GEN101:Introduction - Revision history

Gauravm: /* Copyrights */

2010-11-13T18:41:44Z

‎Copyrights

Gauravm at 04:40, 12 November 2010

2010-11-12T04:40:25Z

Gauravm: /* Overview of the module */

2010-11-12T04:39:05Z

‎Overview of the module

Gauravm: /* Biodiversity vs Human progress */

2010-11-12T04:38:09Z

‎Biodiversity vs Human progress

Gauravm: /* Biodiversity of India */

2010-11-12T04:17:13Z

‎Biodiversity of India

Gauravm: /* Overview of the module */

2010-11-02T02:18:23Z

‎Overview of the module

Gauravm: /* Copyrights */

2010-11-02T02:11:17Z

‎Copyrights

Gauravm at 02:09, 2 November 2010

2010-11-02T02:09:58Z

Gauravm at 01:38, 2 November 2010

2010-11-02T01:38:28Z

Gauravm at 01:37, 2 November 2010

2010-11-02T01:37:33Z

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 </div>
 ==Copyrights==
-Many sections in this article have been copied from Wikipedia. The copied content of Wikipedia is released under [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Text_of_Creative_Commons_Attribution-ShareAlike_3.0_Unported_License Creative Commons Attribution-Sharealike 3.0 Unported License] (CC-BY-SA) and the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Text_of_the_GNU_Free_Documentation_License GNU Free Documentation License] (GFDL), making it permissible to copy with attribution. All text on this website is released under CC-BY-SA.
+Many sections in this module have been copied from Wikipedia. The copied content of Wikipedia is released under [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Text_of_Creative_Commons_Attribution-ShareAlike_3.0_Unported_License Creative Commons Attribution-Sharealike 3.0 Unported License] (CC-BY-SA) and the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Text_of_the_GNU_Free_Documentation_License GNU Free Documentation License] (GFDL), making it permissible to copy with attribution. All text on this website is released under CC-BY-SA.
 Also, copying (if permissible and if properly attributed to source) is not bad (and does not imply plagiarism)...you can save time through collaboration and by not reinventing the wheel.

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
 <div style="text-align: right;font-size: 120%;">
-'''''[[Module:India_and_biodiversity:Students | << Previous:Module start page]]'''''&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;'''''[[GEN101:Geography and climate of India| Next: Geography and Climate of India >>]]'''''
+'''''[[Module:India_and_biodiversity:Students | << Previous:Module start page]]'''''&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;'''''[[GEN101:India as a megadiverse nation  | Next: GEN101:India as a megadiverse nation  >>]]'''''
 </div>
 ==Copyrights==
@@ Line 41: / Line 41: @@
 <div style="text-align: right;font-size: 120%;">
-'''''[[Module:India_and_biodiversity:Students | << Previous:Module start page]]'''''&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;'''''[[GEN101:Geography and climate of India| Next: Geography and Climate of India >>]]'''''
+'''''[[Module:India_and_biodiversity:Students | << Previous:Module start page]]'''''&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;'''''[[GEN101:India as a megadiverse nation  | Next: GEN101:India as a megadiverse nation  >>]]'''''
 </div>
 [[Category:Education]] [[Category:Learning modules]] [[Category:General modules]]

@@ Line 24: / Line 24: @@
 |-
 ! Section 3
-| Biodiversity in Medicine
+| Biodiversity and Indian society
-| The impact of biodiversity on India's healing systems
+| The impact of biodiversity on India's religion, cuisine and healing systems
 |-
 ! Section 4
-| Biodiversity and Culture
+| Rare and Interesting species of India
-| Religious and sociocultural significance of our biodiversity
+| As the name suggests
 |-
 ! Testing

