UNIT III:

BIODIVERSITY & BIOTIC RESOURCES

• Introduction
• Definition
• Genetic, Species and
Ecosystem diversity
• Value of biodiversity
Hot-spots of biodiversity
• Threats to biodiversity:
habitat loss, poaching of
wildlife, man-wildlife
conflicts
• Endangered and endemic
species of India
• Conservation of biodiversity:
In-situ and Ex-situ
conservation of biodiversity
• Food and Fodder resources
Introduction
• Biodiversity comprises the • According to the biologist
total range of plants, animals Edward Osborne Wilson,
and other living things on the only 1.4 million different
earth species of plants, animals and
microorganisms were
• It is an index of a nation’s identified till now
wealth and forms the basis of
human survival and economic • It is quite possible that nearly
well being
10 to 100 million other species
• The term ‘biodiversity’ was may be present undiscovered
in many regions of the world
coined by Walter Rosen that are unexplored (E.g. Rain
(1986) forests)
• Biodiversity has an intrinsic
value and needs to be
protected for its value to
humans
 Animals Jellyfish, worms, arthropods, molluscs,
echinoderms, amphibians, fish,
reptiles, birds and mammals

Seed bearing plants and non-seed

Plants bearing plants

Prokaryotes Bacteria and primitive algae

ORGANISMS

Protists Single-celled organisms

Fungi Moulds, mushrooms and toadstools

 Animals
Invertebrates Vertebrates
Protozoans, Poriferans
Fishes
Coelenterates

Flatworms
Amphibians

Annelids
Reptiles

Arthropods
Birds
Molluscans
Mammals
Echinoderms
Definition
The functional components of
Biodiversity can be defined in biodiversity include
many ways
(a) Genetic diversity
According to United Nations
Environmental Program (UNEP) (b) Species diversity
it is defined as “the totality of
genes, species and ecosystems in a
region” (c) Ecosystem diversity

According to the World Genes are the components of

Resources Institute species, and species are the
components of ecosystems
"Biodiversity is the variety of the
world's organisms, including their Therefore, alterations in the
genetic diversity and the make-up of any level of this
assemblage they form hierarchy can change the species
and are central to the concept of
biodiversity
(a) Genetic diversity
The variety of genes that exists Value of Genes
within a single species is called
genetic diversity. Examples •
include numerous breeds of dogs Rice grown in Asia is protected
and cats from the four main rice diseases
by genes brought in from a wild
species from India
These differences among the
same species are due to the
difference in their genes
• The sugarcane industry in the US
was saved from collapse by
Species with good genetic disease – resistant genes brought
diversity have more chances of in from wild Asiatic species
survival in changing
environment. E.g. Food crops like
rice, wheat and corn
• A tomato discovered in Andes
On the other hand, species with has been used to increase the
low genetic diversity cannot sugar content of cultivated
adapt successfully to varieties, increasing their
environmental changes and may commercial value
become extinct
(b) Species diversity
• A species includes a group of
interbreeding organisms of a
natural population

• They generally share similar

appearance, characteristics
and genetics due to having
relatively recent common
ancestors

• The species is one of the basic

units of biodiversity

• Species diversity is the

variety and abundance of
various species in a given
habitat
(c) Ecosystem diversity
• This refers to the variety of • This diversity has developed
ecosystems that exist on our over millions of years of
planet such as rivers, oceans, evolution
forests, deserts, mangroves
grasslands etc. • If we destroy this diversity, it
would disrupt the ecological
• These ecosystems provide balance
people with food and other
useful products • We cannot even replace the
diversity of one ecosystem by
• Ecosystems also show that of another
variations with respect to
physical parameters like
moisture, temperature,
altitude, precipitation etc and
create a microclimate
Biodiversity indices
• Alpha diversity refers to diversity
within a particular area,
community or ecosystem, and is
measured by counting the
number of taxa (distinct groups of
animals) within the ecosystem
(eg. families, genera, species)

• Beta diversity is species diversity

between ecosystems; this involves
comparing the number of taxa
that are unique to each of the
ecosystems

• Gamma diversity is a measure of

the overall diversity for different
ecosystems within a region. It
refers to the total biodiversity
over a large area or region
 VALUE OF BIODIVERSITY
(A) Consumptive Value
The biodiversity products can be
harvested and consumed directly by man
E.g. fuel, food, drugs, fibre
etc.

