Medicinal Plants - A Source of Potential Chemicals of Diverse Structures and Biological Activity

Abstract

Biodiversity is defined as the total diversity and variability of living thing and of the system of which they are a part. This covers the total range of variation in and variability among systems and organisms, at the bioregional, landscape, ecosystem and habitat levels, at the various organism levels down to species, population and genes. The variability that we observe among individuals (phenotype) results from the interaction of genetic differences (genotype) with their surrounding environments. Genetic diversity can be assayed directly by surveying the actual genetic material (i.e. the genotype). The genetic diversity occurs in the form of nucleotide variation within the genome sometimes causing a change in a given protein. Hence we observe chemical diversity through biosynthetic processes controlled by specific enzymes (proteins).