Bioresource & Environmental Biotechnology!!!

"Green-House Technology"

A place where plants are raised & cultivated rather than set for display is known as Green house.  


A greenhouse can be used for

1. Cultivate indoor pot plants
2. Cultivate alpine species
3. Protect tender plants and bulbs during winter months
4. Use against commercial exploitation.
5. Grow hobby plants such as Chrysanthemums, fuschia's or exotic orchids.
6. Producing half hardy perennials grown from seed both during sowing & pricking out. 

Size of Greenhouse

"Biodiversity and its conservation"

The scope of biodiversity on Earth explains extinction rates and mass extinction events, causes of biodiversity loss, benefits of biodiversity, Conservation biology, Island biogeography theory, and approaches to conservation.

The points to ponder about:  

Ø  Several types of tigers used to roam throughout Asia.

Ø  Some types are extinct; the Siberian tiger is endangered.

Biodiversity, or biological diversity = the sum of an area’s organisms, considering the diversity of species, their genes, their populations, and their communities. There is no one exact definition of biodiversity; people have conceived of it in many ways. Biologist Edward O. Wilson has become the best-known spokesperson for biodiversity. An accomplished scientist and writer, he has raised awareness of threats to Earth’s life, and of impending species extinctions.

Biodiversity exists on several levels: Genetic diversity, Species diversity, Ecosystem diversity.

Species diversity

The number or variety of species in a particular region. Species richness = number of species Evenness, or relative abundance = extent to which numbers of different species are equal or skewed. Species = a particular type of organism; a population or group of populations whose members share certain characteristics and can freely breed with one another and produce fertile offspring

Genetic diversity

Includes the differences in DNA composition among individuals within a given species. Adaptation to particular environmental conditions may weed out genetic variants that are not successful. But populations benefit from some genetic diversity, so as to avoid inbreeding or disease epidemics.

Ecosystem diversity

Includes diversity above the species level .Biologists have viewed diversity above the species level in various ways.  Some alternative ways to categorize it include: Community diversity,  Habitat diversity, Landscape diversity.

Species and taxonomy

Kingdom

Phylum

Class

Order

Family

Genus

Species

Each species is classified within a hierarchy reflecting the evolutionary diversification of life. Two related species might be in the same genus; two related genera in the same family, etc

Diversity of subspecies

Within species, diversity exists in subspecies, or geographic variations. The tiger, Panthera tigris, had 8 subspecies. 5 persist today, including Panthera tigris altaica, the Siberian tiger.

Measuring biodiversity

We are still profoundly ignorant of the number of species that live on our planet. Roughly 1.75 million species have been formally described by science. But many more exist:  Estimates range from 3 million to 100 million. some areas remain little explored (hydrothermal vents, rainforest canopies, tropical soils), many species are tiny and inconspicuous (microbes, roundworms, protists, fungi…), Some species are very similar in appearance (many taxa, even trees, birds, whales).

Distribution of biodiversity

Species are not evenly spread among different groups. Insects comprise more than half of all species in world. Beetles comprise fully 40% of all insects. Mammals are outnumbered by spiders and their relatives 16 to 1.

Distribution of biodiversity

Some groups that have more species may have gone through an adaptive radiation. This is when an ancestral species give rise to many species that fill different niches, adapting to them by natural selection. Darwin’s Galápagos finches, Hawaiian honeycreepers, Asteraceae daises and relatives. Another pattern in the uneven distribution of biodiversity is the latitudinal gradient: species richness increases toward the equator.

Latitudinal gradient

Ecologists are not certain why the latitudinal gradient exists, but one prevalent idea is that tropical climates encourage specialist species that can pack tightly in a community.

Biodiversity loss and species extinction

Extinction = last member of a species dies and the species vanishes forever from Earth

Extirpation = disappearance of a particular population, but not the entire species globally.

These are natural processes. On average one species goes extinct naturally every 500–1,000 years this is the background rate of extinction.99% of all species that ever lived are now extinct.

Mass extinctions

Earth has experienced five mass extinction events in which over half its species were wiped out suddenly.

