Which ecosystems are endemic to Western Ghats?
The Western Ghats are home to four tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forest ecoregions – the North Western Ghats moist deciduous forests, North Western Ghats montane rain forests, South Western Ghats moist deciduous forests, and South Western Ghats montane rain forests.
Is biodiversity high in freshwater?
Freshwater has abundant biodiversity. Given that lakes and rivers only make up . 007 percent of Earth’s total water, the relative biodiversity in freshwater is greater than both marine and terrestrial ecosystems.
What is freshwater biodiversity?
“freshwater biodiversity”, at the species level, includes life which is very obviously living in freshwater but also includes life which is adapted to live in or around freshwater habitats.
Why is biodiversity in freshwater important?
Freshwater species are important to local ecosystems, provide sources of food and income to humans and are key to flood and erosion control. However, freshwater species are going extinct more rapidly than terrestrial or marine species.
Is Western Ghats a biodiversity hotspot?
The Western Ghats are one of the world’s biodiversity hotspots with over 5,000 flowering plants, 139 mammals, 508 birds and 179 amphibian species. At least 325 globally threatened species occur here. At 2695m, Mt Anamudi in Kerala, India is the highest peak in the Western Ghats.
Why Western Ghats are declared as biodiversity hotspot?
Question : Why Western Ghats are considered as one of the biodiversity hotspots? Because Western Ghats are the regions with very high level of species richness and high degree of endemism. Hotspots are also regions of accelerated habital loss.
How much biodiversity is in freshwater?
Covering approximately 1% of the Earth’s surface, rivers, lakes and freshwater wetlands are home to 10% of all species and more described fish species than in all the world’s oceans. Since 1970, 83% of freshwater species and 30% of freshwater ecosystems have been lost.
How is freshwater related to biodiversity?
Freshwater ecosystems support 6% of all described species and 1/3 of all vertebrates. Freshwater ecosystems provide key ecosystem services to sustain human livelihoods. Fresh waters experience greater than average declines in biodiversity. The high level of endemism makes freshwater ecosystems particularly vulnerable.
How does biodiversity protect freshwater?
Conserving biodiversity could help shield waterways against nitrogen pollution, says a study that showed how streams with more species are better at removing excess nutrients from water. Scientists have long known that ecosystems with more biodiversity are better at mopping up pollutants like nitrogen.
Why Western Ghats are considered as hotspots?
How many amphibian species are there in western Ghat?
The Western Ghats of India are very rich in am- phibian species with 117 species of frogs, toads and caecilians. Eighty-nine species are endemic to this biogeo- graphical region.
Why Western Ghats in India have been declared hotspots?
Question : Why Western Ghats in India have been declared as biological hot-spots? The significance of the vVestern Ghats is that along with their biodiversity, they also support a rich environment.
Why are the Western Ghats the world’s Hottest Biodiversity Hotspot?
Malabar giant squirrels in the forests of the Western Ghats biodiversity hotspot. As one of the world’s “hottest biodiversity hotspots” and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Western Ghats is on the conservation watch-list for being a rich but highly vulnerable region in urgent need of biodiversity conservation efforts.
Why are the Western Ghats the centres of Biological Diversity?
The Western Ghats is the centres of biological diversity of: The new Amambalam Reserve. In the Western Ghats, the evergreen forests are found at low elevation. the elevation is approx 500 m above from sea level. Semi-evergreen forests occur at 500-1500m height in the western ghats.
What is the most heavily utilized Freshwater Group in the Western Ghats?
• Aquatic plants and fishes are the most heavily utilized freshwater groups in the Western Ghats. Twenty-eight percent of aquatic plants are harvested for medicinal purposes, and 14% and 13%, as food for people and animals, respectively.
What is biodiversity hotspot in India?
Biodiversity Hotspot in India: Hot spots are the areas where the density of biodiversity is very high. this high diversity is also known as megadiversity. These areas are the most threatened areas.