Species - Area relationships German Naturalist and Geographer Alexander von Humboldt explored the wilderness of south American jungles and found that within a region the species richness increased with increasing area but upto a MSL. .91m Mean Sea Level (MSL) is an average level of the surface of one or more of Earth’s oceans (or seas) from which heights such as elevations may be measured. As we travel by train we notice names of stations on big yellow signboards on which is usually written how much elevated that place is compared to MSL. For example, Erode junction is about meters above MSL.
XII Std Biology-Zoology Chapter- XII Std Biology-Zoology Chapter- Biodiversity and its Conservation of flora and fauna including microorganisms. These organisms can inhabit different ecosystems with varying conditions like the Rainforests, Coral reefs, Grasslands, Deserts, Tundra and the Polar ice caps. This variety (Biodiversity) is essential for the wellbeing of our planet and sustenance of life as a whole. Ecologist Paul Ehrlich proposed the 'Rivet Popper Hypothesis' for better understanding the loss of each species in the ecosystem.
He compared each species of an ecosystem with rivets in the body of an aeroplane. Thousands of rivets (species) join all the parts of an aeroplane (ecosystem). If every passenger travelling in the aeroplane starts taking rivets home (loss of species), initially it may not affect flight safety (proper functioning of the ecosystem). However, the plane becomes dangerously weak over a period of time, when more and more rivets are removed.
Moreover, which rivet is removed is also important. When the key rivets (removal of key stone species) on the wings of the aeroplane are removed, undoubtedly it poses a serious threat to the flight safety. Thus we understand the role of every species for the harmonial function of an ecosystem. The importance of biodiversity can be viewed and measured as a) Ecosystem services b) Biological resources c) Social benefits of biodiversity The organization and functioning of ecosystems world over is effected and dependent on biodiversity and its richness.
The major functional