List the uses of biodiversity.

Explanation

uses.
(i) source of food and improved varletles. Biodiversity has a prime role in agriculture as a source of new crops, material for breeding improved varicties and new biodegradable pesticides. The wheat,corm and rice are the three main major crbohydrate crops which yield two thied of the food sustaining the human popilation. the commercial domestic species are crossbreed with their wild relatives to improve their traits. the genes of wild species are used to confer new properties such as disease resistance or improve yield in domesticated spedies e.g. rice grown in Asia is protected from diseases by genes received from a single wild rice species (Oryza nivara ) from India.
(ii) Drugs and medicines. several important oharmaxeutucals are obtained from plaat based substances and these substances are developed into variable drugs like Morphine, Quinine and Taxol etc. Morphine (Papaver somniferum ) used as an analgesic, Quinine (chinchana ledgeriana ) used for the treatment of malaria and taxol, an anti-cancer drug pbtained from the bark of the yew tree (Taxus brevifolia, T. baccata ). 25% of the drugs in the pharmacy are derived from a mere 120 species of plants.
(iii) Aathetic and cultural benefits. Biodiversity has great awsthetic value. Examples of awsthetic rewards include ecotourism, bird watching, wildlife, pet keeping and gaedening etc. in majority of indian villages and lowns, plants like Ocumon sanctum (Tulsi) and Ficus religiosa (peepal) are considered sacred and worshipped by the people. several birds and even snakes have been considered sacred.
(iv) Ecosystem services. Biodiversity is essential for maintenance of gaseous composition of the atmosphere, climate control by forests and occanic systems, natural pest control, pollination of plants by insects and birds , formation and protection of soil, conservation and purification of water and nutrient cycling etc.