BIODIVERSITY

ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES

DEPARTMENT OF COMPUTER SCIENCE & ENGINEERING

SIMRAN JEET KAUR(1915130)

TRIPDA GOEL (1915138)
4 T H SEMESTER
Biodiversity
 What is Biodiversity ?
• Biodiversity is all the different kinds of life you’ll find in one
area—the variety of animals, plants, fungi, and even
microorganisms like bacteria that make up our natural world.
• Each of these species and organisms work together in
ecosystems, like an intricate web, to maintain balance and
support life. Biodiversity supports everything in nature that
we need to survive: food, clean water, medicine, and shelter.
 Why is Biodiversity Important?
Biodiversity boosts ecosystem
productivity where each species, no
matter how small, all have
an important role to play.
 It gives beauty to our planet.
 All species in an ecosystem play an
important role in it. 
For example, a larger number of
plant species means a greater
variety of crops .
Greater species diversity ensures
natural sustainability for all life forms.
 Levels
of
Biodiversities
ECOSYSTEM DIVERSITY
 The variety of habitats found in an area.
 The variety of forests, deserts, grasslands, aquatic
ecosystem etc, that occur in the area.
 Examples of Ecosystem Diversity -

Paynes Prairie Florida Sand hill Pond

SPECIES DIVERSITY
 The number and variety of life forms present in a biological
community.
 About 8.7 million organism in our diversity.
 Species diversity is very high in tropical rainforests and low
in isolated islands.
 INDIA is among the world’s 15 nations that are
exceptionally rich in species diversity.
Examples of Species Diversity -
Saki monkey Meadow Beauty
GENETIC DIVERSITY
 The variations of genes within a species i.e., different
genes and combination of genes within populations
For example , there are more than 50,000 varieties of rice
and more than a thousand varieties of mangoes found in
India.
Rice Varieties
 MEGADIVERSITY
Mega diversity countries are a group of countries that are
home to a wide variety of plants and animal species.
They are 17 countries which have been referred to as mega-
diverse by the Center for Global Conservation Monitoring of
the United Nations Environment Program.
These countries located near tropical areas or in isolated
areas of America, Asia, Africa and Oceania.
LIST OF 17 MEGADIVERSE COUNTRIES
 Australia  Malaysia
 Mexico
 Brazil  Papua New Guinea
 China  Peru
 Colombia  Philippines
 Democratic Republic of the Congo South Africa
 Ecuador  United States
 India  Venezuela
 Indonesia
 Madagascar
INDIA AS A MEGA DIVERSITY NATION
 India is one of the 12 th mega-diversity nations of the world.
India is in the 10 th position in the world and 4 th in the Asia in
terms of plant diversity.

 India ranks 10 th in the world in terms of number of

mammalian species.

 India ranks 11 th in the world in term of endemic species of

higher vertebrates.

 In terms of number of species contributed to agriculture

and animal husbandry, it ranks 7 th in the world.
Reasons for India as a mega-diversity nation
1) Endemism
• Species which are restricted
only to a particular area are
known as endemic.
• India shows a good number
of endemic species. About
62% amphibians, 50% lizards,
53% fresh water fishes, 36%
reptiles, 10% mammals and
33% flowering plants are
endemic to India.
• Western Ghats are the site of
maximum endemism.
2) Centre of origin
• A large number of species are known to have originated in
India.
• Nearly 500 species of flowering plants have their origin in
India.
• India has been the center or origin for 166 species of crop
plants and 320 species of wild relatives of cultivated crops.

3) Marine diversity
• The coastline of our country exhibits a rich biodiversity.
• Along 7500 km long coastline, in the mangroves, coral reefs
back waters etc, different species are found.
• The marine diversity is rich in mollusks, crustaceans and
several species of mangrove plants and sea grasses are
found.
 Diversity of India

Geographical Climatic Biological

diversity diversity diversity

Habitat Cultural
diversity diversity
• Geographical diversity: The land form includes the
plains of Ganga on one side to highlands of Deccan plateau on
other side.
Thus India represent all kind of geographical variations found
elsewhere in the world.

