CHAPTER 13

BIODIVERSITY AND CONSERVATION

Question 1:
Name the three important components of biodiversity.
Answer 1:
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:
 Genetic diversity
 Species diversity
 Ecosystem diversity

Question 2:
How do ecologists estimate the total number of species present in the world?
Answer 2:
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 3:
There are three different hypotheses proposed by scientists for explaining species
richness in the tropics.
 Tropical latitudes receive more solar energy than temperate regions, which
leads to high productivity and high species diversity.
 Tropical regions have less seasonal variations and have a more or less
constant environment. This promotes the niche specialization and thus, high
species richness.
 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.

1
Question 4:
What is the significance of the slope of regression in a species − area relationship?
Answer 4:
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 analysed), 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 5:
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.
 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.
 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).
 Alien species Invasions: Accidental or intentional introduction of non-
native species into a habitat has also 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.
 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.

2
Question 6:
How is biodiversity important for ecosystem functioning?
Answer 6:
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 7:
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?

3
Answer 8:
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 9:
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 10:
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.