Indian Biodiversity

Important groups found in India

1. Algae

 The green non-differentiated plants (non – differentiated into organs like root, stem and
leaf) possessing chlorophyll are known as Algae.
 They grow in water or in moist situations.
 Fresh-water algae – green or blue-green in color
 Marine water algae – red or brown.
 These are autotrophic plants, as they can manufacture their own food.

2. Fungi

 Non-green non-differentiated plants characterized by total absence of chlorophyll are called Fungi.
 They grow either on dead, rotten organic matters as saprophytes (a plant, fungus, or
microorganism that lives on dead or decaying organic matter) or live as parasites on
other living bodies, which are referred to as hosts.
 Moulds and mushrooms are the familiar examples of saprophytic fungi.
 The maximum diversity of fungi is in the Western Ghats followed by the eastern
Himalaya and the western Himalaya. About 3500 species are endemic to the country.

3. Bacteria

 It is neither plant nor animal.
 These are non-chlorophyllous micro-organisms which lead saprophytic or parasitic
existence.
 If bacteria form a parasitic association with other organisms, they are classed as
pathogens. Pathogenic bacteria are a major cause of human death and disease and
cause infections such astetanus, typhoid fever, diphtheria, syphilis, cholera,
foodborne illness, leprosy and tuberculosis.
 Saprophytic bacteria are rather beneficial. They are soil borne and many of them are
used in industries.
 Other uses of bacteria include sewage treatment, breakdown of oil spills, cheese
through fermentation.
 They were among the first life forms to appear on Earth, and are present in most of its
habitats.
 Bacteria inhabit soil, water, acidic hot springs, radioactive waste, and the deep
portions of Earth’s crust.

4. Lichens

 A lichen is a peculiar combination of an algae and a fungus – the two live deriving mutual
benefit. (Lichen = algae + fungi)
 They are group of greyish green plants which grow on rocks, three-trunks, dead wood,
etc.
 Algae manufactures carbohydrate food which becomes available to the fungus, and the
latter absorbs and retains water and thus keeps the algal cells moist. So it is a nice
example of symbiosis. (algae makes food and fungi eats food))
 In wetlands – found commonly
 In rivers and streams – rare
 In ground water – Not found

5. Bryophytes

 The plant body is differentiated into a small stem and simple leaves, but true roots are
absent.
 They usually grow in moist places. E.g. Liverworts, mosses
 2nd largest group of green plants in India distributed largely in Eastern Himalaya, Northeastern India, Western Himalaya and the Western Ghats.
 Mosses constitute the major component of Indian bryoflora followed by liverworts and
hornworts.

6. Pteridophytes

 The pteridophytes have well-differentiated plant bodies, consisting of roots, stems and
leaves.
 They possess vascular bundles (a strand of conducting vessels in the stem or leaves of a
plant, typically with phloem on the outside and xylem on the inside).
 Most of them are terrestrial plants and some of them are aquatic.
 This group includes the vascular cryptogams · like dub-mosses, horse-tails and fems
which are universally distributed all over the world.
 The north-eastern region (including Eastern Himalaya) is rich in pteridophytic diversity,
followed by south India (including Eastern and Western Ghats) and north India (including Western Himalaya).

7. Gymnosperms

 Gymnosperms (gymnos=naked, sperma=seed) are the naked-seeded plants.
 Their naked condition stands in contrast to the seeds and ovules of flowering plants
(angiosperms), which are enclosed within an ovary.
 They have very simple flowers without accessory whorls and the microsporophylls
(stamens) and carpels remain aggregated in cones.
 Ovules are present on the surface of the carpels and are directly pollinated by the pollen
grains.
 There is nothing like ovary, style and stigma, and naturally there is no fruit.
 E.g. Cycas, Pinus, Gnetum.
 The species of Gnetum and Cycas are mostly confined to North Eastern region, Eastern
and Western Ghats, and Andaman & Nicobar Islands.
 Gymnosperms have major economic uses. Pine, fir, spruce, and cedar are all examples
of conifers that are used for lumber. Some other common uses for gymnosperms are
soap, varnish, nail polish, food, gum, and perfumes.

8. Angiosperms

 The flowering plants (angiosperms), also known as Angiospermae or Magnoliophyta,
are the most diverse group of land plants. Angiosperms (angeion=a case) are the closed
seeded plants.
 Like gymnosperms, angiosperms are seed-producing plants. They are distinguished
from gymnosperms by characteristics including flowers, endosperm within the seeds,
and the production of fruits that contain the seeds.
 Angiosperms are the most highly developed plants which bear flowers having
conspicuous accessory and essential whorls.

• Carpels have the ovary, style and stigma.

 With the stimulus of fertilization, the ovary usually develops into the fruit and the ovules into seeds. Thus the seeds remain within the fruits.