Diversity is not only a characteristic of living organisms but

also of content in biology textbooks. Biology is presented either

as botany, zoology and microbiology or as classical and

modern. The latter is a euphemism for molecular aspects of

biology. Luckily we have many threads which weave the

different areas of biological information into a unifying

principle. Ecology is one such thread which gives us a holistic

perspective to biology. The essence of biological understanding

is to know how organisms, while remaining an individual,

interact with other organisms and physical habitats as a group

and hence behave like organised wholes, i.e., population,

community, ecosystem or even as the whole biosphere.

Ecology explains to us all this. A particular aspect of this is the

study of anthropogenic environmental degradation and the

socio-political issues it has raised. This unit describes as well as

takes a critical view of the above aspects.

Chapter 13

Organisms and Populations

Chapter 14

Ecosystem

Chapter 15

Biodiversity and Conservation

Chapter 16

Environmental Issues

2020-21

Ramdeo Misra is revered as the Father of Ecology in India. Born on 26 August

1908, Ramdeo Misra obtained Ph.D in Ecology (1937) under Prof. W. H. Pearsall,

FRS, from Leeds University in UK. He established teaching and research in

ecology at the Department of Botany of the Banaras Hindu University,

Varanasi. His research laid the foundations for understanding of tropical

communities and their succession, environmental responses of plant

populations and productivity and nutrient cycling in tropical forest and

grassland ecosystems. Misra formulated the first postgraduate course in

ecology in India. Over 50 scholars obtained Ph. D degree under his supervision

and moved on to other universities and research institutes to initiate ecology

teaching and research across the country.

He was honoured with the Fellowships of the Indian National Science

Academy and World Academy of Arts and Science, and the prestigious Sanjay

Gandhi Award in Environment and Ecology. Due to his efforts, the

Government of India established the National Committee for Environmental

Planning and Coordination (1972) which, in later years, paved the way

for the establishment of the Ministry of Environment and Forests (1984).

RAMDEO MISRA

(1908-1998)

2020-21