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ECO SYSTEMS AND BIO-DIVERSITY UNIT–II
Dr. K. Chandrasekaran
• Concepts of an eco system • It is defined as the system which results from the interaction of all living
and non living factors with particular environment.• Relationship between living organism and non-living matter constitute the
eco system.• Ecology is the study of science of interlationship between living organism
and their environment. • Forest, desert, fresh water body, earth ,estuaries, etc., constitutes the eco
system. • Eco system is natural and it is self regulating without any external factors is
known as natural eco system. • Cities, Agricultural lands, dams and reservoirs are artificial eco system.• Man creates artificial eco system to cater his need by use of technology• Earth is the giant eco system in the form of biosphere; where the biotic
and abiotic systems are constantly interacting each other.
• Structure and Function of eco system • It consists of both biotic and abiotic environment • Abiotic components are non-living factors and supports living components• Soil, minerals, air, light, water, nutrient, natural resources, etc., are abiotic• Biotic components comprises all living organisms including humans, plants,
animals and microbes.• Biotic Components• Autotrophs – Organism can produce their own food (Plants & Trees). It can
produce food by photosynthesis. As it produces food for all organism, it is known as producers.
• Heterotrophs – Organisms which depend directly or indirectly upon the autotrophs for their food and thus it is known as consumers.
• Function of eco system
• Metabolic Process- It regulates the flow rate of biological energy including assimilation, respiration, production, growth, etc.,
• Energy flow involves transfer of energy from producer to various consumers and assist in maintaining the diversity of eco system.
• Bio-geochemical cycling – Bio-chemical cycling involves circulating food mateials and water in between biotic and abiotic components of an eco system.
• Biological Regulation – It regulates organism by environment and environment by organism according to the mutual needs between them.
• It regulates the species diversity because the nature consists of greater variety of organisms in a system, which leads to its stability.
• It controls the alteration components, because one component (Biotic) affects other (Abiotic).
• Producers, Consumers and Decomposers in eco system • Producers - These are the autotrophs members of the eco system which
consists of green plants and synthesis food from sun light. It includes flowering plants, trees algae and chemosynthetic bacteria.
• Consumers – Heterotrophs members of eco system, which consumer other living being for their food. Consumers include animals and human beings.
• Primary consumers are herbivores which depends upon green plants for their food. Secondary consumers are carnivores which depend upon other animals for their food.
• Tertiary consumers are those animals which can eat secondary consumers • Decomposers – Includes micro organisms like bacterial and fungi; which
attack on dead bodies of producers and consumers and decomposes it into smaller compounds and release inorganic nutrients. These nutrients and organic matter can be utilized by producers to prepare their own food.
• Producers form the first trophic level, herbivores form the second trophic level and carnivores form the third trophic level.
• Energy Flow in Eco System
• Radiant energy produced in the sun travels through space in the form of waves and reaches earth surface.
• Energy reaching the earth is absorbed by green plants and other organisms during photosynthesis and chemosysnthesis
• Green thus obtained energy from photosynthesis and sacrifice themselves as food to other organisms
• Energy flow is unidirectional in eco system and is formed from producers to herbivores to carnivores. The flow cannot occurs in reverse direction.
• Flow starts from autotrophs to heterotrophs. The amount of energy decreases with successive trophic levels.
• Food Chains and Food Webs • It is defined as the transfer of energy and nutrient through a series of
organisms with repeated process of eating and being eaten.
• Ecosystem interconnects all living organisms with one another by food relationship in a way that each organism, living or dead is potential food for some other organism and thus is no waste in the functioning of a natural eco system.
• The linear or orderly arrangement of food chains hardly occur and remain interconnected with each other through different types of organism at different trophic levels which is referred to as a food web.
• Significance: It provides food to any organism in an eco system• It facilitates the energy flow mechanism in eco system • It maintains the movement of toxic substance in the eco system and the
problem of biological magnification.
• Ecological pyramids• Ecological pyramids are diagrammatical representations to show relationship
of number, biomass and energy content among organisms of food chain within eco system.
• Pyramid Number – It refers to the number of organism present in eco system. It is generally found that there is a progressive drop in number from producers to primary and to secondary consumers.
