question_answer 69)

  Describe the consumptive use value of biodiversity as food, drugs and medicines, fuel and fibre with suitable examples.

Answer:

                  Biological resources are the basis of life forms on this planet. The countries with maximum biodiversity possess better potential to compete with the rest of the world. Biodiversity has great economic importance to mankind due to its many uses, some of, which with consumptive value are following Food is obtained from biodiversity sources like livestock, forestry and fish. Biodiversity in modern agriculture is beneficial due as a source of new crops, e.g., just three cereals crop like wheat, rice and maize account for about 55% of protein and 60% of calories in humans. Drugs such as morphine (Papaversomniferum), quinine (Cinchona ledgeriana), reserpine (Rauwolfiavomitaria}, belladonna (Atropa belladonna), aconite (Aconitum, napellus),wintergreen and birth bark (Gaultheria procumbens) are derived from plants .About 70-80% of entire population is dependent on plants or its extract for medicine. penicillin (Penicilliumnotatum), tetracycline (bacteria), digitalin (Digitalis} are some examples of medicinal plants. Plant like Chorchorus, Gossypium are sources of fibre while Jatropha is a source of bio fuels. Fossils fuels (e.g., petrolum) are obtained from fossils of organisms.