Drugs and medicines:

About 75% of the world's population
depends upon plants or plant extracts for
medicines
• The wonder drug Penicillin is derived
from a fungus called “Penicillium”

• Recently Vinblastin and Vincristine, two

anticancer drugs, have been obtained
from Periwinkle (Catharanthus) plant,
which possesses anticancer alkaloids
• A large number of marine animals are
supposed to possess anti-cancer
properties
 Table 2.1 Medicinal uses of some selected plant
species
Medicine Plant source Use
Cochicine Autumn crocus Cancer prevention
Digitalis Common foxglove Heart stimulant
L-dopa Velvet bean Treatment of Parkinson’s disease
Penicillin Penicillium fungus Antibiotic
Quinine Yellow cinchona Antimalarial agent
Resperine Indian snakeroot Lowering of blood pressure
Taxol Pacific yew Anticancer agent
Vinblastine Rosy periwinkle Anticancer agent
Bacitracin Bacterium Antibiotic
Tetracycline Bacterium Antibiotic
Erythromycin Bacterium Antibiotic
Bee venom Bee Arthritis relief
Morphine Poppy Analgesic
Poppy Plant
Morphine from seeds
Foxgrove digitalis
Cinchona Plant Rauwolfia
Fuel

Our forests are being used since ages for fuel wood

Fossil fuels like

coal
petroleum
natural gas

are also products of fossilized biodiversity.

(B) Productive Value
Biodiversity provides us with
many benefits and goods that
have a price tag because of
their commercial value
• These are the commercially
usable values where the
product is marketed and sold
Animal products like
• tusks of elephants,
• musk from musk deer,
• silk from silk-worm,
• wool from sheep,
• fur of many animals,
• lac from lac insects etc, all of
which are traded in the market
(C) Genetic Value
• Biological diversity is a • A few of them are mentioned
valuable genetic resource as under

• Most of the hybrid varieties of

• The genes from a wild variety
crops under cultivation have
been developed by of melon grown in U.P. helped
incorporating useful genes in imparting resistance to
from different species of plants powdery mildew in musk-
to produce better quality of the melons grown in California
product with longer shelf-life
or having better resistance to
pests

• There are hundreds of

examples which illustrate how
genetic modification helped in
improved quality of the
products
• The genes from the Kans grass
(Saccharum spontaneum)
grown in Indonesia helped in
imparting resistance to red rot
disease of sugarcane

• A wild variety of rice from UP.

saved millions of hectares of
paddy crop from Grossy-
Stunt virus
(D) Social Value
• Human cultures co-evolves with
their environment, and the
biological diversity can be
important for cultural identity of a
region

• Biological diversity is an integral

part of many areas across the
globe valued for tourism and
recreational purposes

• These are the values associated

with the social life, customs,
religion and aspects of the people.

