- the biological variation in an

environment as indicated by numbers of

different species of plants and animals.

- The more diversities within a

population of organism, the more
likely it is to be a rich ecosystem

- It is at highest in tropical regions.

Biological diversity or biodiversity
involves three concepts:

Habitat Diversity
Species Diversity
Genetic Diversity
 HABITAT DIVERSITY
• refers to the diversity of habitats in
a given unit of area.

• refers to the range of habitats

present in a region.
SPECIES DIVERSITY
• refers to the total number or relative
abundance of species.

• Species diversity is the number of

different species that are represented
in a given community (a dataset).
GENETIC DIVERSITY
• refers to the total number of genetic
characteristics of a specific species,
subspecies, or group of species.

• Genetic diversity enables

populations to adapt to changing
environments.
 A physically diverse habitat in which a number
of organisms are able to adapt and survive.
 Moderate or little disruption, such as natural or
anthropogenic disasters.
 High diversity in one trophic level that increases
the diversity of the other levels.
 An environment highly modified by life
processes.
 Processes that lead to evolution.
 Environmental stressors that limit the number of
organisms able to adapt.
 Extreme environmental disturbance.
 Severe limitation in the supply of food, water
and habitat due to increasing population.
 Recent introduction of alien species without
unknown predators in that area.
 Geographical Isolation.
 WHY IS BIODIVERSITY IMPORTANT?
Economic — biodiversity provides humans with raw
materials for consumption and production.
Ecological life support—biodiversity provides functioning
ecosystems that supply oxygen, clean air and water,
pollination of plants, pest control, wastewater treatment
and many ecosystem services.
Recreation—Our tourism industry also depends
on biodiversity.
 WHY IS BIODIVERSITY IMPORTANT?
Cultural—is closely connected to biodiversity through the
expression of identity, through spirituality and through
aesthetic appreciation.
Scientific—biodiversity represents a wealth of systematic
ecological data that help us to understand the natural
world and its origins.
BIODIVERSITY CRISIS refers to the rapid loss of species and
the rapid degradation of ecosystems.

 Extinction is the termination of an organism or of a group

of organisms (taxon), usually a species. The moment of
extinction is generally considered to be the death of the
last individual of the species

Two types of Extinction:

• Mass Extinction
• Background Extinction
WAYS ON HOW TO PROTECT BIODIVERSITY?
#1 Nature Preserves
Nature preserves are a form of government regulation and
are often known as National Parks. They protect a region
and the organisms that live there from certain forms of
development and provide access for people to visit them.
#2 Habitat Restoration
After an area is damaged by human impacts we can try to
return it to its natural state. This means bringing back the
plants and animals that are naturally found there
#3 Captive breeding
Captive breeding is when animals in captivity (often at
zoos) are bred. On the positive side, it provides the
opportunity to increase the population of the species, so
they can be reintroduced into the wild.