• Decrease in number occurs because of energy loss; when one organism feeds on another.
• Depending upon the type of ecosystem and food chain, pyramid number may increase or decrease.
• Pyramid Bio-mass – Bio-waste generated by community or an individual is called pyramid bio-mass. The amount of organic matter present in it is given as per unit area.
• Pyramid biomas deals with the quantitative relationship of the standing crop at each trophic level.
• It provides better information of standing crop of the eco system.
ECOLOGICAL PYRAMIDS
2nd Level Carnivores or Tertiary Consumers
1st Level Carnivores or Secondary Consumers
Herbivores or Primary Consumers
Producers
• Energy Pyramid • It deals the energy accumulation pattern among different trophic levels of a
food chain. • It provides good index about productivity and energy flow of eco system. • Primary producers trap the radiant energy from the sun and convert it into
potential chemical eenergy.• The trapped energy flowing in the food chain from the producers to top
carnivores.
• Ecological Succession• Eco system is dynamic in nature • Its structure and function changes with time in routine matter and thus
predicted. • The progressive transformation of biological community, plant and animal
species come into an area and alter the environmental condition in favor of new plants and animal species and this process is known is ecological succession.
• Ecological succession culminates in a stable eco system and it is called as climax. Climax community is characterized by bio-mass utilized efficiently per unit of available energy.
• Succession may take hundred and thousands of years to complete with number of intermediate communities known as seral community or seres.
• Establishment of first community all in the area is called pioneer community.
• Succession Process is a self propelled because each seral community changes the physical factors of the area.
• So that the community cannot renew itself in current form • For an instance pine forest grow in canopy and shades the former forest
floor. New sun loving pine seeding cannot germinate in this shade and consequently the new shade-tolerant oak seedlings can start sprout.
• There are two types of succession • (i) Primary succesion & (ii) Secondary succession. • Primary succession: It takes place when plants and animals colonize a
previously desolate area such as sand dune, bare rocks, new volcanic island.
• Secondary Succession: It starts up from previously built up community where a sudden change in climatic factor, biotic intervention, fire, etc., causes the existing community to disappear.
• Further classification of succession based on the moisture content • (i) Hydrosere (ii) Mesosere (iii) Xerosere
• Hydrosere: This succession starts in regions where water is available in plenty. (e.g) Pond, Lake, river, swamp, bog, etc.,.
• Hydrosere starts with colonization of some phytoplanktons, which initially forms plant community and later terminates into a forest.
• Mesosere: This originate in an area where aequate moisture conditions are present. The original substratum contains sufficient amount of water and organic matter. Theprimitive substratum are lichens, mosses, algae and other microorganisms.
• Xerosere: It grows in areas where moisture content is very low. It is found is deserts regions. The original substratum is deficient in water and lacks any organic matter.
• Thus succession tends to move towards mesic (moderate) conditions, irrespective of regions whether it is moist or dry. The succession culminates in a stable climax community (usually a forest).
• Eco Systems • Several eco systems exists in micro and macro level.• Based on physiology, climate, natural vegetation, soil and water bodies,
separate eco systems can be identified. • Major group of eco systems can be classified on the basis of habitat• Terrestrial Eco system• (I) Forest Eco system • (ii) Grassland system • (iii) Desert Eco system• Aquatic Eco System • (i) Fresh water eco system • (ii) Marine eco system• (iii) Estuarine eco system
• Characteristics of Terrestrial Eco System
• Moisture is the major limiting factor this eco system • Evapotranspiration is an energy dissipating process, unique to terrestrial
environment.• Extreme temperature is produced at several occasions• Strong-skeletal systems are present in terrestrial regions (Plants and
animals).• Rapid circulation air equalizes carbon dioxide and oxygen contents
throughout the globe.• Soil acts as highly developed ecological subsystem.
• Forest Eco System• Predominant Vegetation of this eco system is trees, with a large number of
species of herbs, shrubs, climbers, lichens, algae and wide variety of animals and plants.