Today’s mass extinction

Currently Earth is undergoing its sixth mass extinction—because of us. Humans have increased the extinction rate by a factor of 1,000. 1,100 species are known to have gone extinct in the past 400 years. The Red List, from the IUCN, lists species that today are facing high risks of extinction. The Javan rhinoceros is extinct in mainland Asia, conservationists announced this week. An adult female Javan rhino was shot and killed in a Vietnamese forest last year—leaving just one wild population left of the species in the world, a group of fewer than 50 individuals in a small park in Indonesia.

Causes of species extinction

Primary causes spell “HIPPO”:

Ø  Habitat alteration

Ø  Invasive species

Ø  Pollution

Ø  Population growth

Ø  Overexploitation

“HIPPO”: Habitat alteration

The greatest cause of extinction today. Accounts for 85% of population declines of birds and mammals. Habitat change hurts most organisms because they are adapted to an existing habitat. Alteration due to: Forest clearing/Urban development/Agriculture/       Global climate change etc….

“HIPPO”: Invasive species

Accidental or intentional introduction of exotic species to new areas. Most do not establish or expand, but some do—likely because they are “released” from limitations imposed by their native predators, parasites, and competitors. In today’s globalizing world, invasive species have become perhaps the second-        worst threat to native biota.

Examples:  Mosquito fish, Zebra mussel, Kudzu, Asian long-horned beetle, Rosy wolfsnail, Cane toad, Bullfrog, Gypsy moth, European starling, Indian mongoose, Caulerpa algae,           Cheatgrass, Brown tree snake.

“HIPPO”: Pollution

Air and water pollution; agricultural runoff, industrial chemicals, etc. Pollution does serious and widespread harm, but is not as threatening as the other elements of HIPPO. Human population growth exacerbates every other environmental problem.  Magnifies effects of the other elements of HIPPO: More people means more habitat change, more invasive species, more pollution, more overexploitation. Along with increased resource consumption, it is the ultimate reason behind proximate threats to biodiversity.

“HIPPO”: Overexploitation

Two meanings: Overharvesting of species from the wild (too much hunting, fishing…) Overconsumption of resources (too much timber cutting, fossil fuel use…) Usually overexploitation is not the sole cause of extinction, but it often contributes in tandem with other causes.

Causes of species extinction

In most cases, extinctions occur because of a combination of factors.  e.g., current global amphibian declines are thought due to a complex combination of: Chemical contamination, Disease transmission, Habitat loss, Ozone depletion and UV penetrance, Climate change, Synergistic interaction of these factors

Benefits of biodiversity

1.      Preserving biodiversity preserves ecosystem services, and directly provides things of pragmatic value to us.

2.      Food, fuel, and fiber

3.      Shelter and building materials

4.      Air and water purification

5.      Waste decomposition

6.      Climate stabilization and moderation

7.      Nutrient cycling

8.      Soil fertility

9.      Pollination

10.  Pest control

11.  Genetic resources

Benefits of biodiversity: Food security

Many species not now commonly used for food could be. Genetic diversity within crop species and their relatives enhances our agriculture and provides insurance against losses of prevalent strains of staple crops.

Benefits of biodiversity: Medicine

Many species can provide novel medicines; we don’t want to drive these extinct without ever discovering their uses. Ten of our top 25 drugs come directly from wild plants; the rest we developed because of studying the chemistry of wild species.

Medicines and Biodiversity: Natural source of Pharmaceuticals
Plants	Drug	Medicinal Application
Pineapple	Bromelain	Controls tissue inflammation
Autum crocus	Colchicine	Anticancer agent
Yellow cinchona	Quinine	Ant malarial
Common thyme	Thymol	Cures fungal infection
Pacific yew	Taxol	Anticancer (Ovarian cancer)
Velve bean	L-Dopa	Parkinson’s disease suppressant
Common foxglove	Digitoxin	Cardiac Stimulant

Benefits of biodiversity: Economic benefits

For all nations, ecotourism can be a major contributor to the economy—especially for developing nations rich in biodiversity. Affluent tourists pay good money to see wildlife, novel natural communities, and protected ecosystems.

