BIO-DIVERSITY: HABITAT AND REGIONS OF MAXIMUM DIVERSITY
(a) ABROAD
The tropical forests, specially, rain forests are regarded as richest in biodiversity. Two third of world’s flowering plants area is tropical which emphasizes the great importance of plant conservation in the tropics. Many economically important families are restricted to the tropics, such as, Annonac-eae, Lauraceae, Moraceae, Dipterocarpaceae, Ebenaceae, Meliaceae, Gramineae and Leguminosae are most important domesticated families followed by Cruciferae, Rosaceae, Umbelliferae, Solanaceae and Labiatae. Other domesticated families are Chenopodiaceae, Araceae, Cucurbitaceae and Compositae.
High species diversity in the tropical forest may be because of constancy of the environment. It may also be because of the result of interaction between climate, organisms, topography rocks, time and heredity in the tropics which is the ideal place for such interaction. Certain extra-terrestrial factors-mass extinction, competitions,competitive exclusion and other biotic interactions also play a role in the evolution of biological diversity. All such conditions for evolutions are considered as optimal and for extinctions fewer.
(b) INDIA
India has a rich diversity with varied flora and fauna, consisting of 67,000 species of insects followed by 15,000 species of flowering plants, 6500 vertebrates, 4000 molluscs, 2000 fishes, 1200 birds, 450 reptiles, 400 mammals and 150 amphibians.
The western ghats in peninsular India, which extend in the southern states are also considered as a treasure house of species diversity. Out of 15,000 species of flowering plants so far identified in India about 5,000 species occurs on the western Ghats of Kerala and as many as 235 species are endemic to this region. Similarly, it is estimated that almost 1/3 of the animal varieties found in India have taken refuge in western Ghats of Kerala.*15\218\2*
The tropical forests, specially, rain forests are regarded as richest in biodiversity. Two third of world’s flowering plants area is tropical which emphasizes the great importance of plant conservation in the tropics. Many economically important families are restricted to the tropics, such as, Annonac-eae, Lauraceae, Moraceae, Dipterocarpaceae, Ebenaceae, Meliaceae, Gramineae and Leguminosae are most important domesticated families followed by Cruciferae, Rosaceae, Umbelliferae, Solanaceae and Labiatae. Other domesticated families are Chenopodiaceae, Araceae, Cucurbitaceae and Compositae.
High species diversity in the tropical forest may be because of constancy of the environment. It may also be because of the result of interaction between climate, organisms, topography rocks, time and heredity in the tropics which is the ideal place for such interaction. Certain extra-terrestrial factors-mass extinction, competitions,competitive exclusion and other biotic interactions also play a role in the evolution of biological diversity. All such conditions for evolutions are considered as optimal and for extinctions fewer.
(b) INDIA
India has a rich diversity with varied flora and fauna, consisting of 67,000 species of insects followed by 15,000 species of flowering plants, 6500 vertebrates, 4000 molluscs, 2000 fishes, 1200 birds, 450 reptiles, 400 mammals and 150 amphibians.
The western ghats in peninsular India, which extend in the southern states are also considered as a treasure house of species diversity. Out of 15,000 species of flowering plants so far identified in India about 5,000 species occurs on the western Ghats of Kerala and as many as 235 species are endemic to this region. Similarly, it is estimated that almost 1/3 of the animal varieties found in India have taken refuge in western Ghats of Kerala.
*15\218\2*
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