• Component of eco system is biotic and abiotic• Abiotic – Inorganic minerals and organic matter• Biotic • Producers – Trees, shrubs, epiphytes and ground vegetation• Primary consumers – eating plants (monkeys, cow, goat, mongooses) • Secondary Consumers – Eating herbivores ( Snakes, lizards) • Tertiary Consumers – Top carnivores (Eat lion and tiger)
Goods
• timber• fuel wood• drinking and irrigation water• Fodder• non-timber products (vines, bamboo, leaves)• food (honey, mushrooms, fruit, game)
services
• removal of air pollutants• emission of oxygen• cycling of nutrients• an array of watershed functions (infiltration,
purification, flow control, soil stabilisation)• maintenance of biodiversity• sequestering of atmospheric carbon
• Grassland Eco Systems • The prime vegetation of this eco system is grass species.• Abiotic – Organic matter and inorganic minerals present in soil• Biotic component• Producers – Grasses, shrubs, forbs and ground vegetation• Conosumers• Primary Consumers – Cow, Deer, Sheep (Herbivores)• Secondary consumers – Carnivores like snake, lizards, fox, wolf• Tertiary Consumers – Top Carnivores, like lion, tiger, fox, wolf, etc., • Decomposers – Microorganisms include fungi, algae, bacteria,
actinomycetes, etc.,
Food chain of grass land eco system
• Desert Eco System • Occurs in region where evaporation exceeds precipitation.• Annual mean rainfall is below 250mm• Scarcity of rainfall due to (i) High sub-tropical pressure• Three plant forms can grow in desert area, • (i) Annuals – Avoid drought by growing only where there is adequate
moisture.• (ii) Succulents which store water• (iii) Desert shrubs – Develop numerous features to adapt desert condition• Abiotic component – Poorly present in soil.• Biotic Component • Producers – Shrubs, xerophytic grass, succulent plants• Consumers – Insects, reptiles, nocturnal rodents, biers, camels, etc., • Decomposers – Due to poor vegetation with low amount of dead organic
matter, decomposers are poor in desert eco system with only few species of thermophillic fungi and bacteria.
DESERT ECO SYSTEM FOOD CHAIN PATTERN
• Aquatic system • Aquatic system deals with the biotic components of water bodies. • Carbondi oxide and oxygen are available in gaseous state for terresterrial
system • But in aquatic system the above gases are available in dissolved state in
water.• Aqatic eco systems influenced by several factors such as light, temperature,
pressure, salinity, oxygen and carbondi oxide concentration. • Based on the quality and nature of water the aquatic systems are further
classified into • (i) Fresh water aquatic systems (ii) Marine eco systems (iii) • Fresh water aquatic system further classified into • (i) standing water or lentic eco system (lake, pond, swamp) • (ii) Running water Iotic eco systems (river, spring, stream)
• Fresh water eco system It occupies small portion of the earth’s surface and provides drinking water as as water for domestic needs.
• Pond and Lake ecosystem – Pond is a good example of standing fresh water eco system, which exhibits a self-sufficient, self-regulating system. Pond is a place where living organisms not only live but interact with biotic and abiotic components.
• Lakes are usually big standing fresh water bodies. They have a shallow water zone called littoral zone, an open-water zone, where penetration of solar light takes place called limnetic zone and deep water zone where light penetration is negligible, called profoundal zone.
• Abiotic component – Organic and inorganic matter present in bottom soil or dissolved in water.
• Biotic Component • Producers – Includes submerged, free floating and amphibious
macrophytes (hydrilla, typha, etc., ) and minute floating and suspended lower phytoplanktons (like Ulothrirx, Spirogyra, etc., )
• Consumers• Primary Consumers• These are zooplanktons (ciliates, flagellates, protozoa, etc.,) and benthos.• Secondary Consumers: These are carnivores like insects and fishes feeding
on the herbivores.• Tertiary Consumers• These are large fishes feeding on small fishes• Decomposers – These are microorganisms like bacteria, fungi and
actinomycetes.• Marine or Ocean Eco System • These are gigantic reservoirs of water covering nearly 70% of earths’s
surface. This eco system differs from freshwater ecosystem mainly because of its saline water, depth and water is in continuous circulation.
• Most of the marine water is at a temperature of 2-3oC, devoid of light, and 62% is under high pressure.
