Learning Module

Science (Grade 10)

QUARTER 3 - WEEK 2
LESSON 1: BIODIVERSITY AND STABILITY

Topic: Biodiversity and Stability

Materials: reading texts, video clips, pictures and pen

At the end of the Lesson, the students should be able to perform the following with at least
85% proficiency:
1. Explain the Biodiversity and Stability and;
2. Classify the value of Biodiversity.

Let’s Investigate: Students will be working in pairs to observe 2 different ecosystems.

Students will describe differences between the two ecosystem populations and identify which

is more diverse. Once students have completed their observations, they will then be asked to

infer the outcomes of each ecosystem if certain species were to be removed.

“The most wonderful mystery of life may well be the means by which it created so much
diversity from so little physical matter. The biosphere, all organisms combined, makes up only
about one part in ten billion of the earth’s mass. It is sparsely distributed through a kilometer-
thick layer of soil, water, and air stretched over a half billion square kilometers of the surface.”

BIODIVERSTIY

Biodiversity is a measure of variation and richness of living organisms at a particular scale. It

can be measured on an extremely small scale, such as the number of organisms living in a
spoonful of soil, or on a large scale, such as the whole earth. Biodiversity can also be thought
of on several levels of biological variation, ranging from genetic diversity within a species-to-
species richness within whole biomes. The biodiversity of a particular place, region, or
landscape is influenced by climate, topography, and geologic history, as well human and non-
human disturbances.

Figure 1: A representative image to show the macroscopic biodiversity of desert biomes. Image
Credit: Zane Lynch and Caleb Strama.
LEVELS OF BIODIVERSIY

• Species diversity: Total number of different species (diverse species that form a part
of a community. (Now we can explain what is species diversity)
• Genetic diversity: Total number of different genotypes (genetic variation) existing in
the population of a community.
• Ecosystem diversity: Total number of variations that exist in a biodiverse ecosystem
that’s defined by a given geographical location. (Biodiversity in ecosystems)

Figure 2: Infographic about genetic versus species versus ecosystem diversity. Image
Credit: MyNameIsOlive.
What Is Ecosystem Stability?

Ecosystem stability is the ability of any kind of ecosystem to bounce back from damages or

changes in its environment. The more stable an ecosystem is the faster it heals and bounces

back. We measure the stability of an ecosystem by not just the rate of recovery but also by

how much it can resist any harmful change.

Principle of ecosystem stability are:

• Ecosystem dispose of waste and replenish nutrients by recycling all elements.

• Ecosystem use sunlight as their source of energy

• The size of consumer population is maintained such that overgrazing and other forms

of overuse do not occur.

• Biodiversity is maintained.

Classification of the value of Biodiversity

The Direct Values of Biodiversity
The direct values of biodiversity are the consumptive use values and productive use-values.
The consumptive use values are products from nature that can be harvest and consumed, for
example, fishing for food, plants to produce medicines. These resources are collected and
consumed locally. The productive use values are goods that go through a transformation in the
market and contribute to a country’s GDP, for example, the paper industry, the silk, and the
leather industry.
According to the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), goods
and services provided by ecosystems generate about 33 trillion dollars per year. At least 40
percent of the World’s economy and 80 percent of the economy of developing Countries derive
from biodiversity. A larger number of plants and species mean a larger number of crops. 750
million people work in agriculture and in developing countries, 45 percent of the labor force is
generated in the agriculture sector. Just to illustrate how small organisms have a huge impact
on our ecosystems we can cite the importance of bees. Bees pollinate crops, an essential service
for farmers and to our food supply. FAO’s Director-General José Graziano da Silva stated:
“Bees are under threat from the combined effects of climate change, intensive agriculture,
pesticides use, biodiversity loss and pollution. The absence of bees and other pollinators would
wipe out coffee, apples, almonds, tomatoes and cocoa to name just a few of the crops that rely
on pollination. Countries need to shift to more pollinator-friendly and sustainable food policies
and systems.”

The Indirect values of Biodiversity

In the Amazon rain forest, the largest tropical forest in the world, exists an uncountable
number of living species, including endangered flora and fauna. Deforestation has increased
60 percent over the last year, due to cattle raising activities, to grow soy crops to feed these
cattle and the lack of environmental policies by the current government.

Nearly one million indigenous people live in the Brazilian part of Amazon and they
depend on the forest for food, medicine, clothing, and protection. Other than the direct
consumptive value the Amazon presents to them, these native communities also rely on the
forest to preserve their social and cultural traditions. The Amazon also has an ethical value for
the indigenous population, for them, it was created by God and all species and habitats need to
be respected and taken care of.

Biodiversity is so rich and complex that every year new species is discovered. We still
have so much to research in the field of biodiversity. This translates into an option value, the
potential value that biodiversity could generate in the future. Biodiversity has brought the cure
to many diseases. For example, the Rosy Periwinkle, a native and endemic plant from
Madagascar is used to produce chemicals to treat childhood leukemia. The antibiotic Penicillin
drug is derived from a fungus called Penicillium. Quinine, the cure for malaria is obtained from
the bark of the Cinchona tree, while Digitalin is obtained from foxglove, which is an effective
cure for heart ailments. Biodiversity still has a lot to offer to the medical field.

Last but not least, biodiversity has an environmental value, which are the services
provided by ecosystems for the prevention of soil infertility and erosions, floods, and provides
for the cycling of water, etc. Such services guarantee the regeneration of resources for the
future. Sustainable development was defined by the United Nations as: “development that
meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet
their own needs.”
 ➢ For additional information, please open the video in your flash drive with
the file name:
VIDEO 3 – BIODIVERSITY AND STABILITY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=raiKquo32Uk

A. Essay – Read the question given below. Write your answer in the box. (Rubrics:
content–6, grammar-3, organization–2) 10 points

1. Biodiversity is essential for the processes that support all life on Earth, including
humans. Explain Why is biodiversity so important and worthy of protection?
Name: ______________________________________________

Section:______________________________________________

Directions: Read the following advantages of high Biodiversity below. Write BIO if it is true
and DIVERSITY if false.

____________1. It aids in breaking down the Pollutants.

____________2. It provides Limited resources of Food.

____________3. It provides Low medical resources.

____________4. It provides for nutrient storage and recycling.

____________5. It decreases ecosystem productivity.

____________6. It ensures more ecological niche.

____________7. It supports specific species of plants.

____________8. It protects fresh water resources.

____________9. It contributes Climate stability.

____________10. It offers environment for recreation and tourism.

In this lesson, I learned/realized that _________________________________

______________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________