Class XII Subject: Biology Chapter 15: Biodiversity & Conservation

CHAPTER 15. BIODIVERSITY AND CONSERVATION

NOTES

Biodiversity is the diversity of biological organisation ranging from cellular macromolecules to biomes. Edward
Wilson popularized the term ‘biodiversity’.

LEVELS OF BIODIVERSITY

1. Genetic diversity: Diversity shown by a single species at genetic level. E.g. Rauwolfia
vomitoria (Himalaya) shows genetic variation in the potency & concentration of the chemical reserpine. India
has more than 50,000 different strains of rice and 1000 varieties of mango.
2. Species diversity: Diversity at species level. E.g. Western Ghats have greater amphibian species than Eastern
Ghats.
3. Ecological diversity: Diversity at ecosystem level.
E.g. In India, deserts, rain forests, mangroves, coral reefs, wet lands, estuaries & alpine meadows are seen.

NUMBER OF SPECIES ON EARTH (GLOBAL SPECIES DIVERSITY)

➢ According to IUCN (2004), more than 1.5 million species described so far.
➢ According to Robert May’s Global estimate, about 7 million species would have on earth. (He
considered the species to be discovered in the tropics. i.e. only 22% of the total species have been recorded
so far).
➢ Animals are more diverse (above 70%) than plants including Plantae and Fungi (22%).
➢ Among animals, insects are most species rich group (70%, i.e. out of every 10 animals, 7 are insects).
➢ Number of fungi species is more than the combined total of the species of fishes, amphibians, reptiles &
mammals.

➢ India has only 2.4% of world’s land area, but has 8.1% of the species diversity. India is one of the 12 mega
diversity countries of the world. Nearly 45,000 plant species and twice as many of animals have been
recorded from India.
➢ Applying May’s global estimates, India would have more than 1 lakh plant species and 3 lakh animal
species.
➢ Biologists are not sure about total number of prokaryotic species because

Shayar Singh, PGT – Biology. Kendriya Vidyalaya, Khargone

Class XII Subject: Biology Chapter 15: Biodiversity & Conservation

• Conventional taxonomic methods are not suitable for identifying microbial species.
• In laboratory, many species cannot be cultured.

PATTERNS OF BIODIVERSITY

A. Latitudinal gradients
➢ Species diversity decreases from the equator to the poles.
➢ Tropics (latitudinal range of 23.5o N to 23.5o S) have more species than temperate or polar areas.
E.g. Number of bird species in different latitudes:
• Colombia (near equator): about 1400 species.
• India (in tropics): > 1200 species.
• New York (41o N): 105 species.
• Greenland (71o N): 56 species.
➢ Tropical forest region like Equador has up to 10 times of vascular plant species as compared to a
temperate forest region like the Midwest of USA.
➢ Tropical Amazonian rain forest (South America) is the greatest biodiversity on earth. It contains
• > 40000 species of plants
• 3000 species of fishes
• 1300 species of birds
• 427 species of mammals
• 427 species of amphibians
• 378 species of reptiles
• > 1,25,000 species of invertebrates
➢ Biodiversity (species richness) is highest in tropics because
• Tropics had more evolutionary time.
• Relatively constant environment (less seasonal).
• They receive more solar energy which contributes to greater productivity.
B. Species- Area relationship
According to the study of Alexander von Humboldt in South American jungles, within a region, species richness
increases with increasing explored area, but only up to a limit.

Relation between species richness and area gives a rectangular hyperbola.

S= CAz
Where,
S= Species richness
A= Area
C= Y-intercept
Shayar Singh, PGT – Biology. Kendriya Vidyalaya, Khargone
Class XII Subject: Biology Chapter 15: Biodiversity & Conservation

Z= slope of the line (regression co-efficient)

➢ On a logarithmic scale, the relationship is a straight line described the equation Log S = log C + Z log A
➢ Generally, for small areas, the Z value is 0.1 to 0.2.
➢ But for large areas (e.g. entire continents), slope of the line is steeper (Z value: 0.6 to 1.2). E.g. for
frugivorous birds and mammals in the tropical forests of different continents, the Z value is 1.15.