• Trophic levels of marine eco system start from smallest autotrophs, like planktons and neutons and end with larger animals like giant fiwsh, squids and whales.
• Abiotic component
• High Na, Ca, Mg and K salt concentrations, variable dissolved oxygen content, light and temp. makes unique physio-chemical conditions of marine system.
• Concentration of dissolved nutrient remain low and thus limits the marine population.
• Biotic Components• Producers – It includes phytoplankton, large sea weeds, angiosperms• Consumers • Primary Consumers – Herbivorous and feed directly on producers
(crustceans, mollusks, fish, etc.,) • Secondary Consumers – Carnivores fishes (Herring and markerel)• Tertiary Consumers – Top carnivores – fishes feeding on small fishes• Decomposers: Micro organism like bacteria and fungi.
• Estuarine Eco System • Estuarines are semi-enclosed coastal body of water connected on the one
side with open sea and with fresh water on the other side. • It is a transition zone which is strongly affected by tidal action and mixing sea
water into fresh water and vice-versa• Therefore this eco system is characterized as eco system having fluctuating
water level. • Hence the organism present in estuaries show a wide range of tolerance to
temperature (eurythermal) and salinity (eurylhaline). • Estuaries are highly productive and offer high food potential for human
beings due to the nutrient and energy inputs from both sea water and river water
• Component of estuaries • Abiotic component: Mixture of fresh water and marine eco systems• Biotic• Producers – Macrophytes (march grasses, seaweeds, sea grasses, benthic
algae and phytoplanktoms• Consumers – Oysters, crabs, several kinds of shrimps and many commercial
sport fish.• Decomposers – Bacteria and Fungi.
Introduction to Bio-diversity • Definition – It is derived from the word biological diversity. The biosphere contains more
than 15 million organisms. They differ widely from one other and this variation in living organism is called Bio-ddivesity.
Genetic Biodiversity • Genetic Diversity – It refers to the variation of genes within the species.
The genes found in organisms can form enormous number of combinations each of which gives rise to some variability.
• Genes are the basic unit of hereditary information transmitted from one generation to the other.
• Differences between individual organisms have two causes: (i) variation in the genetic material and (ii) variation caused by the environmental influence on each organism
• When genes within the same species show different versions due to new combinations, it is called genetic variability and it is basic source of diversity.
• Often natural habitats have been converted to other uses, thereby destroying wide varieties of crop plants that might need for plant improvement and this generally called generally called as loss of genetic diversity. If it happens within the species it is termed as genetic erosion.
• Application: Genetic diversity has benefit for agricultural productivity and its development. It provides new variety of crops with high yield.
• Species Diversity • It refers to variety of species within a region.• Diversity between species is called species diversity.• It is possible to estimate the number of species within a region/ a country
and this estimation is known as species richness. • It provides a possible measure of how much diversity present at a site and
thus it is a measure of diversity.• Any area contributes to overall global diversity both through the number of
species present in that area and through the proportion to those species, which are unique to that area. These species which are confined entirely to a certain area are called endemic species.
• Biotic components: Plants, animal and microbes• Smaller the area of endemism; the more at risk are the endemic species.
Species Diversity
• Eco System Diversity • This is the diversity of ecological environment showing variations in
ecological riches, trophic structure, food webs, nutrient cycling, etc., • It also shows variation with respect to physical parameters like moisture,
temperature, moisture, altitude, preicpitation, etc., • Diversity of eco systems is often assessed in terms of the diversity of the
species. • Hence, the diversity occurs at the ecological level (marine, pond, desert,
etc.,) • Eco system diversity is difficulty to measure since the boundaries of the
communities which constitute the various eco systems are elusive.
Eco System Diversity
• Bio-geographical classification of India • India is one of the eight Vavilov Centres of high plant genetic diversity and is
characterized by having a high proportion of endemic species in its vegetation.
• Biogeography comprising phytography and zoogeography deals with aspects of plants and animals.
• Botanical survey of India has divided nine biogeographical regions based on floral diversity,
• Northern Himalayas: Consisiting of outer range covered by subtropical dry evergreen , subtropical pine forests and moist temperature zone forests. The inner ranges of mountains have dry temperate forests and alpine scrubs.
