Hotspots of biodiversity

A virtual field trip of some hotspots of biodiversity.

1. HOTSPOTS OF BIODIVERSITY submitted by g. h. jnana pooja & anila varghese

2. What is a biodiversity hotspot? A  biodiversity hotspot  is a bio geographic region with a significant reservoir of biodiversity that is under threat from humans.  To qualify as a biodiversity hotspot on Myers 2000 edition of the hotspot-map, a region must meet two strict criteria: it must contain at least 0.5% or 1,500 species of vascular plants as endemics, and it has to have lost at least 70% of its primary vegetation.

3. Around the world, 34 areas qualify under this definition, with nine other possible candidates. These sites support nearly 60% of the world's plant, bird, mammal, reptile, and amphibian species, with a very high share of endemic species. Some of the biodiversity hotspots are discussed below:

4. HIMALAYAS The Eastern Himalayas harbor an amazing diversity of life. There are 163 globally threatened species found in the Himalayas, including Asia’s three largest herbivores – Asian elephant, greater one-horned rhinoceros and wild water buffalo – and its largest carnivore, the tiger. The region is home to10,000 types of plants, 300 mammals, 977 birds,176 reptiles,105 amphibians and 269 freshwater fish. The Himalayan grasslands have the densest population of Bengal tigers, which live alongside Asian elephants and one-horned rhinos. The mountains offer refuge for red pandas, golden langurs and takins .

5. LAKE BIWA Lake Biwa is the largest freshwater lake in Japan, located in Shiga Prefecture.  Naturalists have documented about 1100 species in the lake, including 58 endemic species. Lake Biwa is an important place for water birds. About 5,000 water birds visit Lake Biwa every year. There are 46 native fish species and subspecies in the lake, including 12 endemic species and 5 endemic subspecies. Lake Biwa is also the home of a large number of  molluscs , including 38 freshwater snails (19 endemic) and 16 bivalves (9 endemic).

6. MADAGASCAR Dominated by the nation of Madagascar, the fourth largest island on Earth, the hotspot includes more than 300 bird species are regularly found in the hotspot, nearly 60 percent of which are found nowhere else on the planet; additionally, 42 genera and four families are endemic. The bird fauna includes some extraordinarily relict bird species on Madagascar, such as the ground-rollers and cuckoo-rollers. The most intriguing mammals of Madagascar are the lemurs, represented by five families of primates unique to this island. Vascular plants total at least 13,000 species, of which about 90 percent are found nowhere else in the world. Incredibly, eight of at least 160 plant families found here are endemic.

7. EXPLORE THE ABOVE DESCRIBED PLACES BY CLICKING BELOW: Various biodiversity hotspots around the world Ranomafana National Park, Madagascar Ranomafana National Park2

8. Now answer the following questions: How many biodiversity hotspots are there in the world? How many biodiversity hotspots are present in India? Where is Lake Biwa located? Name the National Park located in Madagascar.