Done by:

Pranav B, IX A,

Sri Vani Education Centre,

Hanumavana, Machohalli,

Bengalooru.

Biosphere is the outermost part of the Earth where living organisms occur. It consists of three parts, i.e., Lithosphere (Land), Hydrosphere (Water) and Atmosphere (Air).

Biosphere is said to be made up of many Ecosystems. Ecosystems are parts of the Biosphere where living and non-living organisms live together, interact with each other and are dependant on each other.The living part of an ecosystem is called as the biotic component while the abiotic components constitute the non-living part.

The biotic components of an ecosystem can be further categorized into Flora and Fauna.

Flora refers to the plant life growing in a particular place or at a particular time.

Fauna is the collective term used for the animal life growing in a particular place or at a particular time.

Flora and fauna are interdependent to an extent that they cannot be separated from one another without causing extensive damage to the other.

Ex: In a pond ecosystem, the hydrillas and the plant cover are the flora while the fish, frog, and other animals represent the fauna

Insects are invertebrates and belong to the Phylum Arthropoda.

They are one of the most successful group of organisms in the world containing more than 925,000 types of species.

Insectus in Latin means “cut into sections”.

The study of insects in called Entomology.

They help in pollination of trees and in seed dispersal, provide us, honey, wax, silk, etc., check the growth rate of other insects, and are helpful to us in a number of ways.

Amphibians are a class of animals who live both on land and in water.

On land, they breathe through their lungs while they breathe through their skin underwater. As they breathe through their skins, they are very sensitive.

There are nearly 6,000 species of amphibians.

Amphibia, in Greek, means “Both type of life”.

They consume mostly insects and thus help in keeping a check on the number of insects.

Reptiles are cold-blooded and belong to the Phylum Vertebrata.

They are found nearly everywhere except in Antarctica. There are approximately 8,000 existing species of reptiles.

The study of reptiles (and amphibians) is called Herpetology.

Reptilia in Latin means “Creeping”.

They help farmers by checking the number of mice in their sheds and fields. Some of them reduce the number of insects.

Birds are warm-blooded animals who belong to the Phylum Vertebrata.

There are about 8,800 – 10,200 living species of birds. Sadly nearly 150 species of birds have become extinct.

The earliest known species of birds are Archaeopteryx lithographica.

The study of Birds is called Ornithology.

They are a major source of food for humans. They also help in seed dispersal. In earlier times, they were used to deliver messages. They help in keeping a check on other animals and insects.

Mammals are warm-blooded animals who belong to the Phylum Vertebrata.

They are characterized by production of milk for their young, presence of hair or fur, and many more.

The study of mammals is called Mammalogy.

There are nearly 5,500 species of mammals.

They provide milk, fur, meat and many more things to us.

The major problem faced by Fauna all over the world is Extinction.

Man has recklessly modified the environment to an extent that the fine balance existing in the ecosystem has become dangerously unbalanced.

The constant felling of trees has reduced the area of habitat of animals.

The killing of animals for a certain item, for the “hunting attitude”, for religious reasons, for museum specimens, and for many more reasons have also led to extinction of animals.

In the past 2 centuries, nearly 200 – 300 species of animals have become extinct.

The balance between the various parts of an ecosystem are finely balanced to an extent that one cannot exist without another.

If one species of an animal becomes extinct, it may lead to a chain of extinction of other animals.

For example, consider a simple food web consisting of Eagle, Snake, Grasshopper, Frog, and Owl. Let us imagine that these animals are unique to a particular area and there are no other animals in that area.

Now, let us say that the grasshoppers cease to exist. Then, due to lack of food, the frogs will become extinct and the reptiles will lose a part of their food. Since the frogs have become extinct, there is no food available for the snakes and the owls leading to their extinction. Since the snakes have disappeared, the eagles will also become extinct.

Now let us say that the snakes have become extinct. Since there is no food available for the eagles, they will become extinct. As there are no predators to eat them, the number of grasshoppers and frogs will increase. Since the frogs consume the grasshoppers and are also increasing in number, a time will come when the grasshoppers will become extinct. This leads to the extinction of the frogs and ultimately the owls as there is no food available for them.

Now let us consider the extinction of eagles. Since there are no predators hunting them, the snakes will increase in number. This leads to the extinction of frogs and grasshoppers as there are more snakes feeding on them than usual. Since there is no food available for the snakes and owls they will become extinct.

Conservation can be done by :

Imposing hunting restrictions.

Making Security more tighter in Sanctuaries, National Parks, Bio-reserves, etc..

Making rules more strict and ensure that they are properly implemented.

Banning hunting, selling and capturing of rare animals.

People making sure they do not buy anything made up of fur, leather, or any other animal product.

Ensure proper inspection of goods to ensure that animal skins are not shipped out of the country.

Fauna is an important part of our ecosystem and cannot be isolated from the other parts of the ecosystem.

Humans should reduce reshaping of the environment and should ensure that none of the animals should become extinct due to reasons which are not caused by Nature.