Biodiversity and

the Healthy
Society
(Part II)
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Origins of Life,
Evolution and
Biodiversity
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CHED GET ADMU CHED GET PNU MINDANAO
 PROPERTIES OF LIFE

• It’s surprisingly hard

to come up with a
precise definition of
life.
• Our definitions are
considered
operational definition.

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 How did a specie survive?
Reproduction and Information Transfer
• Reproduction: making babies, • Information transfer: genetic
cell division, or replication of material from one generation to
genetic material the next

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Metabolism, nutrition, and interaction with
the environment

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ak0.pinimg.com/originals/88/e3/7a/88e37a115
Complexity, organization, growth vs. change
759aca4fac447d8ca90f101.jpg
https://s-media-cache-

http://legacy.hopkinsville.kctcs.edu/instructors/Jason-
Arnold/VLI/m1science/f1-01_levels_of_biologi_c.jpg

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 “ The origin of life appears…to
be almost a miracle, so many
Francis Crick are the conditions which would
have led to be satisfied to get it
going”

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The LIMITS of science…
Questions of identity, the soul, ethics and
what it means to be “alive” from a
philosophical or spiritual point of view

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What science can help us
UNDERSTAND…
How did the Earth metamorphose from the
lifeless planet to the world teeming with
living organisms that we live on today?

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How did life form?
Challenges to explain:
• Where did the organic molecules come from?
• Simplest forms of life are complex
• How does chemistry become biology?
• How did self replication begin?

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 Theories on the Origin of Life
• Spontaneous Generation
• Primordial Soup
• Panspermia (External Source)

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Primordial Soup
• Gases in earth’s early atmosphere + Electricity = Amino
acids, organic compounds

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Panspermia (External Sources)

• Organic molecules from space

–92 amino acids – 19 used by
life on earth
–All 5 bases used in DNA /
RNA found
–Simple sugars and fatty
acids were found

• Murchison Meteorite

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 What molecules formed life?
• All life is based on organic chemistry
• Where did the organic molecules come from? Carbon
Oxygen
Hydrogen
Nitrogen

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 Chemistry probably started everything

gy/module_1/levels%20of%20organization.jpg
http://peer.tamu.edu/curriculum_modules/Cell_Biolo
http://www.mhhe.com/biosci/esp/2001_saladin/folde
r_structure/le/m1/s3/assets/images/lem1s3_1.jpg
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Raw materials:
Inorganic materials
(rocks, atmosphere and seas)

Small molecules
(water, carbon dioxide, methane, ammonia, hydrogen, sulfur,
chlorine, nitrogen)

Larger molecules
(sugars, amino acids, fats and oils, nucleotides)

Biomolecules
(polysaccharides, proteins, lipids, nucleic acids)
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The modern gene – protein link becomes established

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So, how were the first cells formed?

Cooling a warm – water solution of amino acids

Forms an enclosed structure

Now enclosed, reactions are concentrated

Lipids mixed with water spontaneously form membrane droplets

Protocells

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CHED GET ADMU CHED GET PNU MINDANAO
Summary of Evolution of Life

https://image.slidesharecdn.com/finalevo-
120923062010-phpapp01/95/evolution-a-
consolidated-ppt-6-728.jpg?cb=1348384062
History of Earth in 12 Hours

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http://www.windows2universe.org/earth/Life
/classification_intro.html
Three domains of life

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logenetic_tree.svg/400px-Phylogenetic_tree.svg.png
Unity in Diversity

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 Charles Darwin
• On the Origin of Species
by Means of Natural
Selection in 1859
• Two main points made:
• Species showed evidence
of “ descent with
modification” from
common ancestors
• Natural selection is the
mechanism behind
“descent with
modification”

CHED GET ADMU CHED GET PNU MINDANAO http://www2.vobs.at/bio/evolution/Darwin/Darwin-y.jpg

 CHED GET ADMU CHED GET PNU MINDANAO
Descent with modification

http://userscontent2.emaze.com/images/a464210b-
04cd-4519-a4dd-63cd4bffe333/3364621b-401d-
40b1-9e5d-f0f41ae56eddimage25.jpeg
 EVOLUTION
• One misconception is
that organisms
evolve, in the
Darwinian sense,
during their lifetimes
• Natural selection acts
on individuals, but
only populations
evolve
http://media.philstar.com/images/pilipi http://www.lyricsmode.com/
no-star-ngayon/showbiz/20160125/Bea- i/bpictures/5291.jpg
John-Lloyd-Cruz.jpg

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 EVOLUTION
• Genetic variations in
populations contribute
to evolution
• Microevolution is a
change in allele
frequencies in a
population over
generations

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 Unifying Principles of Evolution
• Nature: Physical
and biological
limiting factors
acting upon an
organism
• Perpetual
Change: All
species are in a
continuous state
of change