• Eastern Himalayas – Compared to western Himalayas, the Eastern Himalayas are wetter and warmer and thus rich in biodiversity. Lower slopes posses semi-evergreen forests.
• Western Arid Region – Chracterized by sparsed vegetation and distributed on fairly distinct found habitat conditions namely (i) Sand plains and dunes (ii) Gravelly plains (iii) Rocky Habitats (iv) Saline depressions
• Gangetic Plain – Stretching from eastern Rajasthan through Uttar Pradesh to Bihar and Bengal. The whole area is chiefly under Agriculture. The natural vegetation consists of tropical deciduous forest. Southeast end of gangetic plain consists of mangroove regions of sundarbans.
• Eastern India: It includes seven sister nations starts from Arunachal Pradesh. • Vegetation – Tropical wet evergreen forests consists eastern and southern
Assam. • Deciduous forest – Meghalaya, Tripura and Assam.• Sub tropical pine forests – Meghalaya, Manipur• Nagaland – Having many enemies including insectivorous pitcher plant and it
consists of finest bamboo forest in the country.• Nagaland – This region represents high diversity of orchids, bamboos, tree
ferns, aroids, and members of zingiberaceae. • The Deccan Plateau – Its are lies south of vindhyan hills and eastern and
western ghats.• Vegetation – Tropical thorn forests, Trophical dry deciduoterus forest. • Coverage – Eastern parts of the plateau in Andhra Pradesh, Madhya pradesh
and orissa.
• Western Ghats • Natural Vegetation – Tropical moist deciduous forests, tropical semi-
evergreen forests and tropical wet evergreen forests in a continuous strip all along the ghats.
• Coverage – Karnataka, Kerala and Nilgiris. Especially Nilgiris region is rich in endemic flora.
• Eastern Ghats – It consists of tropical dry deciduous thorn forests.• Coverage – Orissa • Natural vegetation – Sholas are dominated by evergreen forests
• Andaman and Nicobar Islands • Andaman islands are continental fragments while Nicobar islands are
volcanic. The islands have rich bio-diversity having tropical wet evergreen, semi-evergreen and moist deciduous forests.
• Value of Bio-Diversity • The world is inhabitated by great diversity of life forms, animals and plants,
living in diverse habitats and possessing diverse qualities. • This diversity is key to human survival as they provide food and materials
for shelter, clothing, tools and medicine. • The value of biodiversity in terms of commercial utility, ecological services,
social and aesthetic value is enormous. • Bio-diversity value can be classified as follow, • Consumptive use value – These are direct use values where the bio-
diversity products can be harvested and consumed directly (e.g: food, drugs, etc.,)
• Food – A large number of wild plants are consumed by human beings as food . About 90% of present day food crops have been harvested from wild tropical plants.
• Drugs and medicine – 75% of world population depends upon plants or plant extract for medicine. Pencillin used as antibiotic is derived from a fungus called pencillium.
Significance of diversity/Nitrogen Fixation
• Productive use values • These include animal products like tusks of elephants, musk from musk deer,
silk from silk worm, wool from sheep, fir of many animals, lac from lac insects, etc., are traded in the market
• Industries: Paper industry, plywood industry, railway sleeper industry, silk industry, textile industry, ivory-works, leather industry, pearl industry, etc., are based on the productive use values of bio-diversity.
• Social Value – These values are associated with the social life, customs, religion, and psycho-spiritual aspects of the people. Many plants are considered as holy and sacred in our country like tulsi,neem, Lotus, Mango, Banana, Peepal, Bael, etc., . The leaves, fruits and flowers of these plants are used for worship.
• Many animals like cow, snake, bull, peacock, owl, etc., also have significant place in our psycho-spiritual practice. Thus bio-diversity has distinct social value attached with the different societies.
• Ethical Value • It is also 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”. Every human in the society have the responsibility to preserve and protect our bio-diversity.
• Aesthetic Value • Aesthetic value is a key aspect of bio-diversity. Aesthetic value of bio-
diversity attracts the tourism and this is known as eco tourism. It increases the economic development of nation due to the revenue generated by eco toursim.