• Many of the plants are considered

holy and sacred in our country
like Tulsi (holy basil), Peepal,
Mango, Lotus, Bael etc
 Many animals like Cow,
snake, Bull, Peacock, Owl
etc have significant place
in psycho-spiritual arena
and thus hold social
importance.
(E) Ethical Value
• It is also sometimes In many cultures, a
known as existence value. particular species or
It involves ethical issues landscape may be
like "'all life must be inseparably linked to a
preserved
sense of identity and
meaning.
• It is based on the concept
of "Live and Let Live”
Some religious
• If we want our human organizations call for the
race to survive then we protection of nature
must protect all simply because it is God’s
biodiversity, because creation.
biodiversity is valuable E.g. Ramasethu
(F) Aesthetic Value
Natural and wild habitats Wild life conservation
harbors rich biodiversity and programs including national
man gets much needed parks, zoological and botanical
aesthetic pleasure by watching gardens, snake, crocodile,
native plants and animals of a butterfly parks
region
Developing of new
Millions of people enjoy horticultural species and other
hunting, fishing, camping, novel species by biotechnology
hiking, wildlife watching and contribute to the existing
other nature based activities aesthetic value of naturally
which forms the basis for occurring biodiversity
‘Ecotourism’.
(G) Optional Value
According to the biologist • Such unexplored biodiversity
Edward Osborne Wilson, provides man with an option
only 1.4 million different to find, realize and value its
species of plants, animals and ecological services and other
microorganisms were economical, social, aesthetic,
identified till now. ethical and medical uses for
the benefit mankind
It is quite possible that • However, this is possible
nearly 10 to 100 million other only when conservation
species may be present programs are taken up
undiscovered in many proactively. Otherwise, many
regions of the world that are plants, animals and
unexplored (E.g. Rain microorganisms disappear
forests). before their discovery which
is as good as 'book-burning’
that destroys former and
future knowledge
 Hotspots of Biodiversity
• Hotspots are the main areas • The term was introduced by
of focus for biodiversity Norman Myers (1988).
conservation
• Myers et al (2000) recognized
• Extremely rich in biodiversity 25 hot spots

• Have high level of endemism • These are on a global level

and are under constant threat out of which two are present
of species extinctions and in India, namely the Eastern
habitat destruction Himalayas and Western
Ghats

• These hotspots covering less • According to Myers et al.

than 2% of the world's land (2000) an area is designated as
area are found to have about a hotspot when it contains at
50% of the terrestrial least 0.5% of the plant
biodiversity species as endemics
 Global Hot spots
• 1. Tropical Andes • 13. Succulent Karoo
• 2. Mesoamerica • 14. Mediterranean Basin
• 3. Caribbean • 15. Caucasus
• 4. Brazil's Atlantic Forest • 16. Sundaland

• • 17. Wallacea
5. Choco/Darien/Western
Ecuador • 18. Phillipines
• 6. Brazil's Cerrado • 19. Indo-Burma
• 7. Central Chile • 20. South-Central China
• • 21. Western Gnats/Sri Lanka
8. California Floristic Province
• 22. SW Australia
• 9. Madagascar
• 23. New Caledonia
• 10. Eastern Arc and Coastal
Forests of Tanzania/Kenya • 24. New Zealand
• 11. Western African Forests • 25. Polynesia/Micronesia
• 12. Cape Floristic Province
• The 25 hotspots contain • It has been estimated that
44% of all vascular plant 50,000 endemic plants,
species and 35% of which comprise 20% of
terrestrial vertebrates and global plant life, probably
encompass only 1.4% of occur in only 18
the earths surface ‘hotspots’ in the world

• However, collectively • Countries which have a

they have lost 88% of relatively large
their original primary proportion of these
vegetation biodiversity hotspots are
referred to as ‘Mega-
• Species in these areas are diversity nations’
at risk from extinction if
further habitat loss occurs
 Hotspots in India
• Eastern Himalayas and Western • Many deep and semi isolated valleys
ghats are exceptionally rich in endemic
plant species
• These areas are particularly rich • In Sikkim, in an area of 7298 km2 , of
in floral wealth and endemism the 4250 plant species , 2550 (60%) are
endemic
• In addition to flowering plants
some reptiles, amphibians ,
swallow tailed butterflies, and • In Nepal, there are around 7000 plant
some mammals also exist species, many of which overlap with
those of India, Bhutan, and even
Yunnan. Of these species, at least 500
Eastern Himalayas (8%) are believed to be endemic to
Nepal
• The area comprises Nepal, Bhutan,
and neighboring states of northern • Bhutan, possesses an estimated 5000
India, along with a continuous sector species, of which as many as 750
of the Yunnan province in Southwest (15%) are considered to be endemic to
China the Eastern Himalayas
• All Himalayan forests lie north of the
Tropic of Cancer, and some of them
are at altitudes of 1780 -3500 m, they
can be considered tropical forests
Western Ghats: • The forest cover in western
Ghats has reduced to 34 % from
• 1972- 1989
Out of India’s 49219 plant species
, 1600 endemics (40% of the total
number of endemics) are found
in an 17000 km2 along the sea Floral and faunal commonality
side of the Western Ghats in exists in India's two hot spots
Maharashtra, Karnataka, Tamil
Nadu, Kerala • Although the two areas, the
Eastern Himalayas and the
• Forest track up to 500 m in Western Ghats are today disjunct
elevation, comprising 1/5th of the and have their own characteristic
entire forest expanse, flora and fauna, there are a
• mostly evergreen number of species common to
• both
while those in 500-1500 m range
are semi- evergreen

