Biodiversity 3.
Information
variety of life forms found on Earth, their genetic
constitution and the ecosystem of which they are a
past
total number of species on Earth
Types
1. Species biodiversity
assessed in terms of the numbers of species or
range of different types of species in a given area
2. Genetic biodiversity
refers to the differences in genetic makeup
between distinct species and genetic variations
within a single species
3.Ecosystem biodiversity
the enormous variation of terrestrial and aquatic
ecosystems
Terrestrial
Tropical rainforest, desserts, grassland, deciduous
forests, tundra and taiga
Aquatic
Aquifers and springs, streams and rivers, wetlands,
estuaries and bays, oceans
Three Qualities
1. Species richness – total number of species
2. Species evenness – the relative abundance of
each species in a given area
3. Species dominance – the most abundant
species
Factors affecting the distribution of biodiversity
1. Biotic – presence of species in a given area;
interactions between and among species
presence of food
2. Abiotic – non-living factors temperature, water,
moisture
3. Anthropological/Human influences – pollution,
building of houses
Instrumental values of biodiversity
1. Economic goods
species provide food, fuel, fiber, lumber, paper
and etc
2. Ecological services
photosynthesis, pollination of crops, soil formation
and maintenance
nutrient cycling, pest control, climate regulation,
moderation of weather extremes
flood control, drinking and irrigation of water,
waste decomposition
the genetic information in species allows them to
adapt to changing environment conditions and to
form new species that provide us with ecological
services and goods
4. Recreation
nature photography, nature walks, bird watching
and etc
Ecotourism/ wildlife tourism ideally shoud:
not cause ecological damage
provide income for the local people to motivate
them to preserve wildlife
should provide funds for the purchase and
maintenance of wildlife preserves and conservation
programs
Health and Medicine
a. Cypressus sempervirens (cypress), commiphora
myrrha (myrrh)
treat cough, colds and respiratory systems
2. Salvia apian (California white sage)
used by Indian tribes to aid in childbirth, protect
the immune and respiratory systems
3. Alhagi maurorum (camelthorn)
secrete a sweet and gummy substance called
manna and used as diuretic, laxative, antiseptic, etc
4. Ligusticum scoticum (Scottish louvage)
seeds relieve flatulence and stimulate the senses
5.Salicylic acid (active ingredient of aspirin)
derived from the bark of willow tree
6. Morphine (painkiller)
derived from opium poppy
7. Digitoxin (for management of congestive heart
failure)
derived from foxglove
Food
1. Agrobiodiversity
the result of careful selection and innovative
developments by farmers, fishers, and hardeners,
harvested crop varieties and nonharvested species
Energy
-heat energy
-coal
-water/hydropower
-wind
-natural gas
Water storage and flood control
-aqueducts
-dams
-watersheds
Air and water treatment
Problems
excessive concetration of NOx and ground level
03
Ground level ozone may promote early
flowering of plants, damages leaves of crops
excessive nitrogen
Weaken the resilience of soil and plants
Conservation
International Union for Conservation of Nature
and Natural Resources (IUCN)
“ . . . the management of human use of the biosphere
in order for it to yield the greatest sustainable benefit
to current generations while maintaining its potential
to meet the needs and aspirations of future
generations.”
Conservation is thus – positive, embracing
-preservation
-maintenance
-sustainable utilization
-restoration
-enhancement of the natural environment
Approaches to conservation
In-situ conservation/ on-site conservation
maintaining ecosystems to ensure that large areas
of natural environments are kept intact
allow the community to maintain itself within the
community of which it forms past and in the
environment to which it is adapted so that it has the
potential for continued evolution
Establishing Protected Areas, national parks,
wildlife sanctuaries and Buffer zones
National Integrated Protected Areas Systems
(NIPAS)
the classification and administration of all
designated protected areas to maintain essential
ecological processes and life-support systems, to
preserve genetic diversity, to ensure sustainable use
of resources found therein and to maintain their
natural conditions to the greatest extent possible
Protected Areas
refer to identified portions of land or water set
aside because of their unique physical and biological
significance, managed to enhance biological
diversity and protected against human exploitation
*buffer zone – allowance area
Examples: nature parks and wildlife sanctuary
Reducing market demands passing laws to
protect environment
Ex-situ conservation/ off-site conservation
maintenance of organisms outside their natural
habit
provides inputs for research and commercial
activities for specific species
also later introduction into the wild or for use in
cultivation
provides protective custody
Botanical gardes, zoos, aquarias, wildlife
reservation centers
Other conservation methods (economic-
instruments)
a. debt-for-nature swaps
a non-profit conservation group or a leading nation
buys part of a country’s debt at a discount. The debt
is forgiven in exchange for an agreed upon
commitment to conserve particular lands, to create
a wild-life reserve or to fund tropical studies
b. promoting eco-tourism
also known as green or sustainable tourism, visitor
not only visit the tropical forests, for instance, but to
appreciate its climate and scenery, and also to learn
about conservation and wise uses of natural
resources
Biodiversity technologies for collecting data
1. Bathometer to measure water debt
2. Bioacoustic sensing  concerned with sounds
produced by or affecting organism
3. Genetic technologies and genomic
observations
Orange tube-coral
Golden tubastrea
*Coral reefs are the most biodiverse of all known
marine ecosystems and maintain much higher
genetic diversity than tropical rainforests
*They therefore represent the world’s most
significant storehouse of potential future products
75% of the world’s coral reefs  threatened by local
pressures such as unsustainable fishing, coastal
pollution and development
Ocean acidification and rising sea temp  coral
bleaching

Loss of biodiversity
Basic form of coral animal is called a polyp
A polyp has a tubular body with one end attached
to or resting on the sea bottom or the polyp may be
attached to a coral reef.
At the other end is a single opening, a mouth
which is surrounded by tentacles
Under normal conditions microscopic algae,
called zooxanthellae, live inside the tissues of the
coral animal and provide up to 90% of the corals
energy requirements

Giant clam culture and restocking

adult giant is unable to move from their position on
the coral reef
Tridacna gigas, giant clams
Class bivalves: phylum Mollusca
Those are vulnerable according to IUCN

The fertilized eggs quickly enter a swimming stage,

(trochopores), before entering a planktonic stage
wherein the larvae, (veligers) inhabit the open ocean
for one week, before setting in the substrate