etc...
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Ecosystem services
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Current state of ecosystem services:
Capacity of ecosystems to provide services is decreasing.
habitat modification
invasive species
pollution
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Role of plants in ecosystem services
FOOD WOOD
FIBRE MEDICINE
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Role of plants in ecosystem services:
Water purification Carbon sequestration
A biodiversity hotspot is a
region with a high level
of endemic species.
• To qualify as a hotspot, an area must hold at least 1500 endemic species – Brazil's
Atlantic Forest is containing roughly 20,000 plant species &1,350 vertebrates etc
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Biodiversity Status in India:
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India is the origin of 166 species of crop plants and
320 species of wild relatives of cultivated crops
India’s marine biodiversty is als rich, supporting the most productive ecosystems such
as mangroves, coral reefs and estuaries
In India, among plant kingdom angiosperms tops the list(17,500 species) while
gymnosperms are the least, comprising only of 64 species
In India, among animal kingdom, arthropoda tops the list(68,389) while Protochordata
are the list with only 119 species
The endemics are concentarted mainly in western ghats, NE Himalayas, NW
Himalayas and Andaman & Nicobar islands. About 33% of the flowering plants present are
endemic
About 53%fresh water fishes are endemic
About 60%of amphibians are endemic mostly in western ghats
About 36%reptiles are endemic
About 10%mammals are endemic
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SPECIES DIVERSITY AND ENDEMISM HIMALAYAS :
Mammals 300 12 4
Amphibians 105 42 40
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SPECIES DIVERSITY AND ENDEMISM IN WESTERN GHATS :
Point richness: the number of species that can be found at single point in a given space.
Beta richness: the rate of change in species composition across different habitats.
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HOTSPOTS OF BIODIVERSITY
Biodiversity refers to the variety and variability among all groups of living organisms
and ecosystem complexes in which they occur.
Areas which exhibit high species richness as well as high species endemism are
termed as HOT SPOTS OF BIODIVERSITY.
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Important hot spots
2.Himalaya
5.Horn of Africa
7.Sundaland
8.Forests of Australia
9.Caucasus
10.Mesoamerica
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WESTERN GHATS AND SRI LANKA
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HIMALAYAN
Includes the entire Indian Himalayan
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Rafflesia arnoldii
red-knobbed hornbill
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Endangered Species :
A species of plant or animal that is in immediate danger of becoming extinct and
needs protection to survive.
Concept:
The endangered species are those
living organisms which are almost
on the critical level.
Thousands of species of plants and animals
are endangered and the number increases
each year.
Kokkare Bellure, Karnataka:
Pelican species –
They need to be preserved because droppings
of these fish eating birds are rich in nitrates
which is a good fertilizer
ENDEMIC SPECIES:
Concept :
The concept of Endemism was first given by CANDOLLE.
When a species is found only in a particular geographical region because of its isolation, soil
and climatic conditions, it is said to be endemic
The Indian Desert:
Mangrove Trees – Mangrove roots
provide support to unstable soils
and withstand currents and storms.
Threats to biodiversity
Habitat destruction - Important to protect habitat in order to protect biodiversity within it.
Huge pressure from the World’s rapidly increasing population.
Global climate change - Change in a biotic elements of ecosystems leading to biotic
change.
Habitat fragmentation - From human activity. Reduces ability of habitat to support
species.
Pollution - Introduction of pollutants such as nutrient overloading with nitrate fertilizer
as well as more immediately harmful chemicals.
Over-exploitation - This includes the illegal wildlife trade as well as overfishing, logging
of tropical hardwoods etc.
Alien species - Introduced by humans to regions where there are no natural predators.
Disease - Reduction in habitat causing high population densities,
encourages spread of diseases.
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Loss of Habitat:
Destruction and loss of natural
habitat is single largest cause of biodiversity loss.
Habitat loss can be described when an animal loses their home. Every animal in the animal
kingdom has a niche, a their in their animal community and without their habitat they no longer have
a niche.
Natural disturbances or changes in land use lead to the fragmentation of forests. such
habitat changes have a significant impact on biodiversity, as small fragments of habitat
can only support small populations that tend to be more vulnerable to extinction.
It results in reduction of a large, continuous area into two or more fragmented
reduced area . The fragments have greater amount of edge area the original habitat
and also the core of the fragmented habitat is nearer the edge.
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Poaching:
It is the hunting and harvesting
taking of wild plants or animals,
such as through hunting,
harvesting, fishing, or trapping
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Why Poaching is done???
Poaching is done for large profits gained by the
illegal sale or trade of animal parts, meat and pelts.
Exists because there is a demand for these
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Poaching is not limited to animals
its also for plants too…………!
Three of the most often poached species in the park
are galax, black cohosh, and ginseng.
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How does poaching affect the
environment?
Poaching or illegal hunting causes animals endangered of being extinct.
If more animals becomes extinct there's a disruption in the food chain, and that
will
cause major problems in our ecosystem, resulting
eventually in new adaptations of animals, and or species beyond human
control.
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Man- wild conflicts
Increase in man wildlife conflict is due to resource limitation like :
1.Space ,2. Food , 3. Shelter
It is also due to Increasing population of human beings , Loss of
forest, decrease in quality of forest and development activities.
In India, wild elephants probably kill far more people than tiger, leopard or lion.
Damage to agricultural crops and property, killing of livestock and human beings are some of
the worst forms of man-animal conflict.
Farmers sometimes poison and shoot wild animals as they damage their crops, but this can be
prevented by taking certain measures.
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Ways to reduce the conflicts
Governments is working on
improvement of habitat to augment
food and water availability and to
Reduce movement of animals from the
forests to the habitations.
Training forest staff and police
Very High Frequency, Global Positioning System and Satellite uplink facilities can be used
the movements of wild animals .
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Endangered Species:
The International Union of Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN)
publishes the Red Data Book which includes the list of endangered species of plants and
animals. The red data symbolizes the warning signal for those species which are
endangered and if not protected are likely to become extinct in near future.
Persian leopards
brown bears
golden eagles on
bis
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Conservation of Biodiversity:
The convention on Biological Diversity held in June, 1992 stressed the need of the
conservation of Biodiversity for sustainable development and perpetuation of human beings
on earth.
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In-situ conservation:
These include; Biosphere reserves ,National parks, Wild Life Sanctuaries etc.
The JIM CORBETT National Park was 1stnational park established in India.
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Examples of Biosphere reserves of India:
It conserve some representative ecosystems as a whole long-term in situ
conservation. Nilgiri-5,520 sq.km
Nanda Devi - 5,860.69 sq. km
Manas – 2837 sq. km
Gulf of Mannar – 10,500 sq. km
Great Nicobar – 885 sq. km
Panchmarhi – 4,926.28 sq Km
Examples:
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Ex-situ conservation
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In India, we have many gene bank. The important ones are:
National Facility for Plant Tissue Culture Repository (NFPTCR) at NBPGR Campus New
Delhi:
It has been set up for the development of a facility of conservation of varieties of
crop plants/ trees by tissue culture.
Natioanl Bureau of Animal Genetic Resources (NBAGR) at located at Karna, Haryana:
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