• There are two main centers of

diversity, the Agasthyamalai
Hills and the Silent Valley/New
Amambalam Reserve Basin
 Threats to Biodiversity
• ‘Extinction’ is the elimination of (A) Natural Extinction
a species which is a normal
process of the nature
• Fossil records suggest that
• All organisms die and are more than 99% of all species
usually replaced by their own that existed in the past are
progeny as a part of evolution now extinct
• This rate of extinction is very
slow and occurs naturally. For • Mass extinctions have wiped
example, in undisturbed out vast numbers of species
ecosystems, about one species is
lost every decade due to climate change
• On the other hand, • For example, at the end of
anthropogenic impacts on
populations and ecosystems have cretaceous period, large
accelerated the rate of extinction asteroids hit the earth and
and eliminated thousands of might have triggered climate
species changes
• Thus biodiversity is threatened
by both nature and man in many • Dinosaurs disappeared along
ways with 50% of existing species
1.Population Risk 2.Environmental Risk

Random variations in These are variations in the

population rates (i.e. birth physical or biological
environment, including
rates and death rates) can variations in predator, prey,
cause a species in low symbiotic or competitor species
abundance to become extinct
In case of species that are
It is a risk especially to sufficiently rare and isolated,
species that consist of only a such normal environmental
single population in one variations can lead to their
habitat extinction

• For example—blue whales 3.Natural Catastrophe:

swim over the vast areas of Natural catastrophes like fires,
ocean, and if in one year most storms, floods, earthquakes,
whales were unsuccessful in volcanic eruptions, changes in
finding a mate then births oceanic currents and upwelling,
could be dangerously low etc. cause the local extinction of
most forms of life there
4.Genetic Risk (B) Man induced Extinction

