BIODIVERSITY

Andan, Roland Earl

Estrabo, Ivan
BSIT 1st Year
 Bio diversity
“Bio” is a Greek word mean Life.

“Diversity” is a word synonymous to variety.

Biodiversity
Is a variety and variability of
life on Earth. Biodiversity is typically
a measure of variation at the
genetic, species, and ecosystem
level.
3 types of Biodiversity
Genetic Biodiversity
Every species on Earth is related to
every other species through genetic
connections. The more closely any two
species are, the more genetic information
they will share, and the more similar they will
appear. An organism’s closest to relative
are members of its own species, or
organism with which it has the potential to
mate and to produce offspring.
Species Diversity
Species diversity is the variety of species
within a habitat or a region. Species are the
basic units of biological classification and
thus the normal measure of biological
diversity. Species richness is the term that
describes the number of different species in a
given area. The world total is estimated at
five to 10 million species, though only 1.7
million have been named scientifically so far.
Ecological Diversity
Ecological diversity is the intricate
network of different species present in local
ecosystem and the dynamic interplay
between them. An ecosystem consists of
organisms from many different species living
together in a region and their connections
through the flow of energy, nutrients and
matter.
 “Society benefits greatly from
richness of Biodiversity since
humans can source from nature
biological resources such as food,
medicine, energy, and more.”
Benefits from Biodiversity
 Health and Medicine

 Food

 Energy

 Water Storage and Flood Control

 Air and Water Treatment

Health And Medicine
Since 2600 BC, people have been using
plants to treat illnesses, hence the practice of
herbal medicine.
a. Cupressus Sempervirens(Cypress)
b. Commiphora Myrrha(Myrrh)
Have been used to treat coughs, colds,
and inflammations since the Ancient times.

Herbal medicines were also used in

healing rituals and in the treatment of injuries
resulting from wars or accidents.
 Health and Medicine

Ancient Egypt and Ancient China

- various plant-based drugs such as
gargles, pills, infusions, and ointments were
used.

Beginning 100 BC to 300 BC, the

Greeks recorded the collection, storage,
and use of medicinal herbs.

During the Dark and Middle Ages,

monasteries in England, Ireland, France, and
Germany preserved the Western knowledge of
treating illnesses using herbal medicines.
 Health and Medicine

“The use of herbal medicine in ancient

civilization was dependent on the biodiversity
present in their respective environments.”
 Health and Medicine

Salvia Apiana(California Sage)

was an herbal plant

used by Indian Tribes of
Southern California to aid
in childbirth and was
believed to protect the
immune system for
respiratory ailments.
 Health and Medicine

Alhagi Maurorum(Camel Thorn)

Secretes a sweet and
gummy substance from its
stems and leaves called
Manna during hot days.

Manna from the

Camel thorn contains
melezitose, and sucrose an
invert sugar. It is believed
to have diuretic,
diaphoretic, laxative,
expectorant, gastro-
protective, antiseptic, and
anti-diarrheal properties.
 Health and Medicine

Ligusticum Scoticum
(Scottish Lovage)

Believed to treat
hysterical and uterine
disorders. Its seeds are
used to relieve
flatulence and to
stimulate the senses.
 Health and Medicine

Konkani people (South western India)

smoke the plant to threat asthma.

Romans used the plant to treat nasal

polyps.
 Health and Medicine

Many medicinal products available in the market today

are derived from the natural substances from plants.

Salicylic acid, the active ingredient of the anti-

inflammatory drug(“Aspirin”), for example is derived from the
bark of a willow tree.

Morphine, one of the most widely known painkillers which

was first marketed and used in the 1800’s, is derived from
Papaver somniferum(Opium Poppy)

Digitoxin, used in the management of congestive heart

failure, is derived from Digitalis Purpurea(Foxglove) which has
already been used to treat heart conditions since the 1700’s.
 Health and Medicine

Opium Poppy

Willow Tree

Foxglove
 Health and Medicine

The transmission of diseases due to the movement

of organisms amplified the need to study the
environment in the relation to human health. As time
went by, information regarding different diseases and
how to treat them has been extensively documented to
come up with more effective ways of treating them.

After Penicillin underwent its first clinical trials

in1938 and the first indication of antibiotic resistance to
penicillin was reported in 1941, new antibiotics from
microorganisms and bioactive natural products
continued to be discovered.

Fungi and microorganisms found in trees, grasses,

algae, and herbaceous plants, and living in the
intercellular spaces of plant stems, petioles, root, and
leaves have been widely used in the production of
many important medicinal products today.
 Health and Medicine

 1994 – An oral formulation of Pilocarpine was used

and approved for the treatment of dry
mouth(Xerostomia).

 1998 – Another drug was approved to manage an

autoimmune disease that damages the salivary and
lacrimal glands called Sjogren’s Syndrome.

 2004 – The drug quinine was isolated from the bark of

Cinchona Succirubra Pav was approved to treat
malaria.

 Present – More and more developments are being

introduced in the pharmaceutical industry to
produce new drugs for the treatment of diseases.
FOOD
Food is a basic need for human survival. During the
Stone Age, humans relied only on hunting and foraging to
get food. They depended on what the ecosystem could
readily provide them. As Earth’s population grew, the
demand for food increased. The increasing demand for
food also resulted in the development of more lands for
agriculture.

Farmers and fishermen rely on health ecosystem for

their livelihood. The benefits of biodiversity are necessary for
the growth of many important crops.

