Measuring biodiversity, Biology

Assignment Help:

Diversity is defined as the no of species present in a community termed as "species richness". We can represent species biodiversity at different geographical scales as alpha, beta and gamma diversity.

(a)         Alpha diversity: it indicates diversity within a particular area or ecosystem, and is usually  expressed by no of the species. Thus alpha diversity is measure of "species richness".

(b)         Beta diversity:  it refers  to the changes in species richness between ecosystem. The higher heterogeneity in the habitats in a region or greater dissimilarity between communities exhibit higher beta diversity.

Gamma diversity: it refers, to the diversity of the habitats over the total land scope or geographical area. The higher diversity at community levels provides stability and higher productivity. In temperate, grasslands, it has been observed that diverse communities are functionally more productive and stable, even under environment stresses such as prolonged dry conditions.

Extinction of species: A species is said to be extinct, when there is no reasonable doubt that its last individual has died.

The characteristic which make a species susceptible to extinction are listed below:

(i)                 Large body size eg. Elephant, lion and bengal.

(ii)               Small population size and low reproductive rate eg. Blue whale, giant panda.

(iii)             Feeding at high trophic levels in food chain eg. Bald eagle and bengal tiger.

(iv)              Fixed migratory routes and habitat eg. Blue whale and whooping crane.

(v)                Localized and narrow range distribution e.g. woodland caribou and island species.

Species become extinct by these three processes:

(i)                 Natural extinction

(ii)               Mass extinction

(iii)             Anthropogenic extinction

According to the world conservation monitoring centre (WCMC),533 animal (mostly vertebrates) and 384  plant species (mostly flowering plant) have become extinct since the year 1600.


Related Discussions:- Measuring biodiversity

What do you mean by excretion, Q What is the excretion? Excretion in Ph...

Q What is the excretion? Excretion in Physiology is the procedure of elimination of metabolic wastes and other toxic substances from the body.

Agro industrial-chelating agents, Chelating agents Oxalates: Only a ...

Chelating agents Oxalates: Only a few plants contain sufficient amounts of sodium and potassium oxalate to be considered toxic. Moreover, ruminants that consume these plants

Under which forms is the trypanosoma cruzi found, Q. Under which forms is t...

Q. Under which forms is the Trypanosoma cruzi found in its hosts? In the definitive hosts also as in triatomine bugs (intermediate hosts) the protozoan that causes Chagas' dise

Explain chemical bonds in basic chemistry, Explain chemical bonds in basic ...

Explain chemical bonds in basic chemistry? Chemical Bonds :  Chemical bonds are forces that join atoms together in a functional unit. There are three types of bonds that can

Explain why methionine is the first amino acid, Explain why methionine is t...

Explain why methionine is the first amino acid in every growing polypeptide. The tRNA that pairs with the start codon on mRNA carries methionine. RNA having ribose; DNA contain

Ethidium bromide, Ethidium Bromide  intercalates within structure of the nu...

Ethidium Bromide  intercalates within structure of the nucleic acids in such a manner that they fluoresce under the UV light. Ethidium bromide staining is generally used to visuali

Explain nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors, Normal 0 f...

Normal 0 false false false EN-IN X-NONE X-NONE MicrosoftInternetExplorer4

Define physiological effects of scfa, Define physiological effects of SCFA?...

Define physiological effects of SCFA? The physiological effects of SCFA's can be summarized as follows. They: Lower the ph in the gastrointestinal tract, which in turn r

Explain cardiac disease, Explain Cardiac disease Cardiac conduction abn...

Explain Cardiac disease Cardiac conduction abnormalities associated with Lyme disease are generally self-limited. Patients with minor cardiac involvement (first-degree atrioven

Write Your Message!

Captcha
Free Assignment Quote

Assured A++ Grade

Get guaranteed satisfaction & time on delivery in every assignment order you paid with us! We ensure premium quality solution document along with free turntin report!

All rights reserved! Copyrights ©2019-2020 ExpertsMind IT Educational Pvt Ltd