• Option Values • These values include the potentials of the bio-diversity that are presently
unknown and need to be explored. The potential cure of AIDS or cancer drugs could be developed in near future based on herbal plants from forest eco system.
• The option value also includes the values, in terms of the option to explore areas where a flora and fauna exists.
• Bio-diversity at global level• It is estimated that there are 5–30 million species of living forms are
present in the earth and only 1.5 million have been identified which includes 3,00,000 species of green plants and fungi 9,00,000 species of insects, 40,000 species of vertebrates and 5,00,000 species of microorganisms.
• Tropical rain forests are the earth’s largest storehouse of biodiversity and are inhibited by millions of species of plants, animals, birds, insects and other micro organism.
• Indian Biodiversity • Indian landmass extending over a total geographical area of about 3029
million hectares is bound by Himalayas in the North, the Bay of Bengal in the East, Arabian Sea in the west and Indian Ocean in the South.
• Wide variety of physical features and climatic condition has resulted in a diversity of ecological habitats and biodiversity richness.
• These vary from the humid tropical western ghats to the hot deserts of Rajasthan, from the cold deserts of Ladakh and icy mountains of himalayas to the warm coast of peninsular India.
• Overall 7% of the global species are found in India. It is estimated that Indian ranks 10th among the plant rich countries of the world and 11th in terms of number of endemic species of higher vertebrates and 6th among the centres of diversity and origin of agricultural crops.
• Substantial mass of Indian Bio-diversity is still unexplored.
• Unexplored area includes • Major wetlands, coral reefs, mangrooves, Plants in Trans-Himalayan, North-
West, West, Central and Eastern Himalayan forests, Western Ghats, coasts, deserts, Gangetic plains, Deccan Plateau, and the Andaman, Nicobar and Lakshadweeep Islands.
• On account of diverse climatic conditions there is complete rainbow spectrum of bio-diversity present in our nation.
• INDIA AS A MEGA DIVERSITY NATION • Out of 12,2,153 life forms described till now in the world. India has about
7.28% and more likely to be discovered. • 70,000 insects have been identified till now. • 3000 out of 35000 described species of crustaceans are found in India. • Fish fauna is very rich with more than 2,500 fish species present in India.• 250 species of amphibians, 456 species of reptiles, 1225 species of birds and
390 species of mammals. • There are many species of animals endemic to India or the Indian Sub
continent.
• 38 species of mammals are not found anywhere else in the world.• 69 species of endemic birds and 214 species of reptiles confined to Indian
sub continent. • Highest ratio of endemism is found in amphibians nearly 110 species of
frogs, toads, salamander, etc., • 60% of the world tigers• 80% of the world’s one-horned rhinocerous,• 100% of the Asiatic lion• 65% of the Asian elephant • 80% of the world’s gharials are found in India. • India is reported to have 16,500 19,400 taxa of flowering plants • India uniquely have 64 gymnosperms• 1,135 Pteridophytes • 2,850 Bryophytes• 2021 lichens• 6,500 algae & 14,500 fungi
• 3,500 herbal plants• Besides, use of fibre, fodder, gum, dyes, scents, essential oils and for all
religious purposes. • Hot Spots of Bio-Diversity • These areas are endowed with superabundance of unique plant and
animal species which are serious risk of erosion and these areas are called hot spots of bio-diversity.
• Areas which exhibit high species richness as well as high species endemism are termed as hot spots of bio-divesity.
• An area is designated as hot spot when it contains at least 0.5% of the plant species as endemics.
• There are 25 hot spots are available in global level out of which two are present in India namely, the Eastern Himalayas and Western Ghats.
• These areas have provided the valuable germ plasm (gene pool) on which the modern agriculture, horticulture, silviculture, pisciculture, poultry, dairy and piggery have been existing.
• Hot spots covering 2% of world’s land are found to have about 50% of terrestrial bio-diversity.
• 40% of terrestrial plants and 25% of vertebrate species are endemic are found in these hot spots.