• Climatic diversity: Climatic condition of country range

from cold temperate and frost-covered regions of Himalayan to
low rain fall regions of dry tropics in the north-western part of
the country. On the basis of annual rainfall, the country can be
divided in 4.
Climatic range : Wet zone (more than 200cm)
Intermediate zone (100-200 cm)
Dry zone (50-100 cm)
arid zone (below 50 cm)
• Biological diversity: It can be divided into nine
phytogeographical regions. India is one of the 12 primary centre
of origin of cultivated plant and domestic animals.167 important
plant species and 114 breeds of domesticated animals are there.

• Habitat Diversity: India has high mountains range,

plateau, plains, desert, etc. provide variety of habitats for plants
and animals. Similarly a number of fresh water and saline lakes,
reservoirs, ponds, rivers and stream provides variety of habitats
for aquatic plants and animals.

• Cultural diversity: Our country envisages vast cultural

diversity from Jammu-Kashmir in north to Kanyakumari in
south, and from west Bengal in the east to thar desert in the
west. Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh represent an array of tribal
culture.
BIODIVERSITY HOTSPOTS OF INDIA
 India is one of the top mega-diverse countries in the
world. There is a vast range of biodiversity – over 91,000
species of animals, and 45,500 plant species have been
documented in India. We will discuss the biodiversity
distribution in the four hotspots of India. Two of these—
the Indo-Burma region and Sundaland are not strictly
confined within the political boundaries of India but are
present in South Asia.
 The major reasons for a rich diversity in these Indian
biodiversity hotspots are the suitable climatic conditions,
fertile soil, suitable temperature, ample amount of rains,
which allows the growth of different plants. These areas
are covered with dense vegetation of tropical, sub-tropical
forests, dense savanna grasslands.
#1 THE HIMALAYAS
1) Geographically, the entire Himalayan range comes under
the category of a biodiversity Hotspot. It covers some
parts of Pakistan, China, Myanmar, whole Nepal and
Bhutan and North Indian state/UT of Jammu & Kashmir,
Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Arunachal Pradesh,
Meghalaya.
2) With more than 7.4 lakh Km2 area wise expanse of the
Himalayas, only 1.85 lakh km2 of the vegetation cover is
left here, among which only 1.12 lakh km2 is protected
area. 
3) The Himalayas house more than 10,000 plant species,
300 mammals, 970 birds, 105 amphibians, 170 reptiles
and 270 freshwater fishes.
 The Snow Leopard is a rare
sight in the Himalayas

Potentilla astrosanguinea,
Himalayan Cinquefoil  
#2 THE INDO BURMA REGION
1) This region spans over the North-
eastern states, Myanmar,
Cambodia, Laos, Thailand,
Vietnam and the southern part of
China.
2) It covers more than 23 lakh km2
area. However, the vegetation
cover left is merely 1.18 lakh km2.
3) This hotspot region houses over
13,500 species of plants; over 430
of mammals, 1260 of birds, 520 of
reptiles, 290 of amphibians and
1260 of freshwater fishes.
Green Imperial Pigeon

 Hill Myna
 #3 THE SUNDALAND
1) The Sundaland biodiversity
hotspot region covers indo-
Malayan islands (Indonesia and
Malaysia). It includes the Nicobar
group of Islands– Borneo, Java and
Sumatra, Singapore, Philippines. 
2) It covers 15 lakh km2 area of
which only 1 lakh km2 vegetation
cover is remaining while the area
under protection is 1.79 lakh km2. 
3) The Sundaland has more than
25,000 species of plants, 380, 770,
450, 245, 950 of mammals, birds,
reptiles, amphibians, freshwater
fishes respectively. 
#4 THE WESTERN GHATS
1) The Western Ghats are home to some amazing bio-
diversity. These mountain ranges run all the way from
southern tip of India in Kerala up to Maharashtra while
Karnataka falls in the middle. The mountain ranges are
one of the prime sources of fresh water to the state and
also play an important role in the climate.
2) The Western Ghats are home to more than 5000 species
of plants and about 35% of these are endemic to this
area.
3) These Ghats that are home to several species of animals
are also life giving. They refresh the atmosphere with the
oxygen they produce. The Ghats also account for most
rivers that feed our towns and cities. 
 bright in color and the rufous
colored Malabar Giant Squirrel
(Ratufa indica)

The Blue-eyed bush frog (Philautus

luteolus) is one of the prettiest bush
frogs and was recently discovered in the
Western Ghats.