Detrimental change in • According to some ecologists,

genetic characteristics in a almost one million species are
small population of a species, lost in a year which is equal to
due to 27 species per day due to
anthropogenic activities
• reduced genetic variation
• genetic drift or mutation • At this rate, millions of
organisms will be eliminated
in the next few decades which
makes the species more may trigger a mass extinction
vulnerable to extinction
• This may be not due to
This is because it lacks the asteroids or volcanoes, but
variety once present or human impacts alone will be
because a mutation that leads held responsible
to poor health becomes fixed
in population
 (i) Habitat Loss
A ‘habitat’ refers to a place The growth and expansion of
where a specific species can human population has caused
be found both quantitative and qualitative
loss of the habitat
From a habitat, an organism
obtains food, water, sunlight,
minerals, and other Deforestation, construction of
houses, roads, cities, bridges and
substances that are needed dams for meeting the man’s
for its survival and demands have destroyed the
reproduction habitat for many native species
The removal or destruction
of such habitat where an Habitat loss may be quantitative
and qualitative
organism lives is called
‘habitat loss’
E.g. Coringa mangroves
decreased in the Kakinada bay
It is difficult to estimate how ecosystem due to deforestation
many species become extinct for aquaculture activities
each year because of habitat
Oceans, lakes and rivers are
loss but it poses a serious damaged and destroyed by
threat to biodiversity pollution
 Habitat Fragmentation Pollution
It is a process where a large, • Environmental pollution is the most
continuous habitat is reduced in subtle form of habitat degradation
area and even divided into two or
more fragments • The most common causes of which are
pesticides, industrial effluents and
• Habitat fragmentation may take emissions, and emission from
place due to the development of automobiles
roads, towers, canals, fields,
industries, etc. in an original Introduction of Exotic
large habitat Species
Diseases • Organisms introduced into habitats
where they are not native are
• Pathogens, or disease organisms, termed as exotics
may also be considered Predators
• They act as biological pollutants
• The incidence of disease in wild and are the most damaging agents
species may increase due to of habitat alteration and
human activities degradation in the world
 (ii) Wild life Poaching
• For instance, more than 90% of
The illegal killing/trading of the world's wild rhinos have
animals and wildlife species disappeared or killed for their
is called ‘poaching’ that magnificent horns
occurs across the globe •
The elephant populations in
many nations declined to
Many animals are mercilessly alarmingly low levels between
and illegally killed for their 1979 and 1989, mainly due to the
meat, skins and internal worldwide demand for ivory
organs and for sport
• During this period, due to huge
One of the drivers for the demand for ivory, poaching
illegal trade of animal parts is reduced Africa's elephant
the multimillion dollar population to 50%
market that exists globally
• In 1977, for instance, 1.3 million
elephants lived in Africa while
Illegal wildlife trade is one of only 6,00,000 remained as of 1997
the primary threats to a large
number of species • Savannah elephants were the
worstly affected species because
they sported largest tusks
Other species poached include • Polar Bear Poaching
Tigers (Panthera tigris) for bones, • Polar bear (Ursusmaritimus) is
rhinos for their horns, and bears for a
variety of body parts among the largest carnivores in
the world and is primarily a
All bear species, including marine bear
• Numerous adaptations help
Brown bear (Ursus arctos), them to lead life in icy habitats
Black bear (Ursus americanus), • They have thick which covers
Polar bear (Ursus maritimus) even their feet, for warmth and
traction on ice and can swim as
Asiatic black bear (Ursus thibetanus), far as 40 miles
Spectacled bear (Tremarctos ornatus), • According to the ‘World
Sloth bear (Melursus ursinus), Conservation Union’ (IUCN)
estimates that there are between
Sun bear (Helarctos malayanus), 20,000 and 25,000 polar bears in
the world, distributed
Giant Panda bear (Ailuropoda throughout the Arctic region
melanoleuca)
• The decreasing trends in well-
are used traditionally in China studied populations are alarming
• For example, in the western
Hudson Bay, from 1,200 bears in
1987 the numbers decreased to
935 bears in 2004

• In the Beaufort Sea north of

Alaska, the population dropped
15 % in five years, from 1,800 to
1,526 bears

• It is feared that this population

of bears may be declining due to
illegal hunting, pollution, oil
exploration, tourism and climate
change

• Recognizing these alarming

trends, Russia made polar-bear
hunting illegal

• Canada, Denmark, Greenland,

Norway, and the United States)
entered into the International
Agreement for the Conservation
of Polar Bears in 1973
 (iii) Man- Wildlife Conflicts
• A major problem associated • Instances of man animal
with the conservation of wild conflicts keep on coming to
animals especially the lime light from several states
herbivores like elephants in in our country
India is that of crop
depredation and man- • In Sambalpur, Orissa 195
slaughter humans were killed in the
last 5 years by elephants
• Animals such as elephants,
wild boar and birds like • In retaliation the villagers
peacock cause extensive killed 98 elephants and badly
damage to the crops injured 30 elephants
• This phenomenon has • Several instances of killing of
registered significant increase elephants in the border
in recent years due to habitat regions of Kote -
fragmentation and Chamarajanagar belt in
degradation of natural forests Mysore have been reported
and corridors recently
ENDANGERED SPECIES OF INDIA
The International Union of
Conservation of Nature and
Natural Resources (IUCN)
maintains called a 'Red Database'
at the World Conservation
Monitoring Centre (WCMC) in
which information on
endangered and vulnerable
species of plants and animals is
kept

