Biodiversity and Conservation

Biodiversity:

          It is the combination of two-words i.e. Bio-life and diversity-forms.

Definition:

          Sum/total of all living organisms including microbes, animals and plants. Biodiversity is a broad term that includes all the living parts of biosphere (parts of earth where life exists).

Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD): in 1992 conference held on biodiversity in UN.

Definition according to CBD: “The variability among living organisms terrestrial, marine and other ecosystem and the ecological complexes which they are part”.

Types of Diversity:

Ø Animal’s                       Animal biodiversity.

Ø Plant’s                           Plants biodiversity.

Ø Microbe’s                     Microbes biodiversity.

Ø Specie’s                        Species biodiversity-intra specific diversity.

Species diversity: The diversity within a specie is intra diversity.

Generic diversity: The variation in the amount of genetic information within and among individuals of a population, a species, an assemblage, or a community.

Ecosystem diversity: The diversity among all species in a particular area/ecosystem.

Example;

Pond Ecosystem

Conservation & Prevention

Conservation: It is the protection of an organisms in living form.

Preservation: it is the protection of an organism in non-living form.

E.g. Herbarium sheets, Bottles.

Types of Conservation: there are 2-two types of conservation.

      I.            In-situ conservation.

   II.            Ex-situ conservation.

1.                1-In-situ Conservation: when an organism is protected within its natural         habitat is called “in-site” conservation.

    E.g. protected area, natural parks.

2.                2-Ex-situ Conservation: when an organism is protected outside of its                 natural habitat is known as “ex-situ” conservation.

    E.g. Botanical garden, zoo, etc.

 

Biodiversity and Conservation:

Ø                Biodiversity in an “Umbrella term” i.e. plants, animals, microbes.

1.    Species diversity: Diversity within a single species. E.g. Human.

2.    Generic diversity: Diversity among different species. E.g. our department.

3.    Ecosystem diversity/Ecological: diversity in a habitat/ecosystem.

A new emerged in biodiversity now and that is landscape-diversity/pattern diversity.

Landscape diversity: land composed of cluster of interacting ecosystem that are repeated in similar forms.

Biodiversity is composed of 3 types of variation:

      I.            Genetic diversity.

   II.            Species diversity.

III.            Ecosystem diversity.

 

1.    Genetic diversity: Genetic diversity starts from molecule, cells, indivisible organism, population and papulation. Genetic diversity refers to the range of different inherited traits with in a species.

2.    Species diversity: Starts from species then genes (genera) families, order, class, phylum (phyla), kingdom this is called species diversity. The number of species and abundance of each specie that live in a particular location.

3.    Ecosystem diversity: Starts from habitat (division on the basis of ecosystem/habitat) ecosystem, biome then biosphere. The variety of different habitats, communities and ecological presence.

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