Genetic biodiversity refers to the amount of variation within a gene pool. From the hot arid deserts of the sahara, through the lush green rainforests of the amazon, to the ocean depths and bright corals, our natural world is a. Biodiversity is the variety of all species on our planet. Biodiversity is a community of all the living organisms on the earth and the diversity among them from all the ecosystems.
Plants and animals constitute only a small component of biodiversity. There are three types of diversity that make up who we are as individuals. Studies of preeuropean indigenous cultures have shown that there is a distinct correlation between the use of. Biodiversity is a contraction of biological diversity. Pdf an unequivocal, precise, and generally accepted definition of biodiversity does not exist. Yet research on the effectiveness of such programs has yielded. The biology of biodiversity must include all the aspects of evolutionary and ecological sciences analyzing the origin, changes, and maintenance of the di versity of living organisms. These include drinkable water, clean air, and fertile soils.
In many discussions, biodiversity refers to a diversity of landscapes. Today biodiversity, which benefits human life in vari ous ways, is threatened by the expansion of human activities. Species diversity refers to biodiversity at the most basic level and is the variety and abundance of different types of individuals of a species in a given area. The country is endowed with a variety of plant and animal species. Biodiversity is the variety observed in organisms at every level of biological organization. Natural environment, resources and development notes diversity, ii species diversity and iii ecosystem diversity.
Students will increase understanding of biodiversity. This article will discuss in detail about the types of biodiversity and conservation of biodiversity. An ecosystem is the name given to all living species that live together in a stable community, interacting with one another and their physical environment. Now that we know the different types of biodiversity, let us look at the importance of biodiversity. For the purposes of detailed analysis, and the creation of indicators to measure or monitor trends, exactly how biodiversity. Much has been published on the subject since its first appearance at the national forum on biodiversity in september, 1986, the proceedings of which became the bestseller, biodiversity. Damaging biodiversity damages ecosystems because an ecosystems components.
Each member of any animal or plant species differs widely from other individuals in its genetic makeup because of the large number of combinations possible in the genes that give every individua. Processes and different types of biodiversity pattern in species. The concept of biodiversity has provoked considerable debate and misunderstanding among the general public, decisionmakers, and even the scientific community. Biodiversity, ecosystems and ecosystem services 7 biodiversity at a suitable scale, e. It includes different plants, animals, birds and microorganisms, their genes, their habitats. As ecologists studied biodiversity in the environment, they observed a regular pattern in which diversity was distributed over the entire area of the planet. Concept and types of biodiversity biodiversity is the variety of life forms on earth and the essential interdependence of all living things. A read is counted each time someone views a publication summary such as the title, abstract, and list of authors, clicks on a figure, or views or downloads the fulltext. The health and social benefits of nature and biodiversity. It reflects the number, variety and variability of living organisms and how these change from one location to another and over time. Genetic, organism and ecological diversity are all elements of biodiversity with each including a number of components.
Biodiversity provides many key benefits to humans that go beyond the mere provision of raw materials. A widely used dominance index is simpsons diversity index. Biodiversity also supplies indirect services to humans which are often taken for granted. Biodiversity is a generic term that can be related to many environments and species, for example, forests, freshwater, marine and temperate environments, the soil, crop plants, domestic animals, wild species and microorganisms. Generally speaking, there are three types of biodiversity. Biodiversity describes the richness and variety of life on earth. Biodiversity biological diversity or biodiversity is part of nature which include the differences in genes among the individual of a species. Read about biodiversity conservation, the importance of biodiversity, loss of biodiversity and more. In other words, biodiversity is the occurrence of different types of ecosystems, different species of organisms with the whole. More than ever, students come from different racial, ethnic, religious and linguistic. Biodiversity is the part of nature which includes the difference in genes among the individuals of a species, the variety and richness of all the plant and animal species at different scales in space, locally in a region, in the country and the world and various types of ecosystems, both terrestrial and aquatic within a defined area. The convention on biological diversity cbd, known informally as the biodiversity convention, is a multilateral treaty. The course diploma in ecology studies provides information on ecology in conservation, natural resource management, and more.
