3- biodiversity and conservation

Define biodiversity

The variety of living organisms.

How can biodiversity be measured?

-Species richness (the number of different species in a habitat)

-Genetic diversity (a measure of the genetic variation found in a particular species, in other words, the number of alleles in a gene pool)

Biodiversity can be measured using the index of diversity (D) which can be calculated as follows:

D= N(N-1)/ ∑n(n-1)

D= diversity index

N= total number of organisms of all species

n= total number of organisms of each species

∑= the sum of

What is endemism?

The state of a species being unique to a particular geographical location, such as an island, and not found anywhere else.

What are the two types of conservation which can be used?

1. in-situ

2. ex-situ

What is ex-situ conservation?

Conservation outside of an organism’s habitat.

How can captive breeding programmes (ex-situ conservation) help conservation?

• Endangered species are carefully bred to increase genetic diversity and population size.

• Genetic diversity is maintained via the exchange of organisms and gametes, keeping stud books, preventing inbreeding and use of techniques such as IVF.

What are reintroduction programmes (ex-situ conservation)?

Aim to release animals bred in captivity into their natural habitat as well as to restore lost habitats.

What are seed banks (ex-situ conservation)?

• Store a large number of seeds in order to conserve genetic diversity and prevent plant species from going extinct.

• The seeds are stored in cool, dry conditions as this maximises the amount of time they can be stored for and they are periodically tested for viability.

• Storing seeds instead of plants means that a large variety of species can be conserved.

• And it is cheaper than storing whole plants as it takes up less space.

What is in-situ conservation?

Conservation within an organism’s habitat.

How can education programmes (in-situ conservation) help support conservation?

Aim to educate people about the importance of maintaining biodiversity, captive breeding programmes as well as illegal trade of animal products.

Name a few examples of initiatives using in-situ conservation.

National Parks and Sites of Specific Scientific Interest