UNITY IN DIVERSITY GROUP 1
WHAT IS BIODIVERSITY ?
o also known as “biological diversity”
o refers to the variety of life-forms that thrive on Earth
o describes the differences and relationships within the
various ecosystems, including all living things and their
nonliving environment
o it also refers to the number of different species living within
a particular region
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THREE LEVELS OF BIODIVERSITY:
1. Ecosystem Biodiversity
• refers to a community of plants, animals, and other living
things in a particular physical and chemical environment
2. Species Diversity
• number of different species living in an area
3. Genetic Diversity
• the variation of genes that exists within species
IMPORTANCE OF
BIODIVERSITY
Unity in diversity
IMPORTANCE OF BIODIVERSITY
A healthy biodiversity makes a healthy ecosystem, that is,
there is a great variety of crops and greater species diversity.
IMPORTANCE OF BIODIVERSITY
According to the World Wide Fund (WWF) for Nature,
“Biological diversity is the resource upon which families,
communities, nations, and future generations depend. It is the
link between all organisms on Earth, binding each into an
interdependent ecosystem, in which all species have their roles.
It is a web of life.”
IMPORTANCE OF BIODIVERSITY
According to the International Union for Conservation of
Nature (IUCN), considered as the world’s oldest and largest
environmental organization,
“Biodiversity is the foundation of life on Earth.”
BASIC NEEDS AND ECONOMIC BENEFITS
o About 100 million metric tons of aquatic life are taken
from the wild every year.
o About 50% of medicines available today are derived from
natural products.
o Many of the most important drugs are composed of
chemical compounds that are derived from 90 plant species.
CULTURAL, SPIRITUAL, AND AESTHETIC BENEFITS
o Nature has inspired artists for thousands of years.
o Some people find cultural or spiritual meanings from their
environment.
o Many look at the beauty of nature for a sense of
tranquillity, relaxation, and immense satisfaction.
HEALTH BENEFITS
o Biodiversity can improve a person’s well-being.
o Many people find comfort in the presence of wildlife and
healthy habitats.
o A rich biodiversity provides a healthy environment and a
better atmosphere, reducing health problems associated with
pollution.
EDUCATION / INFORMATION
o Scientists
use the natural environment to gather data and
conduct researches that benefit the society.
REGULATING AND SUPPORTING ECOSYSTEM SERVICES
o Ecosystem services are natural processes that provide
benefits such as climate control, pollution attenuation, air
and water purification, flood control, nutrient cycling, and
soil formation.
o Trees help reduce the greenhouse effect by absorbing the
excess carbon dioxide in the air in a process called carbon
sequestration.
FLOOD CONTROL AND PREVENTION OF SOIL EROSION
o Rainforests are like sponges that absorb rainwater and
moisture.
o Vegetation on the banks of rivers and lakes prevent soil
erosion.
o Mangrove forests likewise provide a barrier along the
coastline from the crashing waves thereby preventing erosion.
AGRICULTURE, CROP POLLINATION, AND SOIL FERTILITY
o It improves production as can serve as source of natural
insecticides.
o Many flowering plants rely on animals for reproduction.
About one-third of the world’s food crops depend on these
natural pollinators.
o Areas that are rich in biodiversity have fertile soil.
EXTINCTION Unity in Diversity
EXTINCTION
It is a state wherein the entire population of a
species no longer exists. A species of plant or
animal is considered extinct if the last of its kind has
already died.
MASS EXTINCTIONS ON EARTH
Millions of years ago, populations of animals and plants
were wiped out because of extreme changes in the
environment.
The abnormal large losses of life within a specific period are
referred to as mass extinction.
1. ORDOVICIAN-SILURIAN EXTINCTION
o Occurred 439 million years ago (Ma) due to the dropping
and rising of sea levels caused by the formation and melting
of glaciers.
o Third largest extinction in the Earth’s history.
o 25% of marine families and 60% of marine genera were
lost.
o Among those that were affected were trilobites,
brachiopods, and graptolites.
2. LATE DEVONIAN EXTINCTION
o The late Devonian extinction happened 359 to 375 Ma and
wiped out approximately 79 to 80 percent of all species on
Earth.
o The exact cause of this extinction is still unknown.
o Most warm water marine species were affected.
3. PERMIAN-TRIASSIC EXTINCTION
o About 251 Ma, 96 percent of all species became extinct.
o This is the worst mass extinction on Earth.
o It wiped out 53% of marine families, 84% of marine genera,
and around 70% of land species.
o Some scientists believe that this catastrophe may have been
caused by the impact of an asteroid. Others suggest that it
was caused by volcanic eruptions.
4. TRIASSIC-JURASSIC/END TRIASSIC EXTINCTION
o Took place around 199 to 214 Ma.
o It was thought to have been the result of massive lava
flood coming from the central Atlantic magmatic province,
leading to the breakup of Pangaea and the opening of the
Atlantic Ocean.
o Scientists believe that the volcanic activity was caused by
climate change.
5. CRETACEOUS-TERTIARY EXTINCTION
o Occurred about 65 Ma, when the dinosaurs were the
dominant species on Earth.
o Based on evidences, this may have been triggered by an
asteroid impact that created the Chicxulub crater, found in
the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico.
o This impact have caused climate changes and volcanic
eruptions from the Deccan traps in west-central India.
