This presentation is made to know about the importace of biodiversity. Since biodiversity is the variety of life on earth . Biodiversity is used to describe the number, variety, variability of life form existing in ecosystem. By this presentation students will know importance of biodiversity in ecological stability, for that maintaining the balance of the ecosystem: Recycling and storage of nutrients is required.

1. Loss of Biodiversity: A matter of concern
Dr. Jigyasa Rana, Assistant Professor
Department of Veterinary Anatomy, FVAS, RGSC, BHU
World Environment Day (05/06/2023)
Faculty of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, RGSC, BHU,
Mirzapur, U.P.

2. An endangered species is a organism that is threatened
by Extinction.
Endangered Species
Species become endangered
for two main reasons
A. Loss of habitat
B. Loss of genetic variation

3. Loss of Habitat
Dinosaurs lost their habitat about 65 million
years ago due to rapid change of hot,
dry climate of the Cretaceous period.
A asteroid strike to the Earth and
debris reduced the amount of heat and light.
The dinosaurs were unable to adapt to this
new, cooler habitat became endangered and
finally extinct.
Natural:
In the Amazon rain forest of South America, developers have cleared
hundreds of thousands of acres. To “clear” a piece of land is to remove all trees
and vegetation from it. As trees are destroyed, species that depend on that
tree habitat may also become endangered.
Human activity:
Development for housing, industry, and agriculture reduces the habitat of native
organisms.

4. Loss of habitat due to development may lead to harm a
particular species too.
Loss of habitat may lead to increased encounters
between wild species and people.
Outcome of Conflict:
• Killing – Hunting, Traps, Road accidants
• Poisoning
The mountain lion of North America
requires a range of up to 1,000 square kilometers to
successfully live and reproduce. Urban areas, such as
Los Angeles, California, and Vancouver, British
Columbia, Canada, grew rapidly during the 20th
century leading to the shrinkage of mountain
lion’s habitat and putting them into the zone of
danger.
Poisonous plants may grow closer to homes
Polar bears
Mountain lions
Elephants
Lynx
Bear

5.  Genetic variation: diversity found within a species.
 Genetic variation allows species to adapt to
changes in the environment.
 Genetic variation is proportional to population.
Inbred species do not have the genetic variation to
develop resistance to the disease.
 Fewer offspring of inbred groups survive.
Loss of Genetic Variation
Cheetahs are a threatened species native to
Africa and Asia due to very little genetic variation as
they went through a long period of inbreeding during
the last ice age
They cannot adapt to changes in the
environment as quickly as other animals, and
fewer cheetahs survive to maturity. (The challenge
faced by the Project Cheetah; Temp. 32, 25, 42°C in
Namibia, SA and India Respectively)
Cheetahs are also much more difficult
to breed in captivity than other big cats, such as lions.
Natural:

6. • Overhunting
• Human encroachments
• Overfishing
With fewer breeding pairs, genetic variation shrinks.
Monoculture, the agricultural method of growing a single crop, can also reduce genetic
variation.
Human activity:
Almost all potatoes cultivated, sold, and consumed,
for instance, are from a single species, the Russet
Burbank.
Hence, farmers must use fertilizers and pesticides to
ensure healthy crops because the plant has almost
no genetic variation.
Genes of wild varieties are now incorporated in
order to help cultivated plants resist pests and
drought, and adapt to climate change.

7. The Red List
The International Union
for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)
keeps a “Red List of Threatened
Species.”
The Red List defines the severity and
specific causes of a species’ threat
of extinction.
The Red List has seven levels
of conservation:
1. least concern
2. Near threatened
3. Vulnerable
4. Endangered
5. Critically endangered
6. Extinct in the wild
7. Extinct

8. As per 2011

9. As per May 2019

10. Biodiversity in India Perspective
• India is one of the 17 mega biodiversity countries of the world.
• With only 2.5% of the land area, India accounts for 7.8% of the
recorded species of the world.
Proud to be
an
INDIAN
45,500 species of plants and 91,200 species of animals
are found in India.
India is an acknowledged centre of rich crop diversity.
India is the home of 167 cultivated plants and 320 spp.
of their wild relatives.

11. Our role and responsibilities

12. Thank You