← Older revision		Revision as of 04:38, 12 November 2010
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	Simply speaking, it is the variation in the life forms in a given ecosystem. More the biodiversity, healthier is the ecosystem.		Simply speaking, it is the variation in the life forms in a given ecosystem. More the biodiversity, healthier is the ecosystem.
−
−	~~==Biodiversity vs Human progress==~~
−	~~[[File:Trachypithecus-geei-cropped.jpg\|thumb\|left\|Now the world's rarest monkey, the [[w:Gee's Golden Langur\|golden langur]] typifies the precarious survival of much of India's megafauna.]]~~
−	India contains 172, or 2.9%, of [[w:IUCN\|IUCN]]-designated threatened species.<ref>Groombridge, B. (ed). 1993. ''The 1994 IUCN Red List of Threatened Animals.'' IUCN, Gland, Switzerland and Cambridge, UK. lvi + 286 pp.</ref> These include the [[w:Asiatic lion\|Asiatic lion]], the [[w:Bengal tiger\|Bengal tiger]], and the [[w:Indian White-rumped Vulture\|Indian white-rumped vulture]], which suffered a near-extinction from ingesting the carrion of [[w:diclofenac\|diclofenac]]-treated cattle.
−
−	In recent decades, human encroachment has posed a threat to India's wildlife; in response, the system of [[w:National parks of India\|national parks]] and [[w:protected areas of India\|protected areas]], first established in 1935, was substantially expanded. In 1972, India enacted the [[w:Wildlife Protection Act of 1972\|Wildlife Protection Act]] and [[w:Project Tiger\|Project Tiger]] to safeguard crucial habitat; further federal protections were promulgated in the 1980s. Along with [[w:Wildlife sanctuaries of India\|over 500 wildlife sanctuaries]], India now hosts [[w:Biosphere reserves of India\|15 biosphere reserves]], four of which are part of the [[w:World Network of Biosphere Reserves\|World Network of Biosphere Reserves]]; [[w:List of Ramsar Sites in India\|25 wetlands]] are registered under the [[w:Ramsar Convention\|Ramsar Convention]].
−
−	The need for conservation of wildlife in India is often questioned because of the apparently incorrect priority in the face of direct poverty of the people. However Article 48 of the Constitution of India specifies that, "The state shall endeavour to protect and improve the environment and to safeguard the forests and wildlife of the country" and Article 51-A states that "it shall be the duty of every citizen of India to protect and improve the natural environment including forests, lakes, rivers, and wildlife and to have compassion for living creatures."<ref>Krausman, PR & AJT Johnsingh (1990) Conservation and wildlife education in India. Wildl. Soc. Bull. 18:342-347</ref>