 beautiful non-venomous snake of

the Western Ghats is the Green
Vine Snake (Ahaetulla nasuta).
ENDANGERED SPECIES
Plant or animal species which are
at the edge of their extinction are
called endangered species.
Flying squirrel, Crocodile,
Flamingo, Wild ass, etc. are some
endangered animal species of
India.
Guggul, Sarpagandha, Sandal,
Kalpavriksha, Pitcher plant, Cycas,
Ephedra etc. are some
endangered plant species of India.
Few endangered species of India
1) Reptiles :Green sea turtle, Tortoise, Python.
2) Birds: Peacock, Great Indian Hornbill, Pelican, Siberian
White Crane.
3) Carnivorous mammals: Indian wolf, red fox, tiger, lion, red
panda, leopard, striped hyena, desert cat, dugong.
4) Primates: Capped monkey, golden monkey, nilgiri langur,
hoolock gibbon.
5) Plants:species of orchids, rhododendrons Santalum, Cycas
beddonei ,etc.
Some Endangered Plant Species of India
 Acacia Planifrons

Also called the umbrella thorn, this plant grows as a shrub or a

short tree. In Tamil they are called kudai vel. The tree is used
as fuel and fodder for sheep and goats. When the tree is fully
grown, it looks like a spread umbrella.
What Happens When Plants Go Extinct ?
When some species of plants become extinct, the whole
ecosystem of that environment changes or gets disturbed,
depending on their importance. The ecosystem is never the
same after a plant's total disappearance.
Animals or other plants that depend on that plant may also
become extinct because of its loss.

According to a report published in the scientific

journal, ‘Science ,’ between 22% and 47% of the
world’s plant species are endangered.
Some Endangered Species of India
 Snow Leopard

These animals are large cats. Ladakh, Himachal Pradesh,

Uttarakhand, and the western and eastern parts of the
Himalayas are popular for these species. Due to human
activities, they are more prone to extinction in the future. 
 Spoon Billed Sandpiper

 Spoon Billed Sandpiper is the world’s most threatened bird

species and fall in the category of critically endangered in India
too. Extremely small population, habitat loss and loss of
breeding grounds takes spoon-billed sandpiper chicks on the
verge of extinction. Main wintering grounds in India are delta
of Sundervan and neighbouring countries.
Reasons for the Increasing Endangered Species
1. Extinction of Wildlife
The biggest reason for the extinction of wildlife is human
activity.
Do you know that the 7 billion human populations represent
only 0.1% of all living beings on earth? Yet since the dawn of
civilisation, humanity has wiped out more than 60% of
mammals, birds, fishes and animals. The inhalation of wildlife is
now reached to the level of emergency that threatens
civilisation. And even if the distraction now were to end now.

2. Killing for food

Killing for food is also a cause of the exploitation of wildlife.
Three hundred mammal species are at the door of extinction
while the ocean is mostly outfished.
3. Degradation of Forests
The vast and growing consumption of food by the global human
population is destroying the way of life upon which the human
society ultimately depends on clean air, water and everything.
According to scientists, the world has begun the 6th mass
extinction, the first to be caused by humans.
When human tries to step into the habitat of animals, we push
them away. Hence it leads to lesser migration lesser breading,
and ultimately we are losing the species.
The human activity is destroying the wildlife an unacceptable rate
threatening the wellbeing of our future generation.

4. Climate change
Climate change is also a major cause of endangered wildlife.
Climate change threatens organisms and the ecosystem, and
they cannot adjust to the changing environmental conditions
leading to their death and extinction.
ENDEMIC SPECIES
Endemic species are plant and animal species that are found
in a particular geographical region and nowhere else in the
world.
Some species are endemic to a continent while the others
can be endemic to an island.
Restrictions of species in small region is known as Endemism.
Asiatic Lion in Gir Forest, Lion-tailed Macaque in Western
Ghats of India, Nilgiri Tahr ,etc. are some of the species of
animals endemic to India.
Nevada primrose, Wax flower, Pennell’s whitlow grass,
Intermountain wavering ,etc. are some of the species of
plants that are endemic.
 SOME ENDEMIC SPECIES OF INDIA

Asiatic Lion
Nilgiri Blur Robin
Citrus Indica

Lion-Tailed Macaque
Kashmir Stag
Banyan Tree (Ficus benghalensis