A recent comparison of biodiversity levels between more than a hundred cities worldwide i. Biodiversity is usually explored at three levels genetic diversity. What are the three main levels of biodiversity answers. Genetic diversity is the total genetic informationcontained in the genes of all the species. Classification and quantification of ecosystem level biodiversity. The living world is a complex combination of different levels of organisms. That is what makes our country one of the 12 mega diversity countries of the world. Endemism levels for conservation number of words in the abstract. Jul 02, 2018 biodiversity is the pillar that allows ecosystems to function and humans to thrive. The term biodiversity from biological diversity refers to the variety of life on earth at all its levels, from genes to ecosystems, and can encompass the evolutionary, ecological, and cultural processes that sustain life. Biodiversity comes from two words bio meaning life and diversity meaning variability. Global biodiversity is the measure of biodiversity on planet earth and is defined as the total variability of life forms.
Biodiversity loss, also called loss of biodiversity, a decrease in biodiversity within a species, an ecosystem, a given geographic area, or earth as a whole. Terrestrial biodiversity is influenced by climate variability, such as extreme weather events ie drought, flooding that directly influence ecosystem health and the productivity and availability of ecosystem goods and services for human use. Even as it supports all life on earth it is constantly facing threats and damage that is almost impossible for our multiple ecosystems to recover from. It refers to the variety of species within a region. Biodiversity includes not only species we consider rare, threatened, or. Biodiversity is important, more than just the i want my children to enjoy it reason. In this video, i am talking about what is biodiversity and its types or levels. It is the number of different species of plants, animals, and microorganisms. Biodiversity, ecosystems and ecosystem services 7 biodiversity at a suitable scale, e. Biodiversity is typically a measure of variation at the genetic, species, and ecosystem level. Gardner brown, university of washington, seattle, dr.
It includes organisms from earths vastly different ecosystems, including deserts, rainforests, coral reefs, grasslands, tundra, and polar ice caps. Defining endemism levels for biodiversity conservation. Biodiversity, ecosystems and their species perform important biological services, for example, green plants remove carbon dioxide and release oxygen into the atmosphere, which helps keep the environment healthy and fit for human life. Biodiversity is the shorter form of word biological diversity. Usually three levels of biodiversity are discussedgenetic, species, and ecosystem diversity. Although we still have much to learn about the often complex function of ecosystems. Biodiversity is a fragile thing, susceptible to all sorts of threats. Alpha diversity, beta diversity, gamma diversity, what are the uses of biodiversity.
Biodiversity refers to the variety of living species on earth, including plants, animals, bacteria, and fungi. Learn more about specific levels of biodiversity, and see examples of plant and animal species and why they are important to each level. The variety of life on earth at all its levels, from genes to ecosystems, and the. Biodiversity hotspots are geographic areas that contain high levels of diversified species, but are threatened with extinction. Scribd is the worlds largest social reading and publishing site. Biodiversity is essential for maintaining the water cycles, production of oxygen, reduction in carbon dioxide, protecting the soil, etc. Biodiversity at the ecosystem level patterns and processes.
On the background provided by these brokers and users of biodiversity information the scientific programme set out to explore fundamental aspects of biodiversity at the ecosystem level and how it relates to biodiversity at other levels of biological organization. Genetic diversity is all the different genes contained. Such changes would have a strong impact on zooplankton, an essential part of the food chain in the ocean. Biodiversity is the part of nature which includes the difference in genes among the individuals of a species, the variety and richness of all the plant and animal species at different scales in space, locally in a region, in the country and the world and various types of ecosystems, both terrestrial and aquatic within a defined area. Our mission is to provide a free, worldclass education to anyone, anywhere. Nearly 45,000 species of plants and twice as many of animals have been recorded from india. It refers to the variation in gene within a species. The variety of life on earth at all its levels, from genes to ecosystems, and the ecological and evolutionary processes that sustain it. Terrestrial biodiversity is usually greater near the equator, which is the result of the warm climate and high primary productivity. The concept of biodiversity has provoked considerable debate and misunderstanding among the general public, decisionmakers, and even the scientific community. It enables the population to adapt to its environment and respond to natural selection. Learn how to recognize the genetic, ecosystem, and evolutionary levels of biodiversity. Along with species richness, these levels play crucial roles in conservation.
Three levels of biodiversity are commonly discussed genetic, species and ecosystem diversity. Displaying top 8 worksheets found for levels of biodiversity. A single species might show high diversity at the genetic level over its distributional range. The loss of biodiversity is dangerous and its consequences are immediate. For the purposes of detailed analysis, and the creation of indicators to measure or monitor trends, exactly how biodiversity is defined will influence what is measured. Levels of biodiversity genic diversity adaptive diversity species diversity ecosystem diversity. Biodiversity underpins ecosystem function and the provision ofecosystem services. Biodiversity reading material exclusively for students of. Biological diversity deals with the degree of natures variety in the biosphere. Humans depend on healthy ecosystems to ensure a healthy biosphere that has balanced cycles of. Biodiversity also includes the genetic information that these organisms contain. Genetic diversity is all the different genes contained in all individual plants, animals, fungi, and microorganisms. There are currently 34 biodiversity hotspots in the world.