	==Overview of the module==		==Overview of the module==

← Older revision		Revision as of 04:17, 12 November 2010
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	Simply speaking, it is the variation in the life forms in a given ecosystem. More the biodiversity, healthier is the ecosystem.		Simply speaking, it is the variation in the life forms in a given ecosystem. More the biodiversity, healthier is the ecosystem.
−
−	~~==Biodiversity of India==~~
−	[[wikipedia:India\|India]] is a country rich in biological diversity. It lies within the [[wikipedia: Indomalaya ecozone\|Indomalaya ecozone]] and houses two of the 34 biodiversity hotspot in the world<ref>[http://www.biodiversityhotspots.org/xp/Hotspots/hotspots_by_region/Pages/default.aspx Hotspots by region]</ref>.
−
−	~~{{#display_map: India \|zoom=4}}~~
−
−	~~'''There is a huge species diversity in India, with several of the species being endemic to the their native ranges in India{{fact}}.'''~~
−	~~{\| cellspacing="1" cellpadding="1" border="1" style="width: 500px; height: 15px;"~~
−	\|-
−	~~\| '''Group'''<br>~~
−	~~\| '''Number'''<br>~~
−	~~\| '''% of world species'''~~
−	\|-
−	~~\| Mammals<br>~~
−	~~\| 350<br>~~
−	~~\| 7.6%~~
−	\|-
−	~~\| Birds<br>~~
−	~~\| 1224<br>~~
−	~~\| 12.6%~~
−	\|-
−	~~\| Amphibians<br>~~
−	~~\| 197<br>~~
−	~~\| 4.4%~~
−	\|-
−	~~\| Reptiles<br>~~
−	~~\| 408<br>~~
−	~~\| 6.2%~~
−	\|-
−	~~\| Fishes<br>~~
−	~~\| 2546<br>~~
−	~~\| 11.7%~~
−	\|-
−	~~\| Flowering plants<br>~~
−	~~\| 15000<br>~~
−	~~\| 6%~~
−	\|-
−	\|}
−	''Sources: Indira Gandhi Conservation Monitoring Centre (IGCMC), New Delhi <ref>Indira Gandhi Conservation Monitoring Centre (IGCMC), New Delhi and the [http://www.unep-wcmc.org/ United Nations Environmental Program (UNEP), World Conservation Monitoring Center], Cambridge, UK. 2001.</ref> and IISc <ref>[http://ces.iisc.ernet.in/hpg/cesmg/indiabio.html ''Biodiversity profile for India''].</ref>''
−
−	These species have not only contributed to the environmental wellness of India but also its [[wikipedia:demographics of india\|cultural diversity]]. Arguably, the nation is the most demographically diverse in the world. Only the continent of [[wikipedia:Africa\|Africa]] exceeds the linguistic, genetic and cultural diversity of the nation of India.<ref>[http://lcweb2.loc.gov/frd/cs/profiles/India.pdf India, a Country Study] ''United States Library of Congress, Note on Ethnic groups''</ref>. The country houses 1.6 billion people speaking 1652 languages and dialects<ref name="languageinindia.com">[http://www.languageinindia.com/aug2002/indianmothertongues1961aug2002.html [[wikipedia:Mother Tongues\|Mother Tongues]] of India According to the 1961 Census]</ref>, spread out over more than two thousand ethnicities and over every major religion. This vast cultural diversity, coupled with the [[wikipedia:polytheism\|polytheistic]] tenets of [[wikipedia:Hinduism\|Hinduism]], has created an intricate relationship between the culture and biodiversity of India. Plants such as the [[Indian Banyan]] and [[wikipedia:Holy Basil\|Holy Basil]] are considered sacred. So are animals like the [[wikipedia:cow\|cow]],[[wikipedia:elephant\|elephant]] and the [[wikipedia:lion\|lion]].
−
−	Many Indian species are descendants of [[w:taxa\|taxa]] originating in [[w:Gondwana\|Gondwana]], to which India originally belonged. [[w:Indian Plate\|Peninsular India's]] subsequent [[w:Plate tectonics\|movement]] towards, and collision with, the [[w:Laurasia\|Laurasian]] landmass set off a mass exchange of species. However, [[w:Deccan Traps\|volcanism]] and climatic change 20 million years ago caused the [[w:extinction\|extinction]] of many endemic Indian forms.<ref>K. Praveen Karanth. (2006). [http://www.iisc.ernet.in/currsci/mar252006/789.pdf Out-of-India Gondwanan origin of some tropical Asian biota]</ref> Soon thereafter, mammals entered India from Asia through two [[w:Zoogeography\|zoogeographical]] passes on either side of the emerging Himalaya.<ref name=tritsch>Tritsch, M.E. 2001. ''Wildlife of India'' Harper Collins, London. 192 pages. ISBN 0-00-711062-6</ref> As a result, among Indian species, only 12.6% of mammals and 4.5% of birds are endemic, contrasting with 45.8% of reptiles and 55.8% of amphibians.<ref name=unep>Indira Gandhi Conservation Monitoring Centre (IGCMC), New Delhi and the [http://www.unep-wcmc.org/ United Nations Environmental Program (UNEP), World Conservation Monitoring Center], Cambridge, UK. 2001. [http://ces.iisc.ernet.in/hpg/cesmg/indiabio.html ''Biodiversity profile for India''].</ref> Notable endemics are the [[w:Nilgiri Langur\|Nilgiri leaf monkey]] and the brown and carmine [[w:Bufo beddomii\|Beddome's toad]] of the Western Ghats.

	==Biodiversity vs Human progress==		==Biodiversity vs Human progress==

← Older revision		Revision as of 02:18, 2 November 2010
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	==Overview of the module==		==Overview of the module==
		+	This module is split up into four sections, each highlighting a different aspect of India's biodiversity
		+	{\|class="wikitable"
		+	! Section 1
		+	\| India as a megadiverse nation
		+	\| Examples of the enormous biodiversity of India
		+	\|-
		+	! Section 2
		+	\| Geography and Climate of India
		+	\| Reasons why India is a megadiverse country
		+	\|-
		+	! Section 3
		+	\| Biodiversity in Medicine
		+	\| The impact of biodiversity on India's healing systems
		+	\|-
		+	! Section 4
		+	\| Biodiversity and Culture
		+	\| Religious and sociocultural significance of our biodiversity
		+	\|-
		+	! Testing
		+	\| Final Quiz
		+	\| Questions related to concepts and facts learned in this module
		+	\|}

