Q.Define Biodiversity. What are the major causes of loss of Bio-diversity? Give two conservation strategies to protect Bio-diversity. OR What is Recombinant DNA technology? How is Recombinant DNA prepared by using Restriction enzyme? Describe briefly with the help of diagram.
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Start your 14-day free trial to unlock the full solution →Biodiversity is the sum of genetic, species and ecosystem variety in a region; its main threats are habitat destruction and over-exploitation, and it is protected via in-situ and ex-situ conservation strategies.
Biodiversity: Biodiversity (biological diversity) refers to the variety and variability found among living organisms and the ecological complexes they inhabit, considered at three levels - genetic diversity (variation of genes within a species), species diversity (variety of species within a region), and ecosystem diversity (variety of habitats, ecological processes and biotic communities).
Major causes of loss of biodiversity (the 'Evil Quartet'):
- Habitat loss and fragmentation - the single most important cause; large habitats are cleared for agriculture, urbanisation, and industry, and are broken into smaller fragmented patches (e.g. large-scale deforestation in tropical rainforests).
- Over-exploitation - excessive hunting, fishing and harvesting of species for human use has driven many species (e.g. Steller's sea cow, passenger pigeon) to extinction.
- Other recognised causes include alien species invasions (introduced species outcompeting/predating native species) and co-extinctions (loss of an obligate partner species, such as a specific pollinator, causing the dependent species to also go extinct).
Two conservation strategies: …
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