LN # 6

BIODIVERSITY

WHAT IS BIODIVERSITY?

Biodiversity refers to the richness of life and its processes at all structural levels
that comprise the number or abundance of different species living within a particular
region. Simply, it is a natural area made up of flora, fauna, and other living organisms in
a specific physical and chemical environment. According to the result of the “Tragedy of
the Commons” phenomenon of Garrett Hardin, Biodiversity is exploited and increasingly
depleted overtime. He referred to the resources offered by nature as the “common," such
as the atmosphere, oceans, national parks, and any other shared resource.

Why is Biodiversity important?

1. It provides us with food, water, wood, energy, medicines, and so on. These
natural resources provide the basic needs of organisms.
2. It provides us with natural ecosystem Services, which includes air and water
purification, soil fertility, waste disposal, pest control, and the like. These services
make life livable on Earth.
3. It provides us aesthetic pleasure. Nature’s beauty affects our mood and
emotions. It is therapeutic that gives us inspiration, stress-free well-being, and
peace of mind.
4. It maintains the health of the Earth, the biosphere, and its people. It denotes that
the greater the variety of species, the healthier is the biosphere. Thus, the
more diverse species are, the more links there would be in food chains/webs
yielding to a more stable community.

More plants mean more food for other animals (more oxygen too).
More genes represent better chances for survival through adaptation.
A variety of ecosystems mean more habitat for different species.
 It is necessary to maintain a wide variety of species in each ecosystem to preserve
the web of life that sustains life. Edward O. Wilson, known as the father of Biodiversity,
stated that "It is reckless to suppose that biodiversity can be diminished indefinitely
without threatening humanity itself" (The Diversity of Life,1992).

There are three measures of life’s variation. Species diversity is the number of
various species in a particular ecosystem, making a catalog of all the life on Earth
properly.

Differences among individuals make up genetic diversity. Genetic Biodiversity is

the difference in genes that exists within a species. For example, the genetic variations
of dogs belong to the same species. However, their genes characterized them, whether
they are Chihuahua, German shepherd, or a Great Dane. Variation in genes includes
colors, sizes, shapes, and more.

Lastly, Ecosystem Biodiversity described a variety of ecosystems, natural

communities, and habitats. Simply, it is the diverse ways of species interacting with each
other and their environment. For example, the Apo reef differs from the Tubbataha Reef
by the species found in ecosystems. These two seemingly same ecosystems have a lot
of differences that make them both special.

Watch the videos entitled What is Biodiversity? at the link

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b6Ua_zWDH6U and Why is Biodiversity so
important? at the link https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GK_vRtHJZu.

Threats to Biodiversity
Over a long time, species existed, evolved, and then gradually went extinct
because of the natural changes in the environment, such as the ice age. Today,
species are going extinct at a faster and dangerous rate. The decline of Earth's
Biodiversity is caused by various factors that have been hastened by human activity. The
acronym HIPPO, which summarizes these factors are written in order of their
corresponding rank in destructiveness.

H habitat loss
I invasive species
P pollution
P population
O overexploitation

Habitat loss/destruction is considered as the greatest reason for biodiversity

loss. It is due to the high land conversion rates of natural areas. Fragmentation of
ecosystems is heightened by human activities such as housing, road development, dams
and water diversions, and so on. The loss and fragmentation of habitat is probably the
greatest threat to the variety of organisms, making it difficult for them to find new habitat.

(Photo Credit:theconversation.com)

Invasive Species are also known as alien or exotic species introduced in an

ecosystem to outcompete native species. They significantly modify or disrupt
the ecosystems that tend to follow such invasions. It results in the elimination of native
species, thus invading species to replace native ones.

In the Philippines, one of the invasive species is the golden apple snail (GAS). It
was introduced to the Philippines in 1983 and encouraged its production to boost food
production and increase average Filipino families' protein intake. However, the GAS
found its way to the agroecosystem and started to alarm the rice farmers. In 1986, it was
considered the most severe pest of farmers in the Philippines and drastically declined the
native apple snail population, Pila luzonica.
 Pollution causes biodiversity loss. Human activities like oil spills, agricultural
waste, pesticides, and so on become an increasingly serious issue that disrupts
Biodiversity.

(Photo Credit: britannica.com/explore/savingearth)

Population. An increase in the population produces an ever more waste and

pollution that harms natural ecosystems.

Overexploitation is the overuse of natural resources by humans for food,

clothing, pets, medicine, sports, and many other purposes. It includes activities like
overhunting, trapping, collecting, overfishing (harvesting practices - cyanide, dynamite),
and illegal trade (exotic pet industry).