It has been estimated that more than 50 million species of plants, animals and microorganisms are. Biodiversity is also known as biological diversity. Different ecosystems like mangroves, rainforests, deserts, etc. Ecology to know more about what is biodiversity, its definition, types and importance of biodiversity. Dominance indices are weighted toward the abundance of the commonest species. Changes in biodiversity can influence human resources, such as food, energy, and medicines, as well as ecosystem services that human rely onfor example, water purification and recycling. In the context of conserving biodiversity, reid and miller.
The term biodiversity was coined as a contraction of biological diversity by e. Do you know that the invisible microor ganisms constitute a lar ge component of biodiversity. Ecosystems include all the things, living and nonliving, needed for the health of a particular area. Make a commitment to increase your understanding of diversity issues.
Among other factors, the diversity of all living things depends on temperature, precipitation, altitude. Some of the major values of biodiversity are as follows. Every organism in an ecosystem, or biome, relies on other organisms and the physical environment. Why soil biodiversity is so important european commission. This year people throughout the world have been asked to take action to protect biodiversity for future generations. That is what makes our country one of the 12 mega diversity countries of the world. Some areas teem with biological variation for example, some moist tropical forests and coral reefs, others are. As all the organisms in an ecosystem are interlinked and interdependent, the value of. Biodiversity is the part of nature which includes the difference in genes among the individuals of a species, the variety and richness of all the plant and animal species at different scales in space, locally in a region, in the country and the world and various types. Biodiversity is not evenly distributed, rather it varies greatly across the globe as well as within regions. The importance of maintaining the proper biodiversity in an environment is that an ecosystem can be severely, possibly permanently, damaged whe. Genetic biodiversity the variations between individuals of the same species, and characteristics passed down between parents and offspring e.
It includes all the species on earth, ranging from plants such as bacteria, viruses, fungi, algae, bryophytes, pteridophytes, gymnosperms, angiosperms and all the species of animals including unicellular protozoans to mammals. In todays classroom, teachers encounter a diverse student body. Genetic biodiversity the variations between individuals of the same species, and. Key messages biodiversity is the term used to encompass the variety of all living organisms on earth, including their genetic diversity, species diversity and the diversity of marine, terrestrial. Benefits, challenges, and the required managerial tools 2 advantages. Nearly 45,000 species of plants and twice as many of animals have been recorded from india. The more general objective is to evaluate the social benefits potential and actual associated with eu biodiversity policy. Biodiversity includes diversity within species genetic diversity, between species species diversity, and between ecosystems ecosystem diversity.
Biodiversity is the variety of different forms of life on earth, including the different plants, animals, microorganisms, the genes they contain and the ecosystem they form. That is what makes our country one of the 12 mega diversity. Biodiversity conservation provides substantial benefits to meet immediate human needs, such as clean, consistent water flows, protection from floods and storms and a stable climate. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools.
Ecosystem services and biodiversity european commission. Approximately 9 million types of plants, animals, protists and fungi inhabit the earth. Going by the raw definition, biodiversity is the totality of genes, species, and ecosystems of a given region. The species present may be native or nonnative alien or invasive. For example, plant and animal species need each other for food, and depend on the environment for water and shelter. The loss of biodiversity is dangerous and its consequences are immediate. The conservation of native biodiversity appears to be the theme of biodiversity conservation texts wilson and peter, 1988. Biodiversity includes the diversity within species and between. Introduction to biodiversity center for biodiversity outcomes. Human society depends on biological resources, their diversity and the ecosystems that sustain them to provide essential goods and services.
Without a variety of life biodiversity ecosystems suffer. Stephen butler, cochair of the businesshigher education forum, believes diversity is an invaluable competitive asset robinson 2002. The relationship between species diversityrichness and community stability is quite complex. The convention on biological diversity calls for each party to develop a national biodiversity strategy and action plan nbsap to guarantee that the objectives of the convention are undertaken at all levels and in all sectors in each country article 6. The loss of populations, species, or groups of species from.