Biodiversity, therefore, is usually considered at three hierarchical levels i. Genetic diversity is all the different genes contained in all. Classification of biodiversity ppt and pdf easy biology class. Five syntheses have summarized how diversity has an impact on variation of ecosystem functions through time3842, and these have. For example, the richness of diversity allows medicines and foods to be naturally available. Importance of biodiversity list of high impact articles. The natural disaster prevention mechanisms in most ecosystems and other free services we all get from the surrounding environment are not easily replaceable or replicable, so maintaining biodiversity is important.
While earths biodiversity is so rich that many species have yet to be discovered, many species are being threatened with extinction due to human activities, putting the earths magnificent biodiversity at risk. Some of the worksheets for this concept are lesson 3 biodiversity basics, what is biodiversity, conservation work i, biodiversity earths most valuable resource, a teachers guide to biodiversity, biodiversity, lesson plan biodiversity invasive species and plant. The report is available in electronic format pdf at neris website. Threats to biodiversity come from many sources, most human but. Biodiversity, or biological diversity, is a term that refers to the number of genes, species, individual organisms within a given species, and biological communities within a defined geographic area, ranging from the smallest ecosystem to. Associate professor, kamala nehru college, university of delhi.
However, this is not to say that such measures are mutually exclusive. Biodiversity loss therefore threatens the provision of goods and services provided by ecosystems. Biodiversity and conservation although india h as only 2. Lima, naturalis biodiversity center, darwinweg 2, 2333 cr leiden, the netherlands. Rising sea levels will also cause changes to ocean temperatures and perhaps even currents. Biodiversity is the part of nature which includes the difference in genes among the individuals of a species, the variety and richness of all the plant and animal species at different scales in space, locally in a region, in the country and the world and various types of. Biodiversity is the variety of life, including variation among genes, species and functional traits. Biodiversity can affect the stability of ecosystems and the sustainability of populations. Environmentalists might define biodiversity as the total of all plant and animal life of the planet, and the planet itself the air, water and land that supports animal and plant life. Biodiversity is the amount of variety of life on earth. Fires in australia show the devastating interaction between climate and biodiversity emergencies, and make clear that action is needed at all levels. Biodiversity, or biological diversity, is the sum of all the different species of plants, animals, fungi and microbial organisms that live on earth, including the various ecosystems in which they live on. Biodiversity is much more than a list of all the species in a particular area.
Biodiversity is the variety and variability of life on earth. Chapter 2 biodiversity, ecosystems and ecosystem services. Biological variety can be observed at three levels. Without biodiversity in an ecosystem we would not have the many plants and animals we find in our world today, including us. The key components of life are at one extreme and communities of species at the other extreme. Humans depend on healthy ecosystems to ensure a healthy biosphere that has balanced cycles of energy and nutrients. It includes the domesticated plants and animals that are part of crop, livestock, forest or aquaculture systems, harvested forest and aquatic species, the wild relatives of domesticated. Biodiversity is not distributed evenly on earth, and is richest in the tropics. Biodiversity is the variety of different forms of life on earth, including the different plants, animals, microorganisms, the genes they contain and the ecosystem they form.
Biodiversity consists of the varied ecosystems in the biosphere, the species richness within those ecosystems, and the genetic variation within and among populations of each species. The most important of them are i genetic diversity. Estimates on the number of earths current species range from 2 million to 10 12, of which about 1. Smith, consultative group on biodiversity, new york, dr. Environmental services from species and smooth running cycles of ecosystems are necessary at global, regional, and local levels. More than 99 percent of all species that ever lived on earth are estimated to be extinct. Jan 22, 2020 fires in australia show the devastating interaction between climate and biodiversity emergencies, and make clear that action is needed at all levels. Apr 14, 2018 in this video, i am talking about what is biodiversity and its types or levels.
Types, patterns, importance, causes and loss duration. In addition to members of the national science board involved in this study, the work of the task force benefited significantly from the contributions of dr. Alpha diversity, beta diversity, gamma diversity, what are the uses of. Marine biodiversity is affected by ocean acidification related to levels of carbon in the atmosphere.
Biodiversity conservation provides substantial benefits to meet immediate human needs, such as clean, consistent water flows, protection from floods and storms and a stable climate. Biodiversity for food and agriculture bfa is, in turn, the subset of biodiversity that contributes in one way or another to agriculture and food production. The manifestations of all types of diversities are found at all these levels of organisms. Classification of biodiversity ppt and pdf easy biology. Biodiversity is usually explored at three levels genetic diversity, species diversity and ecosystem diversity. Much has been published on the subject since its first appearance at the national forum on biodiversity in september, 1986, the proceedings of which became the bestseller, biodiversity.
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