CHED GET ADMU CHED GET PNU MINDANAO https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Marc_Diederich/publication/281773586/figure/fig

1/AS:312281658347520@1451465157051/Figure-1-The-biotic-and-abiotic-factors-
governing-the-marine-ecosystem.png
Final Notes on Evolution
• Individuals do not evolve; populations evolve over time
• Natural selection can only increase or decrease heritable
traits in a population
• Adaptations vary with different environments

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 What is BIODIVERSITY?
• Variety: number of
species
• Variability: number of
organisms per
species; the question
of dominance
• Levels:
– Genetic
– Species
– Ecosystem

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 Category Species Totals
Vertebrate
Animals
Mammals 5,513

https://www.currentresults.com/Environment-
Birds 10,425

Facts/Plants-Animals/number-species.php
Reptiles 10,038

How many
Amphibians 7,302
Fishes 32,900

species
Total
66,178
Vertebrates

known to
Invertebrate
Animals

currently exist
Insects 1,000,000
Spiders and
102,248
in the world?
scorpions
Molluscs 85,000
Crustaceans 47,000
Corals 2,175
Others 68,827
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1,305,250
Invertebrates
 Plants
Flowering plants
268,000
(angiosperms)
Conifers
1,052
How many
(gymnosperms)
Ferns and
12,000
species
horsetails
Mosses 16,236

known to Red and green

algae
10,386

currently exist Total Plants

Others
307,674

in the world? Lichens

Mushrooms
17,000
31,496
Brown algae 3,127
Total Others 51,623
TOTAL SPECIES 1,730,725

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https://www.currentresults.com/Environment-
Facts/Plants-Animals/number-species.php
 How many species known to
currently exist in the world?
• Of all known
animal species,
5% are
vertebrates and
95%
invertebrates.

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Where else can we look for life?

• Tropical rainforests
• Polar seas
• Deep sea
• Outer space???

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Life under threat

CHED GET ADMU CHED GET PNU MINDANAO http://www.nature.com/news/biodiversity-life-a-status-

report-1.16523
 The current global situation

content/uploads/2014/02/ENDANGERED-SPECIES_Mill.jpg
International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)
• IUCN: 21 percent of all
known mammals, 30
percent of all known
amphibians, 12 percent

http://www.mintpressnews.com/wp-
of all known birds, and
28 percent of reptiles,
37 percent of freshwater
fishes, 70 percent of
plants, 35 percent of
invertebrates assessed
so far are under threat.
• Estimate: half of species
alive today will survive
to 2100
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The current significant figures
• Philippine population: 100 m asof 27 July 2014, annual
growth rate of 1.70%(as of 2012)
• 60% live in coastal areas
• One of 17 megadiversity countries, which together contain
70% of global biodiversity
• Ranks 5th in number of plant species,4th in bird endemism

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BUT… The Philippines is also one of the world’s
hotspots…

CHED GET ADMU CHED GET PNU MINDANAO https://www.nature.com/scitable/content/prominen

t-biodiversity-hotspots-5895
Number of
Threatened
Philippine
fauna and
flora and
their
categories

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article&id=53&Itemid=84
 • 20% of our total land area.

http://www.birdguidingphilippines.com/sites/defaul
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t/files/uploads/8249987682_7806028609.jpg
CHED GET ADMU CHED GET PNU MINDANAO
 enda
Philippine eagle-owl
(Bubo philippensis)
hawksbill sea turtle
(Eretmochelys imbricata)
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Mindoro Bleeding-heart
(Gallicolumba platenae)
http://www.topten.ph/2014/10/31/top-10-
critically-endangered-species-philippines/
Rufous-headed Hornbill
(Rhabdotorrhinus waldeni)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/P
hilippine_crocodile
red-vented cockatoo
Philippine bare-backed fruit
(Cacatua haematuropygia) Tamaraw (Bubalus mindorensis)
bat (Dobsonia chapmani)
the Philippine cockatoo

Philippine forest turtle Visayan warty pig (Sus Philippine eagle

(Siebenrockiella leytensis) cebifrons) (Pithecophaga jefferyi),
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 24-million-hectare undersea
feature, which the United Nations
has declared part of the
Philippine continental shelf.

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• Coral Reefs – 27000 sq km,
with over 70% in poor or fair
quality or quantity of coral
cover (only 5% excellent)
• Fisheries
• Mangroves
• Seagrasses – Philippines:
second most diverse in the
world, 27282 sq km; 30 – 40%
loss in the last 50 years
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 Philippine Fisheries Decline

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http://oneocean.org/fish/images/fish_graph.gif
• the European Union issued a formal
statement on Tuesday denouncing the
Philippines "non-cooperation" in the
fight against illegal fishing through a
lack of system of sanctions, lack of
actions to monitor and launch
surveillance of the waters.
• "I urge the Philippines and Papua New
Guinea to fight this practice which puts
the livelihoods of fishermen at risk. In
the end, sustainability of fisheries in the
Pacific Ocean means sustainability here
in Europe, on our plates," Damanaki
(European Commissioner for Maritime
Affairs and Fisheries) said.