	==References==		==References==

@@ Line 5: / Line 5: @@
 Many sections in this article have been copied from Wikipedia. The copied content of Wikipedia is released under [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Text_of_Creative_Commons_Attribution-ShareAlike_3.0_Unported_License Creative Commons Attribution-Sharealike 3.0 Unported License] (CC-BY-SA) and the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Text_of_the_GNU_Free_Documentation_License GNU Free Documentation License] (GFDL), making it permissible to copy with attribution. All text on this website is released under CC-BY-SA.
-Also, copying is not bad...you can save time through collaboration and by not reinventing the wheel.
+Also, copying (if permissible and if properly attributed to source) is not bad (and does not imply plagiarism)...you can save time through collaboration and by not reinventing the wheel.
 ==What is biodiversity==

@@ Line 2: / Line 2: @@
 '''''[[Module:India_and_biodiversity:Students | << Previous:Module start page]]'''''&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;'''''[[GEN101:Geography and climate of India| Next: Geography and Climate of India >>]]'''''
 </div>
 ==What is biodiversity==
@@ Line 49: / Line 53: @@
 These species have not only contributed to the environmental wellness of India but also its [[wikipedia:demographics of india|cultural diversity]]. Arguably, the nation is the most demographically diverse in the world. Only the continent of [[wikipedia:Africa|Africa]] exceeds the linguistic, genetic and cultural diversity of the nation of India.<ref>[http://lcweb2.loc.gov/frd/cs/profiles/India.pdf India, a Country Study] ''United States Library of Congress, Note on Ethnic groups''</ref>. The country houses 1.6 billion people speaking 1652 languages and dialects<ref name="languageinindia.com">[http://www.languageinindia.com/aug2002/indianmothertongues1961aug2002.html [[wikipedia:Mother Tongues|Mother Tongues]] of India According to the 1961 Census]</ref>, spread out over more than two thousand ethnicities and over every major religion. This vast cultural diversity, coupled with the [[wikipedia:polytheism|polytheistic]] tenets of [[wikipedia:Hinduism|Hinduism]], has created an intricate relationship between the culture and biodiversity of India. Plants such as the [[Indian Banyan]] and [[wikipedia:Holy Basil|Holy Basil]] are considered sacred. So are animals like the [[wikipedia:cow|cow]],[[wikipedia:elephant|elephant]] and the [[wikipedia:lion|lion]].
-==Cases==
+Many Indian species are descendants of [[w:taxa|taxa]] originating in [[w:Gondwana|Gondwana]], to which India originally belonged. [[w:Indian Plate|Peninsular India's]] subsequent [[w:Plate tectonics|movement]] towards, and collision with, the [[w:Laurasia|Laurasian]] landmass set off a mass exchange of species. However, [[w:Deccan Traps|volcanism]] and climatic change 20 million years ago caused the [[w:extinction|extinction]] of many endemic Indian forms.<ref>K. Praveen Karanth. (2006). [http://www.iisc.ernet.in/currsci/mar252006/789.pdf Out-of-India Gondwanan origin of some tropical Asian biota]</ref> Soon thereafter, mammals entered India from Asia through two [[w:Zoogeography|zoogeographical]] passes on either side of the emerging Himalaya.<ref name=tritsch>Tritsch, M.E.  2001. ''Wildlife of India'' Harper Collins, London. 192 pages. ISBN 0-00-711062-6</ref> As a result, among Indian species, only 12.6% of mammals and 4.5% of birds are endemic, contrasting with 45.8% of reptiles and 55.8% of amphibians.<ref name=unep>Indira Gandhi Conservation Monitoring Centre (IGCMC), New Delhi and the [http://www.unep-wcmc.org/ United Nations Environmental Program (UNEP), World Conservation Monitoring Center], Cambridge, UK.  2001. [http://ces.iisc.ernet.in/hpg/cesmg/indiabio.html ''Biodiversity profile for India''].</ref> Notable endemics are the [[w:Nilgiri Langur|Nilgiri leaf monkey]] and the brown and carmine [[w:Bufo beddomii|Beddome's toad]] of the Western Ghats.
 ==Overview of the module==
 ==References==
 {{reflist|2}}