Benefits of biodiversity: “Biophilia”

Biophilia = human love for and attachment to other living things; “the connections that human beings subconsciously seek out with the rest of life” e.g., Affinity for parks and wildlife Keeping of pets, Valuing real estate with landscape views, Interest in escaping cities to go hiking,birding, fishing, hunting, backpacking

Conservation biology

Scientific discipline devoted to understanding the factors, forces, and processes that influence the loss, protection, and restoration of biological diversity within and among ecosystems. Applied and goal-oriented: Conservation biologists intend to prevent extinction. This discipline arose in recent decades as biologists grew alarmed at the degradation of natural systems they had spent their lives studying.

Equilibrium theory of island biogeography

Explains how species diversity patterns arise on islands, as a result of: Immigration, Extinction, Island size, Distance from the mainland, The theory originally developed as basic science for oceanic islands. Then it was found to apply to islands of habitat (fragments) within terrestrial systems, for conservation biology.

Species-area curves

The prediction of an increase in species with increased area of an island is borne out by data from nature. Here, species richness on islands of the Caribbean

Testing island biogeography theory

The theory was first tested experimentally on small mangrove islands in the Florida Keys. All arthropods were extinguished from them with a pesticide, and then the researchers observed as species returned to the islands.  Equilibrium numbers matched their predictions, supporting the theory.

Island biogeography theory in conservation

The theory’s applicability to conservation became clear when a researcher documented historical declines in mammals in national parks. The extinctions matched predictions of the theory if the parks were thought of as islands.

Fragmentation

“Islands” of interest to conservation biologists include forest fragments. Forest fragmentation occurs as continuous forest habitat gets broken up gradually.This leads to local extirpations of forest species, as fragments become too small to support them, and too distant to allow immigration.

Conservation approaches: Umbrella species

When habitat is preserved to meet the needs of an “umbrella species,” it helps preserve habitat for many other species. (Thus, primary species serve as an “umbrella” for others.)Large species with large home ranges (like tigers and other top predators) are good umbrella species. So are charismatic ones that win public affection, like the panda.

Conservation approaches: Endangered species

Trying to preserve single species threatened with extinction is the goal of endangered species laws, although they often also achieve umbrella conservation. U.S. Endangered Species Act, 1973: Restricts actions that would destroy endangered species or their habitats, Forbids trade in products from species, Prevents extinction, stabilizes and recovers populations, The ESA has had notable successes: Bald eagle, Peregrine falcon, 40% of all declining populations held stable However, there is much popular resentment against the ESA: Many citizens believe it will restrict their freedom if endangered species are found on their land. Canada therefore stressed cooperation with landowners and provincial governments in its recent Species at Risk Act.

Conservation approaches: Captive breeding

Many endangered species are being bred in zoos, to boost populations and reintroduce them into the wild.

Conservation approaches: Cloning

A newly suggested approach is to use molecular techniques to clone endangered or even extinct species, raise them in zoos, and reintroduce them to the wild. Even if this succeeds technically, though, it will be worthless if there is not adequate habitat and protection left for them in the wild.

Conservation approaches: International treaties

Various treaties have helped conserve biota. A major one is CITES, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, prepared in 1973. It bans international trade and transport of body parts of endangered organisms.

Conservation approaches: Biodiversity hotspots

Biodiversity hotspot = an area that supports an especially high number of species endemic to the area, found nowhere else in the world. Endangered golden lion tamarin, endemic to Brazil’s Atlantic rainforest, which has been almost totally destroyed.

Conservation approaches: Biodiversity hotspots

Global map of biodiversity hotspots, as determined by Conservation International

Biologists are making strides in determining how many species inhabit our planet. There is still time to halt the sixth mass extinction. We have ways to minimize habitat alteration, invasive species, pollution, and overexploitation, but success will ultimately depend on halting human population growth. Fragmented habitats can be restored, but preserving areas before they are fragmented is best to avoid species loss. Conservation biology has developed numerous and varied ways to save species, habitats, and ecosystems.