Students can go through AP Inter 2nd Year Zoology Notes 9th Lesson Biodiversity and Conservation will help students in revising the entire concepts quickly.
AP Inter 2nd Year Zoology 9th Lesson Biodiversity and Conservation Notes
→ Biodiversity refers to the enormous variety and heterogeneity of life forms on Earth.
→ Conservation means using natural resources wisely & protecting biodiversity (so that it is available for present and future generations).
→ The number of species is staggering, with over 20,000 species of ants and 300,000 species of beetles.
→ There are nearly 28,000 species of fishes and about 20,000 species of orchids globally.
→ The term “biodiversity” was popularized by sociobiologist Edward Wilson.
→ India has a greater ecosystem diversity than Scandinavian countries like Norway.
→ Robert May provides a scientifically sound estimate placing global species diversity at about 7 million.
→ Although India has only 2.4 per cent of the world’s land area, it holds 8.1 per cent of global species diversity.
→ India is recognized as one of the 12 megabiodiverse countries of the world.
→ The Amazonian rainforest in South America has the greatest biodiversity on Earth.
→ The “Rivet Popper Hypothesis” by Paul Ehrlich uses an airplane analogy to explain the danger of losing species.
→ The IUCN Red List (2004) documents the extinction of 784 species in the last 500 years.
→ Recent extinctions include the dodo (Mauritius), quagga (Africa), and Stelier’s Sea Cow (Russia).
→ Three subspecies of tiger—Bali, Javan, and Caspian—have also gone extinct.
→ “ The Evil Quartet” is a sobriquet used to describe the four major causes of biodiversity loss.
→ Habitat loss and fragmentation are the most important causes of extinction.
→ Over-exploitation occurs when humans turn “need” into “greed,” leading to extinction.
→ Alien species invasions cause the decline of indigenous species, such as the Nile perch in Lake Victoria.
→ Co-extinction occurs when the extinction of a host leads to the death of its unique associated parasites.
→ There are 34 biodiversity hotspots globally; three of them (Western Ghats/Sri Lanka, Indo-Burma, and Himalaya) cover India.
→ India has 14 biosphere reserves, 90 national p)»rks, and 448 wildlife sanctuaries.
→ Ex situ conservation involves placing threatened species in special settings like zoological parks or botanical gardens.
→ Phylogenetic system of classification is based on evolutionary relationships.
→ The Earth Summit held in Rio de Janiero in 1992 was called for conservation of biodiversity and sustainable utilisation of its benefits.
→ Housefly belongs to family Muscidac.
→ Taxonomical Hierarchy: Kingdom → Phylum → Class → Order → Family → Genus → Species.
→ Botanical gardens are not included under in-situ conservation.
→ Zoos & Botanical gardens are examples of ex-situ conservation.
Biodiversity is the vast variety of life on Earth, encompassing all living organisms, their genetic makeup, and the complex ecosystems they form. Conservation is the practice of protecting, managing, and restoring these biological resources to ensure sustainable development and prevent species extinction.
1. The Three Levels of Biodiversity:
Understanding biodiversity requires looking at three distinct, interconnected levels:
- Genetic Diversity: The variation of genes within a single species. It allows populations to adapt to changing environments Ex: Different breeds of dogs or varying strains of rice.
- Species Diversity: The variety of different species within a specific region or ecosystem, such as the diverse array of amphibians, birds, and trees found in a tropical rainforest.
- Ecosystem Diversity: The variety of different ecosystems and habitats within a region Ex: Deserts, coral reefs, wetlands, and alpine meadows.
2. Why Conservation is Vital?
- Ecological Stability: Ecosystems rely on diverse organisms to maintain processes like nutrient cycling, climate regulation, and water purification.
- Economic Value: Biodiversity provides the raw materials for food, industrial products, and pharmaceuticals. Traditional knowledge systems, such as the Traditional Knowledge Digital Library (TKDL), help document and protect these resources.
- Human Survival: A rich variety of life is essential for agriculture, forestry, and fisheries, forming the foundational systems that sustain human life.
3. Key Approaches to Conservation
- In-Situ Conservation: Protecting species within their natural habitats. This includes establishing national parks, wildlife sanctuaries, and biosphere reserves.
- Ex-Situ Conservation: Protecting components of biodiversity outside their natural habitats. This involves gene banks, botanical gardens, zoos, and seed bank.