IMPORTANCE OF SPECIES DIVERSITY

➢ According to David Tilman, plots with more species shows less year-to-year variation in total biomass.
➢ Increased diversity contributes to higher productivity. It is essential for ecosystem health and survival of
human race.
➢ ‘Rivet popper hypothesis’: It is an analogy used to understand the importance of biodiversity. It is
proposed by Stanford ecologist Paul Ehrlich. In an airplane (ecosystem), all parts are joined with many
rivets (species). If passengers pop a rivet (extinction of a species), it may not affect flight safety (functioning of
the ecosystem). But as more and more rivets are removed, the plane becomes dangerously weak. Loss of rivets
on the wings (key species that drive major ecosystem functions) is more dangerous than loss of a few rivets on
the seats or windows.
LOSS OF BIODIVERSITY

➢ IUCN Red List (2004) says that 784 species (338 vertebrates, 359 invertebrates & 87 plants) were extinct in
the last 500 years. E.g. Dodo (Mauritius), Quagga (Africa), Thylacine (Australia), Stellar’s sea cow
(Russia) and 3 subspecies (Bali, Javan, Caspian) of tiger.
➢ 27 species have been disappeared in the last 20 years.
➢ More than 15,500 species are facing threat of extinction.
➢ 12% birds, 23% mammals, 32% amphibians, 31% gymnosperm species face the threat of extinction.
➢ The current extinction rate is 100 - 1000 times faster than in the pre-human times. If this trend continues,
nearly 50% species might be extinct within next 100 years.
Impacts of Loss of biodiversity
➢ Decline in plant production.
➢ Environmental perturbations such as drought.
➢ Increased variability in ecosystem processes such as plant productivity, water use and pest & disease cycles.
Causes of Biodiversity losses (‘The Evil Quartet’)
1. Habitat loss and fragmentation: Most important cause.
➢ E.g. Tropical rain forests (loss from 14% to 6%).
➢ Thousands of hectares of rain forests are being lost within hours.
➢ The Amazon rain forest is being cut for cultivating soya beans or for conversion of grass lands for cattle.
➢ Fragmentation badly affects animals requiring large territories and migratory animals.
2. Over-exploitation: Stellar’s sea cow, Passenger pigeon etc. extinct due to over exploitation.
3. Alien species invasions: Alien species cause decline or extinction of indigenous species. E.g.
➢ Nile Perch introduced in Lake Victoria (East Africa) caused extinction of more than 200 species of cichlid
fish.
➢ Invasive weed species like Parthenium (carrot grass), Lantana and Eicchornia (water hyacinth) caused
damage to our native species.
➢ Illegal introduction of the African Catfish (Clarias gariepinus) for aquaculture is a threat to the
indigenous catfishes in our rivers.
4. Co-extinction: When a species becomes extinct, the species associated with it also extinct. E.g.
➢ Extinction of the parasites when the host is extinct.
➢ In co-evolved plant-pollinator mutualism, extinction of one causes the extinction of the other.
BIODIVERSITY CONSERVATION

There are 3 categories of reasons for conservation.

a. Narrowly utilitarian arguments
Shayar Singh, PGT – Biology. Kendriya Vidyalaya, Khargone
Class XII Subject: Biology Chapter 15: Biodiversity & Conservation

