Bio Diversity

Q .
Bio-diversity
Introduction
Biodiversity is the foundation of ecosystem services to which human well-being is intimately

linked. No feature of Earth is more complex, dynamic, and varied than the layer of living organisms that
occupy its surfaces and its seas, and no feature is experiencing more dramatic change at the hands of
humans than this extraordinary, singularly unique feature of Earth. This layer of living organismsthe
biospherethrough the collective metabolic activities of its innumerable plants, animals, and microbes
physically and chemically unites the atmosphere, geosphere, and hydrosphere into one environmental
system within which millions of species, including humans, have thrived. Breathable air, potable water,
fertile soils, productive lands, bountiful seas, the equitable climate of Earths recent history, and other
ecosystem services are manifestations of the workings of life.
Definition
Biodiversity is defined as the variability among living organisms from all sources including, inter alia,
terrestrial, marine and other aquatic ecosystems and the ecological complexes of which they are part;
this includes diversity within species, between species and of ecosystems.
Important: Biodiversity boosts ecosystem productivity where each species, no matter how small, all
have an important role to play. For example, A larger number of plant species means a greater variety of
crops. Greater species diversity ensures natural sustainability for all life forms.
Ecosystem in Bio- Diversity
=An ecosystem includes all of the living things (plants, animals and organisms) in a given area,
interacting with each other, and also with their non-living environments (weather, earth, sun, soil,
climate, atmosphere). Ecosystems are the foundations of the Biosphere and they determine the health
of the entire earth system.
Ecosystem diversity deals with the variations in ecosystems within a geographical location and its overall
impact on human existence and the environment.
Ecological diversity is a type of biodiversity. It is the variation in the ecosystems found in a region or the
variation in ecosystems over the whole planet. Ecological diversity includes the variation in both
terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. Ecological diversity can also take into account the variation in the
complexity of a biological community, including the number of different niches, the number of trophic
levels and other ecological processes. An example of ecological diversity on a global scale would be the
variation in ecosystems, such as deserts, forests, grasslands, wetlands and oceans. Ecological diversity is
the largest scale of biodiversity, and within each ecosystem, there is a great deal of both species and
genetic diversity.
Diversity in the ecosystem is significant to human existence for a variety of reasons. Ecosystem diversity
boosts the availability of oxygen via the process of photosynthesis amongst plant organisms domiciled in
the habitat. Diversity In an aquatic environment helps in the purification of water by plant varieties for
use by humans. Diversity increases plant varieties which serves as a good source for medicines and
herbs for human use. A lack of diversity in the ecosystem produces an opposite result.
BIODIVERSITY HOTSPOT
Biodiversity hotspots are a method to identify those regions of the world where attention is
needed to address biodiversity loss and to guide investments in conservation. The idea was first
developed by Norman Myers in 1988 to identify tropical forest hotspots characterized both by
exceptional levels of plant endemism and serious habitat loss 1, which he then expanded to a
more global scope 2. Conservation International adopted Myers hotspots as its institutional
blueprint in 1989, and in 1999, the organization undertook an extensive global review which
introduced quantitative thresholds for the designation of biodiversity hotspots. 3 A reworking of
the hotspots analysis in 2004 resulted in the system in place today. 4 Currently, 35 biodiversity
hotspots have been identified, most of which occur in tropical forests. They represent just 2.3%
of Earths land surface, but between them they contain around 50% of the worlds endemic plant
species and 42% of all terrestrial vertebrates. 5 Overall, Hotspots have lost around 86% of their
original habitat and additionally are considered to be significantly threatened by extinctions
induced by climate change.
Biodiversity importance The biodiversity importance of hotspots is due to the high

vulnerability of habitats and high irreplaceability of species found within large geographic
regions. This means that these areas and the species present within them are both under high
levels of threat and of significant global value based on their uniqueness. Therefore, operations
that occur within global biodiversity hotspots should follow rigorous biodiversity assessments to
prevent further biodiversity loss within these areas. This is a global scale approach based on
coarse scale ecoregions that therefore, has limited use for site-scale assessment and decision
making. Biodiversity hotspots will include areas of high biodiversity importance as well as
degraded land and urban areas and therefore more detailed assessments are needed to locate
the actual distribution of biodiversity within these areas.

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Q .

Biodiversity is the foundation of ecosystem services to which human well-being is intimately

Ecosystem in Bio- Diversity

Biodiversity importance The biodiversity importance of hotspots is due to the high

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