ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE

Biodiversity and
Evolution
CHAPTER 4
OVERVIEW QUESTIONS
4.1 What is biodiversity and why its is important?
4.2 How does the earth's life change overtime?
4.3 How do geological processes and climate
change affect evolution
4.4 How do speciation, extinction and human
activities affect biodiversity?
4.5 What is species diversity and why is it
important?
4.6 What roles do species play in an ecosystem?
 CORE CASE STUDY
WHY SHOULD WE PROTECT SHARKS?

WHALE SHARK SHARKS ARE KEYSTONE SPECIES

SHARKS SPECIES ARE

THREATENED WITH EXTINCTION

SHARKS CAN ALSO SAVE HUMAN LIVES

SCALLOPED
HAMMERHEAD
SHARK
4.1 What is Biodiversity and why is it important?
 - is the variety of the earth's species,
BIOLOGICAL the genes they contain, the ecosystem
in which they live, and the ecosystem
DIVERSITY
processes of energy flow and nutrient
(BIODIVERSITY)
cycling that sustain all life.
 THE MAJOR
COMPONENTS OF
BIODIVERSITY
• Species Diversity
• Ecosystem Diversity
• Genetic Diversity
• Functional Diversity
 IMPORTANCE OF EARTH'S
BIODIVERSITY

a vital part of the natural
capital that helps keep us alive
and supports our economies
plays a critical role in preserving the helps to sustain life
quality of air, and water, maintaining on earth
the fertility of topsoil, decomposing
and recycling waste, and controlling
populations of species.
4.2 How does the earth’s life change over time?
 BIOLOGICAL EVOLUTION BY NATURAL
SELECTION EXPLAINS HOW LIFE
CHANGES OVER TIME
“Fossil reveals the History of Life”

Biological Evolution
is the process whereby Earth's life changes
overtime through changes in genes of
populations in succeeding generations.
PALEONTOLOGIST
 PROPOSED THE CONCEPT OF NATURAL SELECTION

CHARLES DARWIN ALFRED RUSSEL WALLACE

(1809-1882) (1823- 1913)

• individual organism must struggle constantly to survive by getting enough resources

to avoid being eaten, and to reproduce.

• individuals in the populations with specific advantage (ex. characteristic or trait) over other individuals in
the population most likely to survive and produce offspring.
 Evolution by 1. GENETIC
VARIABILITY
Natural Selection
2. NATURAL SELECTION
works through
Mutation and 3. GENETIC
RESISTANCE
Adaptation
“Genes mutate, individuals are selected, and population evolve
such that they are better adapted to survive and reproduce
under existing environmental condition.”
 ADAPTATION THROUGH NATURAL
SELECTION HAS LIMITS

Organism can adapt to change in Even if the beneficial heritable

environmental conditions only if trait is present in the population,
the necessary genetic traits are the population's ability to adapt
already present in a may be limited by its reproductive
population’s of gene pool. capacity
4.3 How do geological processes and climate change
affect evolution?
 GEOLOGICAL tectonic plates drift has had two important
effects on the evolution and distribution of life
PROCESSES
on earth
AFFECT NATURAL
SELECTION location (latitudes) of continents affect
FIRST climate, and thus species distribution.

the movement of continents has allowed

SECOND species to move, adapt to new environment,

and form new species through natural
selection
 CLIMATE CHANGE AND CATASTROPHES AFFECT
NATURAL SELECTION

Cooling and warming periods have covered much of

the earth with glacial ice, or melted the ice
CLIMATE CHANGE AND
drastically raised sea levels.
CATASTROPHES AFFECT
NATURAL SELECTION
Catastrophic events, such as collisions with large
asteroids, have caused destruction of ecosystems
and extinction of species.
Glacial Ice Coverage During the Past 18,000 years
4.4 How do speciation, extinction, and human activities
affect biodiversity?
 This happen in two phases:

HOW DO FIRST SECOND

NEW SPECIES
EVOLVE?
speciation: process where
one species splits into two or
more different species
GEOGRAPHIC REPRODUCTIVE
ISOLATION ISOLATION
occur when different occur when mutation
groups of the same and change by
population of a natural selection
species become operate in the gene
physically isolated pools of
from one another for geographically
a long period of time. isolated populations
Geographic Isolation Reproductive Isolation
EXTINCTION IS FOREVER

Biological extinction:
the process by which the entire species
ceases to exists
4.5 What is species diversity and why is it important?
 Species Diversity Includes the Variety
and Abundance of Species in
Particular Place
SPECIES
DIVERSITY
the number and variety of species it contains
SPECIES RICHNESS
the number of different species present

SPECIES EVENNESS
comparative number of individuals of each species
present
 Species-rich ecosystem tend to be
more productive and sustainable

“The more diverse an ecosystem is, the more productive it will

be.”
“The species-rich communities were also less affected by
drought and more resistant to invasion by insect species.”

“Species richness appears to increase the productivity and

stability, or sustainability, of an ecosystem.”
4.6 What roles do species play in an environment?
 EACH SPECIES PLAYS A ROLE
IN ITS ECOSYSTEM
ECOLOGICAL NICHE
is a species' way of life in an
ecosystem, everything that
affects survival and
reproduction.
GENERALIST SPECIES
can live in many different places, can eat
a variety of food, can tolerate a wide
range of environments.
SPECIALIST SPECIES
can live only in a very specific
environment which makes them prone to
extinction when environmental conditions
change
 Species can play five
NATIVE SPECIES
major roles within the
those that normally live and thrive in a
ecosystem particular ecosystem.

Species can be described as; NON- NATIVE SPECIES

(Invasive, Alien, And Exotic Species)
1. Native
those that migrate into, or are
2. Non-native
deliberately or accidentally introduced
3. Indicator
into, an ecosystem but can threaten
4. Keystone
native species
5. Foundation
 Species can play five
INDICATOR SPECIES
major roles within the
species that provide early warnings of
ecosystem damage to a community or an ecosystem

Species can be described as;

KEYSTONE SPECIES
1. Native species whose roles have a large effect

2. Non-native on the types and abundance of other

3. Indicator species in an ecosystem

4. Keystone
5. Foundation
 Species can play five
FOUNDATION SPECIES
major roles within the
are species that shape their communities by
ecosystem creating and enhancing their habitats in way
that benefit other species.

Species can be described as;

1. Native
2. Non-native
3. Indicator
4. Keystone
5. Foundation
 Species can play five
major roles within the
ecosystem

Species can be described as;

1. Native
2. Non-native
3. Indicator
4. Keystone
5. Foundation
 3 BIG IDEAS

Populations evolve Human activities Each species plays a

when genes mutate are degrading the specific ecological
and give some earth’s vital role in the ecosystem
individuals genetic biodiversity by where it is found.
traits that enhance causing the
their abilities to extinction of
survive and to species and by
produce offspring disrupting habitats
with these traits needed for the
(natural selection). development of
new species.
 Reference:
Miller, G.T. and Spoolman, S.E. (2012). Living in the Environment. (17 edition).