Biodiversity and Conservation.

12 lessons96 min4 simulations10 practice questions

This chapter measures the variety of life and asks why it is worth keeping. It defines biodiversity at the genetic, species and ecological levels, counts the species recorded worldwide and in India, explains why the tropics are richer and why species rise with area (log S = log C + Z log A), links diversity to ecosystem stability through Tilman's plots and the rivet popper analogy, lists the extinctions and the four human causes behind them, and closes with the reasons for conservation and its in situ and ex situ methods.

Also called: biodiversity · conservation of biodiversity · hotspots