CHAPTER 21 A2

Animal group
Vertebrates
Amphibians
Birds
Fish
Mammals
Reptiles
Subtotal
Invertebrates
Insects
Molluscs
Crustaceans
Corals
Others
Subtotal
Plants
Mosses
Ferns and allies
Gymnosperms
Dicotyledons
Monocotyledons
Green Algae
Red Algae
Subtotal
Others
Lichens
Mushrooms
Brown Algae
Subtotal
Total

Number of species

6,199
9,956
30,000
5,416
8,240
59,811
950,000
81,000
40,000
2,175
130,200
1,203,375
15,000
13,025
980
199,350
59,300
3,715
5,956
297,326
10,000
16,000
2,849
28,849
1,589,361

Cells with no nucleus

DNA circular chromosomes
Plasmid
No membrane bound organelles
Smaller ribosomes
Cell wall peptidoglycan
Unicellular cells

Eukaryotic
Single celled
Animal like protozoa
Plant like - algae

Eukaryotic
No chlorophyll
Heterotrophic
Simple body form
Reproduce through spores
Cell walls - chitin

Multicellular eukaryotes with differentiated

cells
Chloroplasts / photosynthesise
Cell wall cellulose

Multicellular eukaryotes with differentiated

cells
No chloroplasts
Heterotrophic
No cell walls
Cilia / flagellla

The degree of variation of life forms in an

ecosystem
The number and complexity of communities
The number of different species
The genetic diversity

Biodiversity helps to maintain stability

Interaction between organism within an ecosystem
Why must biodiversity be maintained?
17 megadiverse countries
Australia, Brazil, China, Colombia, Democratic
Republic of
Congo, Ecuador, India, Indonesia, Madagascar,
Malaysia, Mexico, Papua New Guinea,
Peru, Philippines, South Africa, United States and
Venezuela

Red List IUCN

Under threat of extinction 35,262
Human activities contributed largely to the
extinction of most species

Current
population :
1,000 1,100
Cause of threat :
Habitat Loss

Current population :
3,000 4,000
Cause of threat :
Habitat Loss
Human-tiger conflict
Trophy and
Consumption
Prey

Current population : 0
Cause of Extinction :
Over hunting
Habitat Loss
Disease outbreak
Australia, Tasmania

Current population : 0
Cause of Extinction :
Over hunting
Africa

Current population : 0
Cause of Extinction :
Over hunting
Madagascar

Deforestation / Loss of habitat

Poaching
Increasing demand for meat, organs
medicine / accessories
Diseases
Wild climate shift radical habitat alterations
Pollution
Acid rain

Poached for the horn / $300,000

Traditional medicine
Cure cancer, high fever, liver related
problems
500,000 20,000 left in the wild

Social status
$1,500 per pound
Traditional medicine
2,000,000 600,000

Trophies
Fur
Traditional Medicine
$30,000

High demand for meat

Scarce
$3,000 / pound
Juvenille

Captive breeding

process of breeding animals in human

controlled environments with restricted
settings, such as wildlife reserves, zoos and
other conservation facilities; sometimes the
process include the release of
individual organisms to the wild, when there is
sufficient natural habitat to support new
individuals or when the threat to the species in
the wild is lessened.

Artificial insemination

Wildlife reserve / National Park

a wildlife sanctuary, is a naturally occurring

sanctuary, such as an island, that provides
protection for species from hunting, predation or
competition, it is a protected area, a geographic
territory within which wildlife is protected. Such
wildlife refuges are generally officially designated
territories. It is created by government legislation,
publicly or privately owned.
Mihintale (Sri Lanka), Taman Negara (Malaysia),
Yellowstone (United States), Kruger (S.Africa),
Amboseli (Kenya)

In-vitro fertilization

Cloning

Botanic Gardens
Seeds of different species are collected from
the wild to build up a population of plants
The Royal Botanic Garden, UK
Svalbard Global Seed Vault
International Rice Institute
Protect from environmental disasters
Suitable conditions / dehydrated

Tissue Culture