Agrobiodiversity is the result of careful selection and

innovative development by farmers, fishers, and herders
throughout the years. Harvested crop varieties and non-
harvested species in the environment that support
ecosystem for food production fall under agrobiodiversity.
Energy
 Stone Age – Heat energy from fire was used mainly for
survival against harsh cold environments, for cooking,
and for communication with nearby tribes in the form
of smoke.

 100 BC – Coal as a source of energy was used by

people in Northern China for heating and cooking.

 400 BC – Water energy or hydro power was by the

Ancient Greeks and Romans for irrigations.

 347 AD – The earliest known oil wells were developed

in China. They made use of extensive bamboo
pipelines with depths of 800 feet for lighting and
heating.
 Energy

 500 to 900 AD – The Persians started to use wind

powered grain mills and water pump.

 1300 – Windmills, taking the modern pinwheel shape,

were developed in Western Europe.

 1390 – The Dutch built larger windmills for draining

lakes and marshes in the Rhine River Delta.

 1700’s to 1800’s – During the time of Industrial

Revolution biomass as a primary source of energy
was replaced with coal and the British discovered
that by burning, coal is transformed into hot-burning
coke, a fuel with high carbon content and few
impurities.
 Energy

 1820’s – Natural gas was used as a source of light

although the lack of pipeline infrastructure made
its distribution challenging.

 1830’s– The electric generator was developed

based on Michael Faraday’s discovery of
electromagnetism.

 1850’s– Commercial oil was drilled which led to

the distillation of kerosene from petroleum.

 1860’s– Augustine Mouchot Develop the first

solar powered system for industrial machinery.
 Energy

 1892 – Geothermal energy was first used.

 1942 – The first nuclear fission reactor was

designed and built.

 19thto 20th Century – The utilization of coal

energy shaped the industrialization of the
United States, United Kingdom, and other
European countries.
 Energy

Early as 1973, the effects on the environment

and the risk of potential accidents when using energy
alarmed many environmental organizations.

 1979 – a nuclear reactor accident at the Three Mile

Island near Middletown, Pennsylvania happened.

 1980 – the biggest oil spill in the US waters, the Exxon

Valdez oil spill in Alaska occurred.

The demands for energy created a positive

impact on unconventional ways of producing energy
but, in turn, have resulted in adverse effects on
biodiversity in terms of mortality, habitat loss,
fragmentation, noise and light pollution, invasive
species, and changes in carbon stock and water
resources.
Water Storage
and Flood Control
The earliest recorded civilizations were
situated near rivers or lakes which made their
livelihoods dependent on water. With increasing
demand for potable and drinkable water along
with the discovery of groundwater 2000 years
ago, well began to be used in the Middle East. To
cope with the adverse effects of the changing
tides, floodways' were utilized to prevent flooding
in nearby communities that usually result in
damage crops.
 Water Storage
and Flood Control

Aqueducts
This were invented
and built by the
Romans and the
Greeks, to maintain
stable water
supplies to
communities that
were far from
bodies of water.
 Water Storage
and Flood Control

Biodiversity in forest plays an unquestionably

crucial role in water resources. Forest provide
natural filtration and storage systems to provide
freshwater.
Forest also play a major role in water cycle
by affecting rates of transpiration, evaporation,
and water storage in watersheds.

Flooding is mostly known for its adverse

effects but is also has some benefits. In the context
of agriculture, flooding can help farmers for it
distributes nutrients that particularly patches soil
lacked. This can make the soil healthier and more
fertile for the cultivation of crops. However, these
benefits are not always achieved because most of
the time, flooding causes long term damages.
Air and Water Treatment
Some of the gases considered as criteria
pollutants like NOx(Nitrogen Oxides) and O3(Ozone), in
moderate amounts, contribute to a healthy ecosystem
and balanced biodiversity. However, due to excessive
concentration of these gases, the capacity of the
environment to clean itself and to be resilient is
diminished.

Excessive nitrogen stimulates the growth of

nitrogen-loving plant species but reduces the
occurrence of plant species adapted to low-nitrogen
environment. Effects of excessive nitrogen in the
environment may not be felt at once. It may take
decades but this will definitely weaken the resilience of
soil and plants.
 Air and Water
Treatment

Negative impacts on vegetation reduce

the sink capacity for carbon dioxide and ozone,
enhancing their atmospheric concentrations and
affecting global water cycle. The effects of
global warming are harmful to the environment
and its inhabitants. Worldwide efforts are being
made to decrease nitrogen deposition to the
biosphere to enhance plant species diversity and
relative species richness in grasslands.
Protocols on Biodiversity
 Montreal Protocol and Kyoto Protocol

 Cartagena Protocol
among ten(10) Pacific countries namely Fiji, Kiribati, the
Marshall Island, Nauru, Niue, Palau, Papua New Guinea,
Samoa, the Solomon Islands, and Tonga, aims to ensure the
safe transport, handling, and the use of living modified
organisms resulting from modern biotechnology that may
have adverse effects on biodiversity.

 Convention on Biological Diversity

helps to protect Pacific communities and biodiversity
from the consequences of living modified organisms. It
requires having facilities in place through proper legislative
frameworks, laboratory facilities, technology, and technical
capabilities to enable countries to detect, measure, and
monitor LMOs that come into the country.
 Protocols on
Biodiversity

Locally, strict implementation of

environmental laws among industries and
communities alike must be ensured to
prevent further damage of biodiversity
from air pollution and water pollution .
There should also be efforts to ensure that
whatever treatment is employed, it should
be not promote mass pollution transfer
from one matrix of the environment to
another.
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