What are the importancesignificance of biodiversity. The main cause of the loss of biodiversity can be attributed to the influence of human beings on the worlds ecosystem, in fact human beings have deeply altered the environment, and have modified the. Conservation of biodiversity can be studied in different segments. Biodiversity is the variety of living species on earth plants, animals and microorganisms and the ecosystems they form.
Ecosystem services and biodiversity about science for environment policy. Biodiversity and conservation although india h as only 2. It is the mixture of ponderosa pine savannas, grasslands, wetlands, and riparian woodlands that gives boulder, colorado, its diverse environment see the. Biodiversity, besides its ecological significance provides a socioeconomic and monetary asset to the nation. Ecologists discovered two broad kinds of diversity patterns, namely.
Biodiversity types of biodiversity, importance and causes. Biodiversity loss has negative effects on several aspects of human wellbeing, such as food security, vulnerability to natural disasters, energy security, and access to clean water and raw materials. Brief outlines of the two types of diversity indices of biodiversity are discussed in this article. Ias aspirants appearing for ias exam can download the notes pdf at the end of the article. Conversely, others argued that an important component of biodiversity is maintained by traditional farming techniques. May 11, 2000 biodiversity, the variety of life, is distributed heterogeneously across the earth. Sep 01, 2016 biodiversity refers to the mixture of biotic and abiotic living and non living parts of an ecosystem. Alpha diversity, beta diversity, gamma diversity, what are the uses of biodiversity. Biodiversity and its types complete detail updated. However, diversity is depleting at a drastic rate and various programmes on biodiversity conservation are being launched to conserve nature. Biodiversity may be defined as the variety and variability of living organisms and the ecological complexes in which they exist. There are about 7, 895 plant species identified in 338 families and 2, 215 genera table 1. Biological diversity or biodiversity is that part of nature which includes the differences in genes among the individuals of a species, the variety and richness of all the plant and animal species at different scales in space, locally, in a region, in the country and the world, and various types of ecosystems, both terrestrial and aquatic, within. It is a celebration of life on earth and the value of biodiversity in our lives.
The ordering of diversity into a recognizable pattern is the basis of any classification scheme. Biodiversity is the variation among living organisms from different sources including terrestrial, marine and desert ecosystems, and the ecological complexes of which they are a part. However the need for such a definition that is both. It is the most complex and important feature of our planet. Conservation is the protection, preservation, management, or restoration of wildlife and natural resources such as forests and water. Biodiversity is the variety of life on earth and includes variation at all levels of biological organization from genes to species to ecosystems. Types of biodiversity biodiversity is the variety of life in an area which is determined which is determined by the number of species in that area. Chapter 2 biodiversity, ecosystems and ecosystem services. It defines the diversity observed among the ecosystems in a particular region. Species biodiversity the variety of living things e. The most unique feature of earth is the existence of life, and the most extraordinary feature of life is its diversity. Genetic biodiversity genetic diversity refers to the differences in the genetic heritage of a species. Biodiversity inventory and monitoring landcare research.
We consider a region that contains both grassland and forest to be more diverse than one that contains only grassland. Biodiversity is a key measure of the health of any ecosystem, and of our entire planet. Biodiversity plays a major role in maintaining the ecological balance of the ecosystem. Species diversity deals with the the richness and evenness of species in an area.
Most diversity discussions focus on demographic characteristics like race. Biodiversity is about more than plants, animals, and microorganisms and their ecosystems the convention on biological diversity cbd, 1992 recognizes that it is also very much about people and our need for food security, medicines, fresh air, shelter, and a clean and healthy environment. Biodiversity is the most precious gift of nature mankind is blessed with. One of the most common ways that companies attempt to address organizational diversity is through formal training. There are 22, 000 vertebrates and invertebrates species. A widely used dominance index is simpsons diversity. Gaston biodiversity and macroecology group, department of animal and plant sciences, university of sheffield, sheffield s10 2tn, uk email.