Biodiversity is the variety of life on earth

1. Genetic diversity – variety of individuals

belonging to the same species
2. Species diversity – variety of organisms
belonging to different species
3. Ecosystem diversity – variety of ecosystems
Genetic Diversity Between Cats
Species Diversity
Ecosystem diversity
1. Economic value (material goods)
2. Health and medical benefits
3. Ecosystem or ecological services
4. Cultural value
 Economic value
(source of material goods)
 Economic value
(source of material goods)
Economic value
(source of material goods)
Economic
value Biofuel from plants
 Biodiversity and health
What could scientists have learned from the now
extinct gastric brooding frog?

https://rainforests.mongabay.com/05gastric_bro
oding_frog.htm
What could scientists learn about health from
bears?

https://www.scientificamerican.com/slideshow/
bear-hibernation-science/
Health and wellness benefits

Periwinkle
source of vinblastine and
The antibiotic Penicillin came from a mold
vincristine – drugs used to treat
called Penicillium.
childhood leukemia and
Photo©CLCase
Hodgkin’s disease, respectively
Cone Snail Venom from Coral Reefs Yields
Powerful New Painkiller (Prialt), which is not
addictive like morphine

Conus magus
Ecological or ecosystem services

Source: © AMNH-CBC
 Atmospheric Regulation of Forests

• Regulation of climate
• Reduction of global
warming
• Source of oxygen

Source: Frey © AMNH-CBC

 Soil and Water Conservation
Example: Coastal wetlands and mangroves

• Filters excess nutrients and

traps sediments that would
otherwise impact neighboring
marine and aquatic areas

Other services:
• Minimizes damage from
waves and floods
• Serves as a nursery for
juvenile commercial fish
• Provides habitat for many
birds, fish, and shellfish Source: Ersts © AMNH-CBC
 Nutrient Cycling

• Decomposers such
as algae, fungi,
and bacteria
recycle nutrients
in the ecosystem

Source: Snyder © AMNH-CBC

 Pollination and Seed Dispersal

• Many flowering plants

depend on animals for
pollination to produce
food.

• 30% of human crops

depend on free services
of pollinators;
replacement value
estimated billions of Source: Spector© AMNH-CBC

dollars/year in US alone
The Irish Potato Famine: case of missing
genetic diversity
More species = more resilience (stability) in
ecosystem
 Cultural values from biodiversity
1. Source of inspiration, pleasure
2. Educational and scientific value
3. Symbol of identity
4. Recreation
The Remarkable Invention of Velcro®
One day in 1948, an amateur Swiss mountaineer and naturalist, George
de Mestral, went on a nature walk with his dog through a field of
hitchhiking bur plants. He and his dog returned home covered with
burs. With an intense curiosity, Mestral went to his microscope and
inspected one of the many burs stuck to his pants. He saw numerous
small hooks that enabled the seed-bearing bur to cling so tenaciously to
the tiny loops in the fabric of his pants. George de Mestral raised his
head from the microscope and smiled thinking, "I will design a unique,
two-sided fastener, one side with stiff hooks like the burs and the other
side with soft loops like the fabric of my pants. I will call my invention
Velcro® a combination of the words velour and crochet. It will rival the
zipper in it's ability to fasten."
Education and scientific research
Symbol of Identity
Fun, Pleasure,
Happiness
Recreation
Earth’s Biologically Wealthiest Nations
 Biodiversity Hotspot - criteria

1. It must have at least 1,500 vascular plants as

endemics — which is to say, it must have a
high percentage of plant life found nowhere
else on the planet. A hotspot, in other words,
is irreplaceable.
2. It must have 30% or less of its original natural
vegetation. In other words, it must be
threatened.

http://www.conservation.org/How/Pages/Hotspots.aspx
Biodiversity Hotspots (red)

Philippines
 Threats to Biodiversity
BIGGEST THREATS
• Habitat destruction such as deforestation
• Global warming

OTHER THREATS
• Invasion of non-native species – example: Invasion of
Marikina River by janitor fish
• Pollution
• Over-hunting and over-harvesting
• Disease
 What does it mean to save one
species from extinction?
Saving one species could mean
saving an entire ecosystem.
Saving tigers mean saving an entire
forest ecosystem.
 Keystone species
• A keystone species is a plant or animal that plays a
unique and crucial role in the way an ecosystem
functions. Without keystone species, the ecosystem
would be dramatically different or cease to exist
altogether.

• All species in an ecosystem, or habitat, rely on each

other. The contributions of a keystone species are large
compared to the species' prevalence in the habitat. A
small number of keystone species can have a huge
impact on the environment.
The sea otter is an example of a
keystone species in the Pacific
Northwest. These mammals feed
on sea urchins, controlling their
population. If the otters didn't eat
the urchins, the urchins would eat
up the habitat's kelp. Kelp, or
giant seaweed, is a major source
of food and shelter for the
ecosystem. Some species of crabs,
snails, and geese depend on kelp
for food. Many types of fish use
the huge kelp forests to hide from
predators. Without sea otters to
control the urchin population, the
entire ecosystem would collapse.
Conservation is the act of protecting species,
habitats and ecosystems.

What YOU can do to help:

1. Reduce use of pesticides in gardens.
2. Reduce global warming – conserve energy.
3. Raise awareness through social media.
4. Support conservation groups (WWF, Haribon).
5. Volunteer in conservation organizations.
6. Do not introduce non-native species to
ecostystems.
 “The worst thing that can happen during the 1980s
is not energy depletion, economic collapse, limited
nuclear war, or conquest by a totalitarian government.
As terrible as these catastrophes would be for us, they
can be repaired within a few generations. The one
process ongoing in the 1980s that will take millions of
years to correct is the loss of genetic and species
diversity by the destruction of natural habitats. This is
the folly that our descendants are least likely to forgive
us.”
Dodo bird
• - E.O. Wilson, 1985