From time to time, this database

is translated into popular form
and published as 'Red Data
Books‘

The red data symbolizes the

warning signal for those species
which are endangered and if not
protected are likely to become
extinct in near future
• In India, nearly 450 plant species • (a) Reptiles: Gharial, green sea turtle,
have been identified in the categories tortoise, python
of endangered, threatened or rare
• (b) Birds: Great Indian bustard,
• Existence of about 150 mammals and Peacock, Pelican, Great Indian
150 species of birds is estimated to be Hornbill, Siberian White Crane
threatened while an unknown
number of species of insects are • (c) Carnivorous: Indian wolf, red fox,
endangered Sloth bear, red panda, Mammals
tiger, leopard, striped
• A species is said to be endangered hyena, Indian lion, golden cat, desert
when its number has been reduced to cat, dugong
a critical level or whose habitats, have
been drastically reduced and if such a • (d) Primates: Hoolock gibbon, lion-
species is not protected and tailed macaque, Nilgiri langur,
conserved, it is in immediate danger Capped monkey, golden monkey
of extinction
• (e) Plants: A large number of plant
• It may not be of direct relevance here species like Rhododendrons,
to give a complete list of endangered Rauwolfia serpentina, the sandal
flora and fauna of our country wood tree Santalum, Cycas beddomei
etc
• However, a few species of
endangered reptiles, birds, mammals
and plants are given below:
Gharial
Peacock Pelican
Indian Tiger Leopard
Indian Lion Red Fox
Great Indian Bustard
Siberian White Crane
Capped Monkey Golden Monkey
Rhododendron
Rauwolfia serpentina, Cycas beddomei
 (i) Endangered Species (iii) Rare Species

• A species is said to be • These are species with small

endangered when its number has population size in the world
been reduced to a critical level or usually localized within
whose habitats, have been restricted habitats
drastically reduced and if such a
species is not protected and • It is necessary to mention here
conserved, it is in immediate that a species that is rare is not
danger of extinction. necessarily in danger of
becoming extinct ; some species,
• (ii) Vulnerable Species like the Whooping Crane, are
• naturally rare
The species that are under threat
such that they may have to be (iv) Threatened Species
classified as endangered in the •
near future if causal factors The term 'threatened' is used in
continue to operate the context of conservation of the
species which are in any one of
the above three categories
• Species whose populations have
been seriously depleted • These are species that have
declined significantly in total
• Species whose populations are numbers and may be on the
still abundant but are under verge of extinction in certain
threat throughout their range localities
India contains globally important populations of some of Asia's rarest animals, such
as the Bengal Fox, Asiatic Cheetah, Marbled Cat, Asiatic Lion, Indian Elephant, Asiatic

Wild Ass, Indian Rhinoceros, Markhor, Gaur, Wild Asiatic Water Buffalo etc.
According to IUCN, India contains 172 species of animals that are considered globally
threatened. In other words, 2.9% of the world's total number of threatened species
occurs in India The impact of man-related actions could result in the loss of such
valuable species

Group IUCN Red List Threat Category

Endangered Vulnerable Rare Indeterminate Insufficiently known

Mammals 13 20 2 5 13 53
Birds 6 20 25 13 5 69
Reptiles 6 6 4 5 2 23
Amphibians 0 0 0 3 0 3
Fishes 0 0 2 0 0 2
Invertebrates 1 3 12 2 4 22

Total 26 49 45 28 24 172
 Endemic Species of India
• Endemics are species that are found in a single
locality/area and nowhere else in the world. They, thus
have a value in their uniqueness

• The endemism of Indian biodiversity is quite high

• About 33% of the country's flora are endemic to the

country and are concentrated mainly in the North-East,
Western Ghats, North-West Himalaya and the
Andaman and Nicobar Islands

