Year 11 Pre-Diploma Biology

BIODIVERSITY HOTSPOTS
We tried to define biodiversity write down here what you now understand by the word BIODIVERSITY.

Biological diversity is the variety of living organisms and their relative frequency, these can be classified into chemical structures,heredity, different ecosystems, species, genes and abundance. The main different types of biodiversity are the following, genetic diversity, species diversity and ecosystem diversity. Genetic diversity is mainly the combination of different genes found in a population of sincgle species and the variation of different populations of the same species within a pattern of variation. Species diversity consists of the variety and abundance of different types of species within a certain area. Ecosystem diversity consists of the variety of habitats that can be found within a habitat.

Around the world are various biodiversity !"#P!"#$% What do you understand by this term& hotspot' A hotspot is a pla(e with high abundan(e or signifi(ant)spe(ial biodiversity%

*ist some of the more famous biodiversity hotspots& and beside ea(h& very briefly say what ma+es it a hotspot or why it is determined or (onserved as a hotspot% 1%,adagas(ar - "he .ndian !(ean .slands-/ast Afri(a- eight plant&four bird and five primate families found nowhere else in the world% 0% imalayas-Asia- ome of the largest ,ountain the /verest% /(osystems in(lude alluvial grasslands& subtropi(al broadleaf forests and alpine meadows% & vultures& tigers& elephants& rhinos and buffalo 1%#ri *an+a-Asia- has one of the highest rate of endemism 123of fauna and 043 of flowering plants are endemi(s ome to large birds& mammals

5%6apan-Asia-home to 7 e(oregions with a humid subtropi(al (limate% 8ontains broadleaf forests 2%Atlanti( 9orest- #outh Ameri(a- ,ade up of "ropi(al& subtropi(al& broadleaf& mangrove forests% igh diversity and endemism :%,adrean pine-oa+ woodlands- ,e;i(o- found at high elevation and surrounded by tropi(al and subtropi(al desserts <%#u((ulent =aroo- Afri(a- *o(ated in #A and >amibia is a desert and e(oregion 7%Walla(ea- Asia-#eries of .ndonesian .slands 1?%.ndo- Burma- *o(ated in .ndia and 8hina with subtropi(al forests >ow go to www%biodiversityhotspots%org% ere you will find some useful definitions and some @uite detailed des(riptions of the world$s hotspots% #ele(t any one of the hotspots from the drop-down menu and ma+e a written summary with the following informationA Where is the hotspot' Why is it espe(ially important' What important spe(ies are present' Who loo+s after or is responsible for the (onservation of this hotspot' *iberia is a (ountry lo(ate din Western (oast of Afri(a that is now stable after 11 years of unrests% owever as people wel(ome pea(e they have set their minds on rebuilding the e(onomy and environment% *iberias millions of a(res of tropi(al rainforest ma+e up half of the remaining forests in Western Afri(a% With the efforts put to save the e(ologi(al (y(le *iberia has be(ome reliant on the survival of uni@ue endemi( spe(ies su(h as the western (himpanBee and pygmy hippo% "he government has put a law to prote(t forests from development regulating both of those who ma+e a profit out of logging and people su(h as hunters and miners who migrate loo+ing for a new beginning% "his is done with the help of organiBations su(h as 8. and other partners% 6ohn !sborne 9ebruary 0?11