➢ Human derive economic benefits from nature such as food, firewood, fibre, construction material, industrial
products (tannins, lubricants, dyes, resins, perfumes) and medicines.
➢ More than 25% of the drugs are derived from plants.
➢ 25,000 species of plants have medicinal value.
b. Broadly utilitarian arguments
Biodiversity has many ecosystem services. E.g.
➢ Amazon forest (‘lung of the planet’) produces 20% of total O2 in the earth’s atmosphere.
➢ Pollination through bees, bumblebees, birds and bats.
➢ Aesthetic pleasures.
c. Ethical arguments
➢ Every species has an intrinsic value. We have a moral duty to care for their well-being.
Biodiversity conservation is 2 types: In situ (on site) conservation and Ex situ (off site) conservation.
a. In situ conservation (on site)
It is the conservation of genetic resources within natural or human-made ecosystems in which they occur. E.g.
Protected areas such as National Parks, Sanctuaries, Biosphere reserves, cultural landscapes, natural
monuments etc.
• National Park: Strictly reserved for the welfare of the wildlife where private ownership, cultivation, grazing
etc. are prohibited. E.g. Eravikulam National Park in Kerala.
• Sanctuary: Here, protection is given only to the animals. Collection of timbers, minor forest products and
private ownership are allowed so long as they do not harm the animals. E.g. Periyar wildlife sanctuary in
Kerala.
• Biosphere Reserves: Areas of land or coastal ecosystems for conservation and sustainable use.
• Sacred forests (Sacred groves): Forest fragments which are communally protected based on religious
beliefs. E.g.
➢ Sacred groves in Khasi & Jaintia Hills in Meghalaya.
➢ Aravalli Hills of Rajasthan.
➢ Western Ghat regions of Karnataka & Maharashtra.
➢ Sarguja, Chanda & Bastar areas (Madhya Pradesh).
India has 14 Biosphere Reserves, 90 National Parks and 448 wildlife sanctuaries.
b. Ex situ conservation (off site)
It is the conservation of organisms outside their habitats. E.g. genetic resource centres, zoological parks, wildlife
safari parks, botanical gardens, gene banks, cryopreservation etc.
Biodiversity Hotspots
• These are the regions with very high species richness, high degree of endemism (species confined only to
a specific region) but most threatened.
• There are 34 hotspots in the world.
• 3 hotspots cover India’s biodiversity regions- Western Ghats & Sri Lanka, Indo-Burma and Himalaya.
• All hotspots together cover only < 2% of the earth’s land area. But the species richness is extremely high.
Protection of hotspots reduced the ongoing extinctions by 30%.
International Efforts for conserving biodiversity
• The Earth Summit or Convention on Biological Diversity (Rio de Jeneiro, 1992) - 3 objectives: (i)
Conservation of biodiversity. (ii) Sustainable use of biodiversity. (iii) Sharing of benefits arising from genetic
resources.
• The World Summit on Sustainable Development (Johannesburg, South Africa, 2002): 190 countries
pledged to reduce the current rate of biodiversity loss.
Ramsar sites
Named after city Ramsar in Iran where the Ramsar convention was signed in 1971 to develop awareness about
the importance of wetlands.
Wetlands
➢ These are the area where water is the primary factor, controlling the environment and the plants and animals
life found their in. They occur where the water table is at or near the surface of land or where the land is covered
by water.
Shayar Singh, PGT – Biology. Kendriya Vidyalaya, Khargone
Class XII Subject: Biology Chapter 15: Biodiversity & Conservation

➢ These sites are mentioned for the conservation and sustainable utilisation of wetlands and recognising their
ecological function, economic, cultural, scientiÆ c and recreational values.
Ramsar site in India
Chandra Taal (H.P), Chilka lake (Odisha) Deepor beel (Assam), Loktak Lake (Manipur), Sambhar lake in
Rajasthan and Wular lake (J and K) etc.
Threats to wetland
Loss of vegetation, Saliniation, excessive inundation, water pollution, invasive species, excessive development
and road buildings.

NCERT SOLUTIONS

Question 1: Name the three important components of biodiversity.

ANSWER: Biodiversity is the variety of living forms present in various ecosystems. It includes variability among
life forms from all sources including land, air, and water. Three important components of biodiversity are:
(a) Genetic diversity
(b) Species diversity
(c) Ecosystem diversity

Question 2: How do ecologists estimate the total number of species present in the world?
ANSWER: The diversity of living organisms present on the Earth is very vast. According to an estimate by
researchers, it is about seven millions.
The total number of species present in the world is calculated by ecologists by statistical comparison between a
species richness of a well studied group of insects of temperate and tropical regions. Then, these ratios are
extrapolated with other groups of plants and animals to calculate the total species richness present on the Earth.

Question 3: Give three hypotheses for explaining why tropics show greatest levels of species richness.
ANSWER: There are three different hypotheses proposed by scientists for explaining species richness in the
tropics.
(1) Tropical latitudes receive more solar energy than temperate regions, which leads to high productivity and high
species diversity.
(2) Tropical regions have less seasonal variations and have a more or less constant environment. This promotes the
niche specialization and thus, high species richness.
(3) Temperate regions were subjected to glaciations during the ice age, while tropical regions remained undisturbed
which led to an increase in the species diversity in this region.

Question 4: What is the significance of the slope of regression in a species − area relationship?
ANSWER: The slope of regression (z) has a great significance in order to find a species-area relationship. It has
been found that in smaller areas (where the species-area relationship is analyzed), the value of slopes of regression
is similar regardless of the taxonomic group or the region. However, when a similar analysis is done in larger areas,
then the slope of regression is much steeper.

