Biodiversity

• Biodiversity


  The wide variety and number of organisms found in a defined area
• Quadrats


  • Used to estimate the number of plants and slow-moving animals in a habitat
• Important functions of biodiversity

  • Provision of resources such as food, medicines and raw materials for industries
  • Maintaining the balance of ecosystems
  • Providing services for recreation, research and ecotourism
• Factors affecting biodiversity


  • Natural calamities (e.g. cyclones, drought, and floods)
  • Human activities such as deforestation, pollution and overexploitation of natural resources
  • Introduction of invasive alien species