5. CRETACEOUS-TERTIARY EXTINCTION
o This led to the extinction of 16% of marine families, 47% of
marine genera, and 18% of land vertebrate families including
the dinosaurs.
o Ammonites and several flowering plant species were also
affected.
THE SIXTH MASS
EXTINCTION
Unity in Diversity
THE SIXTH MASS EXTINCTION
From the time humans came into existence up to the present
day, hundreds of thousands of species are either dying out or
are in danger of extinction due to anthropological or
humanmade causes.
Saber-toothed cat
Woolly mammoth Dodo bird
THE SIXTH MASS EXTINCTION
The WWF stated that
“The rapid loss of species we are seeing today is estimated by
experts to be between 1000 and 10,000 times higher than
the natural extinction rate… But if there are 100 million
different species coexisting with us on our planet, then
between 10,000 and 100,000 species are becoming extinct
every year.”
THE SIXTH MASS EXTINCTION
Anthony Barnosky, a palaeontologist reported that
Humans are now creating a mass extinction through a
combination of habitat encroachment and fragmentation,
hunting, climate change, pollution, spread id diseases, and
introduction of new species.
NATURAL CAUSES
OF EXTINCTION
Unity in Diversity
NATURAL CAUSES OF EXTINCTION:
1. Climate Change
2. Changes in Sea Levels or Currents
3. Asteroids / Cosmics Radiation
CLIMATE CHANGE
o The alternate heating and cooling of Earth proved to be
difficult to many prehistoric organisms.
o Many species were not able to adapt to the rapid changes in
climate and temperature and to severe climatic conditions.
o In 1999, the death of the last Golden Toad in Central
America marked the first documented species extinction driven
by climate change.
CHANGES IN SEA LEVELS OR CURRENTS
o The rising and lowering of the sea level has a major impact
on marine life.
o A rise in sea level will cause reef ecosystems to experience
diminished light conditions, which can no longer sustain
growth and will most likely result in death.
o Loss of coral reefs will disrupt the food web that connects all
the living things in the ocean.
ASTEROIDS/COSMIC RADIATIONS
o Asteroids and comets that enter Earth’s atmosphere can cause
massive destruction upon impact, which can wipe out entire
population of species.
o Excessive cosmic radiation is believed to caused mutation of
genes, resulting in a weakened gene pool of species.
o Professors Mikhail Medvedev and Adrian Melott discovered
that high rates of extinction in the past coincide almost
perfectly with the periodic movements of the solar system
outside the central plane of Milky Way.
ANTHROPOGENIC
CAUSES OF Unity in Diversity
EXTINCTION
ANTHROPOGENIC CAUSES OF EXTINCTION
These are those that are directly or indirectly caused by
humans. Most threats to biodiversity are caused by human
activities.
HIPPCO
Habitat destruction, Invasive species, Pollution, Human
population, Climate change, and Overexploitation
1. HABITAT DESTRUCTION
o Considered as the major cause of species extinction.
o Happens in both land and water and has already resulted in
almost 80 percent extinction.
o The Philippine Eagle (Pithecophaga jefferyi) is regarded as
the rarest and the most powerful bird in the world; its
dwindling population is primarily caused by habitat loss due to
deforestation.
1. HABITAT DESTRUCTION
2. INVASIVE SPECIES
o These are organisms that are not naturally from one
particular environment or habitat. They are brought by
humans into an ecosystem usually to solve a problem.
o An example of invasive species is the golden apple snail,
popularly known as golden kuhol. Few years after its
introduction, it became a major pests to rice plants. In 1986,
about 300 hectares of irrigated rice farms in Cagayan Valley
were heavily infested with golden kuhol. Since then, kuhol
infestation has been increasing.
2. INVASIVE SPECIES
KUHOL
3. POLLUTION
o The introduction of harmful chemicals and compounds
(pollutants) to the environment.
o Pesticides and waste materials absorbed by land and waters
have led to changes in the metabolic functions of several
organisms, leading to mutations, reproductive anomalies,
and death.
o Global warming is also a result of pollution – a major
contributor to the disruption of the ecosystems.
3. POLLUTION
4. DISEASES AND PARASITISM
o Diseases and parasites introduced by humans weaken
organisms and interfere with their metabolic functions.
o This leads to other problems such as the inability of the
species to mate, find food and shelter, and protect
themselves from the natural elements.
o Example of this is the mountain chicken or giant ditch frog
which is a critically endangered species of frog.
4. DISEASES AND PARASITISM
Adaptation may take two forms:
1. Physiological acclimatization – refers to the organism’s
ability to adjust to environmental changes
2. Genetic adaptation – refers to the change in the organism’s
genetic composition in response to environmental changes.
5. OVEREXPLOITATION
o Humans are unaware of the quantity of resources they
consume; they get more than what nature is capable of
replenishing. This phenomenon is called overexploitation.
o Overfishing and overgrazing are the most common forms of
overgrazing.
o Philippine sea turtle, Philippine eagle, binturong, butanding,
and tamaraws are hunted as sport trophies or souvenirs, and
for clothes and health improvement.
5. OVEREXPLOITATION
UNITY IN DIVERSITY
While it may seem like a daunting task, it is not too late to
save the planet. Everyone must be aware of the importance of
biodiversity. Each of us can contribute to the worldwide effort
to protect our ecosystems. Join information campaigns, recycle,
lead or support cleanup drives in communities, and plant trees.
By saving our biodiversity, we are saving our Earth and our
future generations.
THAT’S ALL! THANKS
FOR LISTENING
Group 1