• Out of about 47,000 species of animals in our country

7000 are endemic
 CONSERVATION OF BIODIVERSITY
• Conservation is defined as CGIAR -Consultative Group for
'the management of human use International of Agricultural
of the biosphere so that it may Research
yield the greatest sustainable CIFOR -Centre for Institute of
benefit to present generation Forest Research
while maintaining its UNCED -UN Convention of
potential to meet the needs Environmental Development
and aspirations of future WWF -World Wide Fund for
generations' nature
UNEP - United Nations
Environmental Protection
• Given the value and importance
of biodiversity, there is a great CITES -Convention on
need to conserve the ever International Trade in
threatened organisms. Endangered Species of wild
Fauna and Flora
• In addition to the developed
Some of the international
agencies play a crucial role in nations, efforts by G-15 countries
evolving the conservation have significantly helped in
strategies promoting the implementation of
conservation strategies in these
nations
 STRATEGIES FOR CONSERVATION
There are two approaches of • Insitu conservation applies
biodiversity conservation: only to wild fauna and flora
and not to the domesticated
• In situ conservation (within animals and plants, because
habitat): This is achieved by conservation is achieved by
protection of wild flora and protection of populations in
fauna in nature itself nature

• Ex situ conservation (outside • E.g., National Parks,

habitats) This is done by Sanctuaries, Biosphere
establishment of gene banks, reserves etc.
seed banks, zoos, botanical
gardens, culture collections
etc.
 Ex- situ Conservation
• This type of conservation is mainly done for conservation of
crop varieties, the wild relatives of crops and all the local
varieties with the main objective of conserving the total
genetic variability of the crop species for future crop
improvement or afforestation programs

• In India, we have the following important gene bank/seed

bank facilities:

(i) National Bureau of Plant Genetic Resources (NBPGR) is

located in New Delhi. Here agricultural and horticultural
crops and their wild relatives are preserved by cryo-
preservation of seeds, pollen etc. by using liquid nitrogen at a
temperature as low as -196 °C

• Varieties of rice, pearl millet, Brassica, turnip, radish, tomato,

onion, carrot, chilli, tobacco, poppy etc. have been preserved
successfully in liquid nitrogen for several years without losing
seed viability
• National Bureau of Animal Genetic Resources
(NBAGR) located at Karnal, Haryana. It
preserves the semen of domesticated bovine
animals

• (iii) National Facility for Plant Tissue Culture

Repository (NFPTCR) for the development of a
facility of conservation of varieties of crop
plants/trees by tissue culture. This facility has
been created within the NBPGR
Seed Bank
• Endangered animal species are preserved using similar techniques

• The genetic information needed in the future to reproduce

endangered animal species can be preserved in gene banks, which
consist of cryogenic facilities used to store living sperm, eggs, or
embryos
• The Zoological Society of San Diego has established a "frozen zoo"
to store such samples from more than 355 species, including
mammals, reptiles, and birds
 Maintenance of Repositories
• Since facilities are available for conservation of
valuable germplasm, it is necessary that other
resources and facilities for multiplication,
regeneration, evaluation, characterization,
documentation and distribution of this germplasm are
also made available
• However, the identity and genetic stability must be
ensured during conservation and management of
germplasm
• Samples must be maintained in duplicates at different
sites
• If these precautions are not taken and adequate
facilities for management of collections are not
extended, some of the germplasm repositories may
become germplasm mortuaries
• In other words, the germplasm collections would
become absolutely useless
 Summary
(1) Biodiversity is of extreme importance for ensuring
ecological balance
(2) It has Consumptive, Productive, Genetic, Ethical,
Social, Aesthetic and Optional values
(3) There are 10 biogeographic zones and 26 provinces
(4) India is a megadiversity nation
(5) Hot spots are regions with rich biodivesity and there
are 25 hot spots in world while India has 2 hot spots
(6) Many species are threatened by both nature and man
(7) India has 2% of global endangered and endemic species
(8) Biodiversity can be conserved by in-situ and ex-situ
methods