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Biodiversity
The term biodiversity (from “biological diversity”) refers to the variety of life on Earth at
all its levels, from genes to ecosystems, and can encompass the evolutionary,
ecological, and cultural processes that sustain life.

Biodiversity includes not only species we consider rare, threatened, or endangered but
also every living thing—from humans to organisms we know little about, such as
microbes, fungi, and invertebrates

Concept of Biodiversity:

 It has been estimated that more than 50 million species of plants, animals and
micro-organisms are existing in the world.

 Out of these, about 1.4 million species have been identified so far.

 Each species is adapted to live in specific environment, from mountain peaks to

the depth of seas, from polar ice caps to tropical rain forests and deserts.

 All this diversity of life is confined to only about one kilometer thick layer of
lithosphere hydrosphere and atmosphere which form biosphere.

 Though the study of environment and ecology is quite old, the term biodiversity
has been introduced by Walter Rosen in 1986.

 It refers to the variability’s among species of plants, animals and

microorganisms; ecosystems; ecosystem including terrestrial, aerial, marine and

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other aquatic system and ecological complexes of which they are part.

 In simpler terms, biodiversity is the assemblage of different life forms.Thus,

biodiversity is sum of all the genes, varieties, species, populations in different
ecosystems and their relative abundance.

Types of Biodiversity

There are the following three different types of biodiversity:

1) Species diversity: Variety of species and abundance of species

2) Genetic diversity: Genetic variability present within the species

3) Ecological diversity: Ecosystem variety present within a geographical area

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Species diversity
"The species' diversity refers to a group of similar organisms that typically mate to
produce offspring. They commonly share the same lineage. Species diversity is the
most basic classification unit and includes all species ranging from plants to various
microorganisms."

 As species diversity is seen in natural and agricultural ecosystems, the total

numbers of different species of plants and animals located in an area form this
type of diversity.

 It is believed that there are about 5-10 million species in the world; however, only
1.75 million of those species have been named scientifically so far on Earth.
Some areas have more species than others.

 Areas with more species diversity are generally referred to as 'hotspots' of

diversity. The more species found within the area, the more biodiverse the area is
called, making the more biodiverse ecosystem.

 No two individuals of the same species are exactly similar.

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Genetic diversity
"It refers to the variations among the genetic resources of the organisms. Every
individual of a particular species differs from each other in their genetic constitution.
That is why every human looks different from each other. Similarly, there are different
varieties in the same species of rice, wheat, maize, barley, etc."

Each member of any animal or plant species differs widely from other individuals in its
genetic makeup because many combinations of genes are possible that give specific
characteristics to each individual. This genetic variability is essential for the healthy
reproduction of a species.

 Although all species have come from a single or common ancestor, species
diverge and produce new unique characteristics over time, thus contributing to
biodiversity.

 Human genetics 🧬biodiversity

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Ecological diversity
"Ecological diversity is the complex network of different species present in local
ecosystems and the dynamic interactions. An ecosystem is a collection of living and
non-living organisms and their interaction with each other. Ecological biodiversity refers
to the variations in the plant and animal species living together and connected by food
chains and food webs."

 Ecological diversity is the largest scale of biodiversity.

 It is the diversity observed among the different ecosystems in a region. Diversity

in different ecosystems like deserts, rainforests, mangroves, etc., include
ecological diversity.

 The primary source of energy in almost every ecosystem is the Sun. The radiant
energy of the Sun is converted into chemical energy by plants. This energy flows
from those systems when animals eat plants and are then consumed by other
animals in return. Fungi get energy by decomposing organisms, which release
nutrients back into the soil.

 Thus, an ecosystem comprises living components (microbes, plants, animals,

and fungi) and non-living components (climate and chemicals) connected by
energy flow and interact with each other.

 Ecological biodiversity is associated with plant and animal species living together
and connected by the food chain and food webs.

 Diversity in various ecosystems, such as deserts, rainforests, mangroves, etc.,

also includes ecological diversity. It is generally observed between different
ecosystems in a region.

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