Biodiversity And Conservation Class 11 Notes Geography Chapter 14 - CBSE

Chapter : 14

What Are Biodiversity And Conservation ?

  • Biodiversity: Biodiversity refers to the varieties of plants, animals, and micro-organisms, the genes they contain and the ecosystems they form. It relates to the variability among living organisms on the earth, including the variability within and between the species and that within and between the ecosystems.
  • Species: Groups of individual organisms having certain similarities in their physical characteristics are called
    species.
  • Genetic biodiversity: Genetic biodiversity refers to the variation of genes within species.
  • Species diversity: Species diversity refers to the variety of species. It relates to the number of species in a defined area. The diversity of species can be measured through their richness, abundance, and types.
  • Ecosystem diversity: The broad differences between ecosystem types and the diversity of habitats and ecological processes within each type constitute ecosystem diversity.
  • Hotspots: Some areas are richer in species than others. Areas rich in species diversity are called hotspots of diversity.
  • Exotic species: Species which are not the natural inhabitants of the local habitat but are introduced into the system are called exotic species.
  • Mega diversity centre: Some countries are situated in the tropical region; they possess a large number of
    the world’s species diversity. They are called mega diversity centres.
  • IUCN: The International Union of Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources is an international
    organisation which publishes information about species under the red list.
  • Endangered species: Endangered species include those species which are in danger of extinction. The IUCN
    publishes information about endangered species worldwide as the red list of threatened species.
  • Vulnerable species: Vulnerable species include the species which are likely to be in danger of extinction in the near future if the factors threatening their extinction continue. Survival of these species is not assured as their population has significantly reduced.
  • Rare species: Rare species are those whose population is very small in the world and are confined to limited
    areas or thinly scattered over a wider area.