Ecological and Economic Significance of Bryophytes

With climate change and the massive extinction of biodiversity, this chapter seeks to address the ecological and economic significance of bryophytes. The objective of this chapter is to contribute to the general knowledge of this plant group to spur research and interest in conservation efforts. Ecologically, this chapter x-rays their habit, habitat, distribution, ecophysiology, and reproduction. Bryophytes terrestrialization begun several millions of years ago but is currently threatened by climate change and poor conservation efforts. Economically, this chapter highlights the multifarious uses and applications of bryophytes with a view to promoting diversification, sustainable utilization, and innovative application.

Survey Methodology for Biodiversity Assessment

Rapid urbanization, population explosion, and developing technology have degraded natural habitat of flora and fauna. They can't get proper natural habitat and environment. Because of these reasons, they can't survive. They are in danger. We have to save them. If we can't save them, our whole ecological cycle will be disturbed, and it will create problems for us. So, we have to find reasons for extinction of flora and fauna. For that, it is necessary to do biological survey/assessment. From biological survey/assessment we can find/assess what type of impact are harmful for flora-fauna, how it will affect flora-fauna, what is the reason behind extinction of flora-fauna. From biodiversity survey we can provide and create natural habitat for flora-fauna. So, impact assessment is very important consideration. Every industry/plant or any type of activity should do biodiversity survey. This chapter explores a survey methodology for biodiversity assessment.

Climate Conditions and Biodiversity Decline

Many studies in recent years have investigated the effects of climate change on the future of biodiversity. In this chapter, the authors first examined the different possible effects of climate change that can operate at individual, population, species, community, ecosystem, notably showing that species can respond to climate challenges by shifting their climatic change. Climate change is one of the most important global environmental challenges that affect all the natural ecosystems of the world. Due to the fragile environment, mountain ecosystems are the most vulnerable to the impact of climate change. Climatic change will affect vegetation, humans, animals, and ecosystem that will impact on biodiversity. Mountains have been recognized as important ecosystems by the Convention on Biological Diversity. Climate change will not only threaten the biodiversity, but also affect the socio-economic condition of the indigenous people of the state. Various activities like habitat loss, deforestation, and exploitation amplify the impact of climate change on biodiversity.

Implications of Urban Sustainability, Socio-Ecosystems, and Ecosystem Services

This chapter aims to analyze the implications that urban sustainability, socio-ecosystems, and ecosystem services have as the bases to design the urban green growth strategies. The method used is the analytic based on the theoretical and conceptual literature reviews on the topics described. Urban sustainability and environmental performance integrates biodiversity and socio-ecosystems for the provision of better quality ecosystem services supported by green infrastructure design into the green projects aimed to achieve economic and environmental benefits. It is concluded that the ecosystem services and human well-being may suffer irreversible severe declines if sustainability is not built based on biodiversity of socio ecosystems, green infrastructure, and natural capital.

Global Warming and Biodiversity

Some natural and some artificial activities are responsible for global warming, which is not only affecting the environment but also humans at an alarming rate. The effects of global warming are seen in growing biodiversity. There are many greenhouse gases, which form a thin layer in the atmosphere making the Earth's surface warmer day by day. The presence of carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, and water vapors are responsible for global warming. Global warming behaves like greenhouse in which a glass chamber is incorporated that allows the sunrays to pass inside the chamber but does not allow reflecting back from the glass. Due to this, the inside temperature of the chamber becomes hotter in comparison to the outside temperature. The maintenance of the temperature inside the chamber helps plant growth.

Techniques to Assess Plant Diversity

Understanding the unequal distribution of species diversity is one of the greatest challenges in ecology. Standardized sampling protocol for diversity assessment are there for essential to reflect diversity patterns across spatial scales and to compare the diversities of different ecosystems. Measurements of biodiversity at the level of species or inhabitants are directed towards the fulfillment of an index of the number of species and their relative abundances in a given landscape. Massive loss of valuable plant species in the past centuries and its adverse impact on environmental and socioeconomic values has caused the conservation of plant resources. Appropriate identification and characterization of plant materials is important for the successful conservation of plant resources and to ensure their sustainable use. This review presents a basic description of different techniques that may be used for analysis of plant species. This chapter also includes an overview of the diverse, predominantly molecular techniques used in assessing plant genetic diversity.

Techniques to Assess Animal Diversity

Methods for surveying and monitoring fauna will depend on the types of fauna that the study is looking for. Animal diversity assessment goal is the conservation of animals and their interaction between biodiversity. Assessment also includes their habitat and taking actions to conserve the faunal species. Animal diversity includes vertebrate animals and invertebrate animals. Faunal diversity includes odonate (predators), coleoptera, hymenoptera (pollinators), herpetofauna, avifauna, fish, mammals, and butterflies. Animal diversity assessment describes their food, habitat, ecology, and their population. Animal diversity assessment technique describes impact of pollution on their environment. In this chapter, the authors have elaborated about the techniques of faunal biodiversity in the field.

Sand Mining and Biodiversity Decline With Reference to Rajasthan Area

Biodiversity sustains human livelihoods and life itself. An estimated 40% of the global economy is based on biological products and processes. As the biodiversity harbours a great amount of diversity with respect to species diversity, crop diversity, etc., which provides a rich amount of a well-evolved systems over time and background support for rich resources, the mining is a destructive activity generated by human beings for providing strength and security to their living standards. The mining in the concerned zones provides raw materials in the form of crusher, gravels and stones, etc. for construction of roads, railway lines, and other infrastructure. It results in the loss of biodiversity of both flora and fauna and physiographic features of the concerned region. After the mining operation in any area is over, the sign of same lie for decades and maybe forever. It results in creation of so many environment-related problems and health hazards. Mining poses serious and highly specific threats to biodiversity.

Biodiversity Assessment for Asian Highway 48 (Near Jaldapara National Park) From Bhutan to Bangladesh Passing Through India

In the present study, the authors have elaborated a case study for the biodiversity assessment for Asian Highway 48 (Chainage 84.775 km to 87.690 km) passing through Jaldapara National Park located in Alipurdwar District of West Bengal state of India. The objectives of the study were to assess the biological diversity within the specified area (1.65 km2) to establish the baseline status of floral and faunal species. Here, we have covered flora and fauna for the assessment as well as quantitative study covering frequency, density, dominance, IVI, Shannon Wiener Index, variance, etc. The area is ecologically sensitive as endangered species were observed; animals like elephants used to cross the road very frequently. Therefore, it is strongly recommended to prepare the conservation plan for elephants and other REET species in the Jaldapara National Park to conserve the endangered species in situ.

An Insight Into the Butterflies (Lepidoptera, Papilionoidea) Associated With Protected Area Network of Uttarakhand, Western Himalaya

Uttarakhand has a rich tradition to conserve its immense array of biological and cultural diversity. An annotated checklist on butterfly diversity and distribution across protected areas of state Uttarakhand is provided here which is a culmination of published literature over a period of the last 38 years (1981-2018). The list comprises 393 butterfly species under 188 genera and six families. The local status was also assigned to the compiled species of butterflies after critical review of referred literature, wherein 22.70% of the total species were found ‘rare' while 41 species of butterflies are entirely lacking published record from the last many decades. A total of 51 species compiled in the present checklist, which was reported based on its presence or absence unique and rare to a particular protected area, are the species of concern as they might face extinction through slight alterations in their habitats.