Biodiversity and conversation

Number of species of ants

20,000

Number of species of beetles

300,000

Number of species of fishes

20,000

Other word for diversity

Heterogeneity

Definition of biodiversity

Combined diversity at all levels of biological organisation

What are the types of biodiversity?

1.Genetic diversity

2.Species diversity (Diversity at species level)

3.Ecological diversity (Diversity at ecosystem level)

At what level does genetic diversity occur?

A single species may show high diversity at genetic level over its distributional range

Give an example of genetic diversity in medicinal plants

Rauwolfia vomitoria growing in different Himalayan ranges

What varies in Rauwolfia Vomitoria growing in different Himalayan ranges?

The concentration and potency of reserpine

What is reserpine?

Active chemical produced by Rauwolfia vomitoria

At what level does species diversity occur?

Diversity at species level

Who has higher amphibian species diversity? Western ghats or Eastern ghats?

Western ghats

Why does India have higher ecological diversity than a Scandinavian country like Norway?

cus India has-

1.deserts

2.Rain forests

3.Mangroves

4.Coral reefs

5.Wet land

6.estuaries

7.Alpine meadows

If we present rates of losses continue, How much time would it take to lose all the diversity in nature?

2 centuries

Full form of IUCN

International Union Conservation of Nature and Natural resources

Total number of plants and animals according to IUCN (2004) and what is this estimate based on?

Over 1.5 million, based on educated guesses

Compare temperate and tropical regions in terms of biodiversity

Temperate-

Taxonomic groups, species inventories are more complete

Tropical-

Higher biodiversity, many species are undiscovered

Method of estimation of number of species on earth with respect to temperate and Tropical regions.

Biologists make a statistical comparison of the temperate and tropical species richness of a studied group of insects and extrapolate that ratio of other groups of animals and plants to come up with a gross estimate of the total number of species of earth.

Extreme estimates of no. of species

20-50 million

Conversative estimates of no. of species and the scientist who made that estimate

7 million, Robert May.

What percentage do animals take up in all of know species?

70%

What percentage do Plants take up in all of know species? What do they include?

22%

Algae

fungi

bryophytes

gymnosperm

angiosperm

How much percentage do insect make up of all animals?

More than 70%

Arrange plants in descending order of number of species

Fungi

angiosperms

algae

mosses

ferns and allies

lichens

Arrange invertebrates in descending order of number of species

Insects

molluscs

crustaceans

other groups

Arrange vertebrates in descending order of number of species

Fishes

birds

reptiles

mammals

amphibians

Which group may have the highest undiscovered biodiversity?

Prokaryotes

Do biodiversity estimates include prokaryotes?

hell naw

Can you use taxonomic methods for prokaryotes?

No, conventional taxonomic methods are not suitable for identifying microbial species

Why are many prokaryotic species not studied in labs?

Many species are not culturable under laboratory conditions.

What happens if biochemical or molecular criteria are used for prokaryote classification?

Their diversity may run into millions of species.

What percentage of the world’s land area does India have?

2.4%

hat percentage of global species diversity is found in India?

8.1%

How many megadiversity countries are there in the world

12

How many plant species have been recorded from India?

45,000 species

How many animal species have been recorded from India?

90,000 species (twice the plant species)

what percentage of total species are recorded globally?

22%

how many plant species are yet to be discovered in India?

More than 1,00,000 plant species

how many animal species are yet to be discovered in India?

More than 3,00,000 animal species

Why is completing India’s biodiversity inventory difficult?

1.Requires huge trained manpower (taxonomists)

2. Needs a lot of time

3.Species are going extinct before being identified and catalogued.

Is biodiversity uniformly distributed across the world?

No, it shows an uneven distribution.

Diversity distribution from equator to poles

Species diversity decreases from equator to poles.

Which regions have the highest species diversity?

Tropics

What is the latitudinal range of the tropics

23.5° N to 23.5° S

How many bird species are found in

Colombia

India

NYC

Greenland

1400

1200

105

56

Compare plant diversity in tropical vs temperate forests with an example for each.

Tropical forests (e.g. Ecuador) can have up to 10× more vascular plant species.(e.g. Midwest, USA)

Which tropical forest has the greatest biodiversity on Earth?

Amazonian rain forest

List the number of species in amazon rainforest for the following-

Plant species

Fish species

Bird species

Mammal species

Amphibians species

reptile species

Known invertebrates

Plant species-40,000

Fish species-3000

Bird species-1,300

Mammal species-427

Amphibians species-427

reptile species-378

Known invertebrates-125,000

Number of undiscovered insect species-

2 million

Three factors that contribute to greater species diversity in the tropics

1.evolutionary time hypothesis

2.Climatev