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 Destructive
Fishing
Practices
http://theseamonster.net/wp-
content/uploads/blast-fishing.png

http://www.alamy.com
/stock-
photo/destructive-
fishing-practices.html
http://www.coralgardening.org/wp-
content/uploads/2014/10/cyanide-
500.jpg
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• Seventy percent of each
haul of trawler fishing is
considered by – catch.
http://blogs.ntu.edu.sg/hp331-
2014-6/files/2014/11/Pelagic http://divenewzealan
_Mid_water_pair_trawl.jpg d.co.nz/article-103/

Dolphin as
by – catch
in drift net.

http://constantine.typepad.com/.a/6a0120a7fc3 http://us.whales.org/sites/def
be9970b01a3fcfe6af1970b-pi ault/files/styles/content_portr
ait/public/fig1_brema_krivok
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Legal Measures
• Declaration of Protected Areas(PA’s); 234 (5mha) as of
2008
• Identification of Key Biodiversity Areas (KBA’s)
• *PA’s cover only 51% of terrestrial KBA’s
• Establishment of Marine Protected Areas (MPA’s); 1169
existing and 164 proposed as of 2008
• Ecotourism
• Environmental law enforcement and green courts
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Where are we headed?
A burgeoning human population. The Philippines
has thus been pegged as a top conservation
“hotspot’ for terrestrial and marine ecosystems, and
there are fears that it could be the site of the first
major extinction spasm (Heaney and Mittermeier
1997; Myers et al. 2000;Roberts et al.2002).
Remarkably, and despite this precarious situation,
there is evidence that hope exists for biodiversity
conservation in the Philippines.

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http://www.wscreforestation.org/

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 http://voukgroup.com/wp-
content/uploads/2017/03/1-1030x610.jpg

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 http://generaleng.com/media/biorock1.jpg

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 https://image.slidesharecdn.com/1b-michaelpido-
140326143516-phpapp01/95/fisheries-subsector-
example-20-638.jpg?cb=1395844963

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 The new species is
named Hydraena ateneo,
after the university.
H. ateneo is a little more a millimeter
long and half a millimeter wide. It
resembles Hydreana castanescens,
but is smaller in size and has straight
metatibiae is both sexes.

Ateneo biology professor

Hendrik Freitag told the
International Business Times
that it's "always a surprise"
to find new species in a
highly urbanized place in
Metro Manila.
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What can you do?
1) Do not buy organisms from poachers.
2) Support companies with biodiversity –friendly initiatives.(Ex:
Fujitsu, Faber – Castell, Ritter, Volkswagen, Shell)
3) Join local and international efforts for biodiversity.
4) Keep your environment clean.
5) Lessen your carbon footprint.
6) Learn as much as you can about biodiversity and
conservation issues.
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Is climate change related to
biodiversity?
• Geographical shift in species (160 –km shift in ecological
zones per 1oC temperature change)
• Atmospheric gases
• Thermal stratification and upwelling reduction in marine
waters
• Loss of sea ice
• Potential proliferation of invasive species and diseases

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• The Bible is the story of the relationship of
God and man… The main problem of our
society or crisis is only one … “That is how
we use and abuse people and the creation”
Fr. Bienvenido F. Nebres is a Filipino scientist,
mathematician, and Jesuit friar.

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 We should preserve every scrap of biodiversity as priceless
while we learn to use it and come to understand what it
means to humanity.
Edward Osborne Wilson
Father of Sociobiology

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 References
Cruz, Ronald Allan L. “Biodiversity: Life on a Planet” in Stellar Origins, Human Ways:
Readings in Science, Technology, and Society. Cuyegkeng, Ma. Assunta C., editor.
Quezon City: Ateneo de Manila University Press, 2011.
Rojas, Nina Rosario L. ”Born in the Universe: Approaching the Origins of Life” in Stellar
Origins, Human ways: Readings in Science, Technology, and Society. Cuyegkeng,
Ma. Assunta C., editor. Quezon City: Ateneo de Manila University Press, 2011.
What is life? Retrieved on May 15, 2017 @ https://www.khanacademy.org/science/
biology/intro-to-biology/what-is-biology/a/what-is-life
Top 10 Most Critically Endangered Species Philippines. Retrieved on May 16, 2017
http://www.topten.ph/2014/10/31/top-10-critically-endangered-species-philippines/
• Executive Order No. 25 s. 2017. Signed on May 16, 2017. Retrieved on May 20, 2017
@ http://www.gov.ph/2017/05/16/executive-order-no-25-s-2017/

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