Question 5: What are the major causes of species losses in a geographical region?
ANSWER: Biodiversity is the variety of living forms present in various ecosystems. It includes variability among
life forms from all sources including land, air, and water. Biodiversity around the world is declining at a very fast
pace. The following are the major causes for the loss of biodiversity around the world.
(i) Habitat loss and fragmentation: Habitats of various organisms are altered or destroyed by uncontrolled and
unsustainable human activities such as deforestation, slash and burn agriculture, mining, and urbanization. This
results in the breaking up of the habitat into small pieces, which effects the movement of migratory animals and
also, decreases the genetic exchange between populations leading to a declination of species.
(ii) Over-exploitation: Due to over-hunting and over-exploitation of various plants and animals by humans, many
species have become endangered or extinct (such as the tiger and the passenger pigeon).
(iii) Alien species Invasions: Accidental or intentional introduction of non-native species into a habitat has also

Shayar Singh, PGT – Biology. Kendriya Vidyalaya, Khargone

Class XII Subject: Biology Chapter 15: Biodiversity & Conservation

led to the declination or extinction of indigenous species. For example, the Nile perch introduced in Lake Victoria
in Kenya led to the extinction of more than two hundred species of native fish in the lake.
(iv) Co−extinction: In a native habitat, one species is connected to the other in an intricate network. The extinction
of one species causes the extinction of other species, which is associated with it in an obligatory way. For example,
the extinction of the host will cause the extinction of its parasites.

Question 6: How is biodiversity important for ecosystem functioning?

ANSWER: An ecosystem with high species diversity is much more stable than an ecosystem with low species
diversity. Also, high biodiversity makes the ecosystem more stable in productivity and more resistant towards
disturbances such as alien species invasions and floods.
If an ecosystem is rich in biodiversity, then the ecological balance would not get affected. As we all know, various
trophic levels are connected through food chains. If any one organism or all organisms of any one trophic level is
killed, then it will disrupt the entire food chain. For example, in a food chain, if all plants are killed, then all deer’s
will die due to the lack of food. If all deer’s are dead, soon the tigers will also die. Therefore, it can be concluded
that if an ecosystem is rich in species, then there will be other food alternatives at each trophic level which would
not allow any organism to die due to the absence of their food resource.
Hence, biodiversity plays an important role in maintaining the health and ecological balance of an ecosystem.

Question 7: What are sacred groves? What is their role in conservation?

ANSWER: Sacred groves are tracts of forest which are regenerated around places of worship. Sacred groves are
found in Rajasthan, Western Ghats of Karnataka,and Maharashtra, Meghalaya, and Madhya Pradesh. Sacred
groves help in the protection of many rare, threatened, and endemic species of plants and animals found in an area.
The process of deforestation is strictly prohibited in this region by tribals. Hence, the sacred grove biodiversity is
a rich area.

Question 8: Among the ecosystem services are control of floods and soil erosion. How is this achieved by the
biotic components of the ecosystem?
ANSWER: The biotic components of an ecosystem include the living organisms such as plants and animals. Plants
play a very important role in controlling floods and soil erosion. The roots of plants hold the soil particles together,
thereby preventing the top layer of the soil to get eroded by wind or running water. The roots also make the soil
porous, thereby allowing ground water infiltration and preventing floods. Hence, plants are able to prevent soil
erosion and natural calamities such as floods and droughts. They also increase the fertility of soil and biodiversity.

Question 9: The species diversity of plants (22 per cent) is much less than that of animals (72 per cent). What
could be the explanations to how animals achieved greater diversification?
ANSWER: More than 70 percent of species recorded on the Earth are animals and only 22 percent species are
plants. There is quiet a large difference in their percentage. This is because animals have adapted themselves to
ensure their survival in changing environments in comparison to plants. For example, insects and other animals
have developed a complex nervous system to control and coordinate their body structure. Also, repeated body
segments with paired appendages and external cuticles have made insects versatile and have given them the ability
to survive in various habitats as compared to other life forms.

Question 10: Can you think of a situation where we deliberately want to make a species extinct? How would
you justify it?
ANSWER: Yes, there are various kinds of parasites and disease-causing microbes that we deliberately want to
eradicate from the Earth. Since these micro-organisms are harmful to human beings, scientists are working hard to
fight against them. Scientists have been able to eliminate small pox virus from the world through the use of
vaccinations. This shows that humans deliberately want to make these species extinct. Several other eradication
programmes such as polio and Hepatitis B vaccinations are aimed to eliminate these disease-causing microbes.

__________________________

Shayar Singh, PGT – Biology. Kendriya Vidyalaya, Khargone