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UNIT- 3
new seeds or the variety of people within your own family. No two plants and no two
people are exactly alike.
Species diversity refers to the variety of different types of plants and animals,
including bacteria, fungi, insects, mammals, plants, and everything in between.
Differences occur within and between populations of species.
Ecosystem diversity refers to the variety of habitats and climates on Earth. The
interaction between these ecosystems and the species that live in them underpin all life on
Earth. In fact, Earths biodiversity helps keep our air and water clean, regulates our
climate, and provides us (and other plants and animals) with food, shelter, clothing,
medicine, and other useful products. What makes life on earth so complex is this
diversity and how it all interacts.
Q. What is a species ? What is an ecosystem?
Ans. A species is a group or population of similar organisms that reproduce among
themselves but do not naturally reproduce with any other kinds of organisms. Examples
of species include this splashback poison dart fron (right), monarch butterflies, red oak
trees, and humans.
According to the scientists of the Ecological Society of America, an ecosystem is
any geographic area, including the living organisms that live there and the nonliving parts
of the physical environment. Energy and matter move through and are stored in the
living and nonliving things and the interactions between them within the ecosystem.
Ecosystems are living places. Examples include tropical and temperate forests, deserts,
mountain tops, coral reefs, wetlands, and prairies.
Q. Why does biodiversity consist of several parts genetic diversity, spacies diversity,
and ecosystem diversity ?
Ans. Life on Earth takes a variety of forms, and all these parts are needed to keep the
Earth healthy. Genetic diversity ensures that parents pass on the traits (such as disease
resistance and physical features) that their offspring need to survive. When small
populations are isolated from other populations of their species, they may be forced to
inbreed, possibly leading to a loss of genetic diversity and to the extinction of the
population.
Species diversity ensures that ecosystems survive. For example, a giraffe cannot
do the same pollination job as a bee, nor could a bee play the same role in a savanna
ecosystem as a giraffe. There are some species that depend on a single species to survive.
Sloth moths live only on sloths. African melons depend solely on aardvarks. When a
species disappears, it can affect a whole ecosystem.
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Ecosystem diversity ensures the health of the entire planet. For example,
rainforests acts as filters for the Earths air, absorbing carbon dioxide and releasing
oxygen. Oceans also absorb carbon dioxide, a well known green house gas that causes
global warming. Wetlands and estuaries act as filters for the Earths freshwaters and
nurseries for the Earths marine populations. Without these ecosystems, life on Earth
would be very different than what it is today.
Q. What are the threats to biodiversity ?
Ans.
Over exploitation, over fishing, over hunging, poaching and non animal impacts
like over grazing and
Invasive species.