• Threats to Biodiversity • Biodiversity is the variety and variation occurring in nature, which has
sustained the harmonious existence of the earth.• Any change in the system leads to major imbalance and threatens the
normal ecological cycle.• Extinction is the natural process of evolution and earth has experienced
many extinction. • The process of extinction is very rapid particularly in the recent years of
human civilization due to the activities of modern man armed with power of science and technology.
• Man made activities leads to loss of bio-diversity and it causes thousands of species and varieties become extinct.
• Causes of biodiversity degradation• Loss of Habitat – Natural forests and grasslands were the natural homes of
thousands of species which are perished due to loss of their natural habitat.
• It happens in intermittent periods and hence, habitat is divided into small and scattered patches, a phenomenon known as habitat fragmentation.
• Fragmentation can reduce population due to poor weather and can cause extinction as well.
• Habitat loss are highest in tropical countries; where the diversity of species is very high.
• Marine biodiversity is also under serious threat due large scale destruction of the fragile breeding and feeding grounds of our oceanic fish.
• Poaching – Means a wild game • It involves trading products from endangered species, smuggling of wildlife
items like furs, hides, horns, tusks, live specimens and herbal products worth millions of dollars per year.
• The trading of such wild life products is highly profitable for the poachers who hunt these prohibited wild lives and smuggle it other countries.
• Stringent law and enforcement on trading wild life items should be implemented; this measure will reduce poaching and wild life trade.
• Man-wild life conflicts: - Dwindling habitats of wild life due to shrinkage forest cover compels wild animals to move outside from the forest and attack the humans and agricultural fields.
• The agonized farmers, therefore get revenged and kill the wild animals.• Anthropogenic activities like developmental projects, encroachment, over-
exploitation, faulty management practices, political and policy issues further worsen this scenario.
• Endangered and endemic species of India • International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources
(IUCN) publishes the Red Data Book, which includes the list of endangered species of plants and animals
• RDB symbolizes the warning signal for those species which are endangered and likely to become extinct in near future.
• Important endangered species of India
• (a) Reptiles: Gharial, green sea turtle, tortoise & python • (b) Birds : Great Indian Peacock, Pelican, Great Indian Hornbill, Siberian cran• (c) Carnivnores: Indian wolf, Red fox, Red Panda, Leopard• (d) Primates: Hoolock gibbon, lion tailed macaque, golden monkey• (e) Plants: A large number of species of orchids, Rhododendrons, sandal
wood tree, medicinal plants like Rauwolfia serpentina.
• Endemic species of India • Of 47,000 species of plants in our country nearly 7,000 species are
endemic.• Indian sub continent has about 62% endemic flora restricted mainly in
Himalayas, Khasi Hills and Western Ghats. Some of the endemic flora include orchids and species like sapria himalayana, Uvaria lurida, etc.,
• The western ghats are particularly rich in amphibian (Frogs, toads, etc.,) and reptiles (Lizards, crocodiles, etc.,)
• Conservation of Biodiversity • Types – In situ conservation & Ex situ conservation • In-situ conservation is defined as the conservation of eco systems and
natural habitats, and maintenance and recovery of viable populations of species in their natural surroundings and in the case of demisticated of cultivated species, in the surrounding where they have developed their distinctive properties.
• Ex-situ conservation is defined as the conservation of components of biological diversity outside their natural habitats.
• In situ conservation • This type of conservation involves conservation of species in its natural
habitat. • In situ conservation is a cheap and convenient way preserving biodiversity• Detrimental factors concerned to the species are eliminated and thus
species is allowed to grow in its natural environment.• The strategy of in situ conservation revolved around establishment of small
or large protected area.
• Human activities like hunting, firewood collection, timber harvesting, etc., are restricted in these area so that the wild animals and plants could grow multiply in a protected environment.
• Ex-situ conservation • It involves maintenance and breeding of endangered plant and animal
species under partially or wholly controlled conditions e.g zoos, gardens, nurseries and laboratories.
• This conservation is an old age practice but the application of advance science and technology has transformed the process into a well organized discipline of science.
• It involves identification of species to be conserved based on vulnerability of the species to extinct and economical, ecological and aesthetic importance of the species.
• This type of conservation is important for conservation for crop varieties and wild relatives of crops
• The main objective of conserving the total genetic variability of the crop species for future crop improvement or afforestation.
