Question

Taking on example each of habitat loss and fragmentation, explain how are the two responsible for biodiversity loss.

Answer 1

Hint: The loss of biodiversity entails the worldwide extinction of species (plants or animals) and the local reduction or loss of species in a given habitat, resulting in the loss of biodiversity.

Complete answer:
(a) The most common extinction factor is habitat destruction and fragmentation. The tropical rain forests are an example of habitat destruction. 6% of the earth's land surface now consists of tropical rain forests that were $14\%$ earlier and are very easily lost. The Amazon rainforest is an example of deforestation that leads to the extinction of species that are being cut and cleared for the cultivation of soybeans or for conversion to grasslands for raising beef cattle. This is the land fragmentation that contributes to decreases in population.
(b) Ex-situ and in-situ conservation are the two forms of conservation of biodiversity. Literally, ex-situ conservation means "off-site conservation." Protecting an endangered plant or animal species beyond its natural environment is a process; for example, by removing part of the population from a threatened environment and putting it in a new location that could be in the wild or in human care. These, such as the Western Ghats and Sri Lanka, Indo-Burma, and Himalaya, were discovered as 'biodiversity hotspots.' These have been protected in India as 14 biosphere reserves, 90 national parks, and 448 sanctuaries for wildlife. In-situ conservation is the on-site conservation or conservation of genetic resources of plant or animal species in natural populations, such as forest genetic resources of tree species in natural populations. Defense of an endangered plant or animal species in its natural environment is a mechanism that either preserves or cleanses the ecosystem itself or defends the species from predators. This function is fulfilled by zoological parks, botanical gardens, and wildlife safari parks. In seed banks, seeds of various genetic strains may be held for a long period.

Note:
Habitat degradation is the mechanism by which a natural habitat becomes incapable of sustaining its native species (also called habitat loss and habitat reduction). The organisms that previously occupied the site are displaced or die, thereby reducing the abundance of biodiversity and plants.
Fragmentation is a type of asexual reproduction in multicellular organisms in which an organism is split into fragments. Each of these fragments grows into adult species that are genetically and morphologically similar to their parents, fully grown individuals.