Some human activities have indirect but wide-reaching effects on Biodiversity,

including climate change. The following are the observed changes in the ecosystem
caused by climate change.

1. Changes in the range: Wildlife and plants adjust to warming temperatures

shifting their ranges northward or to higher altitudes. However, wildlife that already
lives at high altitudes or latitudes experienced difficulty adjusting to the change in
temperature. It was observed that American polar bears in the Arctic might find
themselves with nowhere to go.
 (Photo Credit: cbc.ca/news)

2. Changes in the timing of natural events: Many species take their cues about
when to migrate, flower, nest, or mate from seasonal changes. However, changes
in the climate are confusing those signals. Thus, wildlife is forced to alter life cycles
and seasonal events. These abrupt changes seemed to be seriously out of sync
with other species in their ecosystem or with other natural events. For example,
some animals migrate much earlier than they used to, only to find out that the food
they need has not yet emerged.

Migration of Birds (Photo Credit: nhpbs.org/natureworks)

3. Widespread forest loss: Increase in temperature causes drought and forest

fires on the other side of the world decreasing mountain or forest range.

(Photo Credit: scitechdaily.com)

4. Coral bleaching happens when colorful algae that live in corals die or are
expelled from corals under stress. According to scientists, the biggest cause of
 coral bleaching is the warming of the sea surface brought about by global warming.
Many marine organisms will be in jeopardy when coral reef bleaching continues.

(Photo Credit: cen.acs.org/environment/climate-change)

5. Melting of Arctic sea ice at a faster pace is caused by warmer temperatures.

It can disturb the usual ocean circulation, such as polar bears, walrus, and seals,
depending on sea ice for survival.

(Photo Credit: Pinterest.com)

Biodiversity hotspot
It is a place that is both a significant reservoir of Biodiversity and deeply threatened.
Specifically, it refers to 25 biologically rich areas worldwide that have lost at least 70
percent of their original habitat.

A place is a biodiversity hotspot if it meets the two strict criteria: (1) It must have a
high percentage of plant life found nowhere else on the planet, at least 1,500 vascular
plants as endemics; and
(2) it is threatened with only 30% or less of its original natural vegetation.

Watch the video entitled Human activities that threaten Biodiversity at the link
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2RC3Hsk90t8&list=RDCMUCZvXaNYIcapCEcaJe_
2cP7A&index=5.
Status of Philippine Biodiversity
The Philippines is considered a megadiverse country for a variety of ecosystems,
species, and genetic resources. The country comprises more than 52,177 species, of
which more than half is found nowhere else in the world.
The country is also considered a biodiversity hotspot. Destruction of resources
brought about by overexploitation, deforestation, land degradation, climate change, and
pollution is alarming and continues affecting flora and fauna.

RA 9147: Wildlife Resources Conservation and Protection

This law emphasizes the policy for sustainable conservation of the Philippines'
wildlife resources and their habitats. The following are the objectives of this Act.
a. to conserve and protect wildlife species and their habitats to promote ecologically
balanced and enhanced biological diversity;
b. to regulate the collection and trade of wildlife;
c. to pursue, with due regard to the national interest, the Philippine commitment to
international conventions, protection of wildlife and their habitats; and
d. to initiate or support scientific studies on the conservation of biological diversity.

The following are some of the definition of terms used in this Act:
Conservation refers to the preservation and sustainable utilization of wildlife, and
maintenance, restoration, and enhancement of the habitat;
Critically endangered species are species or subspecies that is facing
extremely high risk of extinction in the wild in the immediate future;
Economically important species refers to species which have actual or potential
value in trade or utilization for commercial purposes;

Endangered species are species or subspecies that is not critically endangered, but
whose survival in the wild is unlikely if the causal factors continue operating;
Endemic species are species or subspecies which is naturally occurring and found
only within specific areas in the country;
 Exotic species means species or subspecies which do not naturally occur in the
country;
Threatened species denote species or subspecies considered as critically
endangered, endangered, vulnerable, or other accepted categories of wildlife
whose population is at risk of extinction;
Vulnerable species refers to species or subspecies that are not critically
endangered nor endangered but are under threat from adverse factors throughout
their range and are likely to move to the endangered category soon.

Watch the video entitled Philippine Biodiversity at the link

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2F2KzjTzi9Q.

Reference:
Tuazon, DA, et al. (2021). Environmental ScienceModule. Bulacan State University