Biodiversity and its conservation

• Genetic diversity - it is the diversity in the number and types of genes as well as chromosomes present in different species
• species diversity- it is the diversity at the species level or the measure of the variety of species and their relative abundance within a region
• Species richness- It refers to the number of species per unit area
• species diversity increases if the species richness is higher
• species evenness - It refers to the relative abundance of species in an area
• Ecological diversity - It refers to the diversity at ecosystem level due to the presence of more variety of ecosystems and habitats
• Latitudinal gradients - Species diversity decreases as we move away from the equator towards the pole, this means that biodiversity is more at lower latitude than the higher latitude
• log S = log C + Z log A
• Species richness increasing with increased exploring area, but only upto a limit
• rivet popper hypothesis - Biodiversity is important for the maintenance and health of an ecosystem
• Loss of biodiversity


  Biological wealth of earth is declining rapidly. Human activities are the major reason for it.
• endangered species


  those species which are facing a high risk of extinction in the near future

  it is due to decrease in habitat, excessive predation or poaching
• Human activities have accelerated the rate of extinction of species from the earth
• Habitat loss and fragmentation


  Destruction of habitat is the most important cause of extinction of both plant and animal species
• Causes of loss of biodiversity

  • Habitat loss and fragmentation
  • Over-exploitation
  • Alien species invasion
  • Co-extinctions
• In situ conservation 


  This conservation strategy involves conservation of living organisms within their natural habitats
• biodiversity hotspots


  these are regions with very high levels of species richness, high degree of endemism and accelerated habitat loss
• protected areas

  • national parks
  • wildlife sanctuaries
  • biosphere reserves
  • core zone
  • buffer zone
  • transition zone
  • sacred groves
  • ramsar sites
• Ex-situ conservation


  Placing the threatened animals and plants in special care units for their protection