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An Introduction to Biodiversity and Chemotaxonomy

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Biodiversity and Chemotaxonomy

Part of the book series: Sustainable Development and Biodiversity ((SDEB,volume 24))

Abstract

About 10–25% species of total over 400,000 species present on the planet Earth are used for human welfare. Plants and their habitats are destroyed for human benefits, and thus, valuable diversity is lost without understanding the utility. Tropical and subtropical agroclimatic conditions support the rich biodiversity of plants which decline towards poles. Plant diversity, genetic make-up and chemical present in them need to be evaluated and identified for proper use. Classical methods are inadequate to clearly classify the plant species, and new and modern tools are always applied for their classification from cytogenetics, molecular fingerprinting to DNA barcoding. Secondary metabolites as chemical markers (alkaloids, flavonoids, terpenes and others) are added tools in this process of identification and help in preventing adulteration and collection and planning of cultivation of desired plant material for industrial use. In this brief overview, problems associated with biodiversity and use of modern tools to resolve these issues are discussed.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Botany Department, Mohanlal Sukhadia University, Udaipur, India

    Kishan Gopal Ramawat

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  1. Kishan Gopal Ramawat
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Correspondence to Kishan Gopal Ramawat .

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  1. Botany Department, Mohanlal Sukhadia University, Udaipur, India

    Kishan Gopal Ramawat

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Ramawat, K.G. (2019). An Introduction to Biodiversity and Chemotaxonomy. In: Ramawat, K. (eds) Biodiversity and Chemotaxonomy. Sustainable Development and Biodiversity, vol 24. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-30746-2_1

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