Man and

BioDiversity

L.L.OLALIA, Msci
 BioDiversity

WHO CARES?
Which do you like better?

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L.L.OLALIA, Msci

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What do you think

MEANS?
Biodiversity L.L.OLALIA, Msci

What does “Bio” mean?

Bio =
 Biodiversity
What does “Diversity” mean?
Diversity = Variety
 Biodiversity is the variety of life on
Earth and the essential
interdependence of all living things
• Scientists have identified more than 1.4 million species. Tens of
millions -- remain unknown (www.thecatalogueoflife.org)
•The tremendous variety of life on Earth is made possible by
complex interactions among all living things including micro-
organisms.
 There are 3 components of
biodiversity
1. Diversity of genes
Chihuahuas, Beagles, and Rottweilers are all the same
species —but they're not the same because there is
variety in their genes.

Chihuahua

Beagle Rottweilers
2. Diversity of number of species
For example, monkeys, dragonflies, and
gumamela are all different species.
Saki Monkey

Golden Skimmer
L.L.OLALIA, Msci

Gumamela
3. Variety of ecosystems
Lakes, Ponds, and Rivers are all Freshwater Ecosystems.
Rocky coast, Sand Dune, Estuary, Salt Marsh , Coral Reef
are all Marine Ecosystems.
So what’s an
ECOSYSTEM???
ECOSYSTEM
“ A self-contained community of microorganisms,
animals and plants, that interact with each other and with
their physical environment.”
 Within an ecosystem there can
be many HABITATS
This is the physical and chemical description
of where a creature lives...
 HABITATS might describe:
describe
The NAME of the place where the creature lives.
e.g Arctic Canada is the habitat of the polar bear Ursa maritima.
 HABITATS might describe:
• The DOMINANT VEGETATION of the
place where the creature lives.
e.g Heather moorland is the habitat of the grouse

Temperate coniferous forest

Temperate broadleaf and mixed forests

 HABITATS might describe:

The TYPE of place where the creature lives

• e.g species of fish like Pike (Esox lucius) are found in
freshwater lakes and ponds.
What is a species?
1. A group of morphologically
similar creatures which can:
 Interbreed to produce fertile offspring
 Are ‘reproductively isolated’
2. Creatures who are related
through PHYLOGENY
 Similar DNA
 Similar proteins e.g. in blood
 Similar biochemistry
 Similar embryology

Genetic Diversity of Narra African Clawed

(Pterocarpus indicus) Frog genome
 DNA profiles
of Primates
• % DNA
similar
• 100 Gibbon Orangutan Gorilla Chimp Man
• 99
• 98
• 97
• 96
• 95
• 94
• 93 Humans share 98-99% of their DNA with
Chimps. They are our closest living relatives.
L.L.OLALIA, Msci
Why is a list of
species not
‘Biodiversity’
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L.L.OLALIA, Msci

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L.L.OLALIA, Msci

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 Biodiversity has Intrinsic Value
Intrinsic Value = Something that has value in and of itself
 Biodiversity has an intrinsic value
because it is part of the natural world,
and the conservation of species, genetic
resources and ecosystems is important
for the maintenance of natural ecological
processes
 “Intrinsic value of biodiversity"
designates the value that is independent
of potential usefulness of biodiversity for
human beings.
 Intrinsic good: something worthwhile not
because it leads to something else, but for
its own sake alone; i.e., Good-in-itself
 Biodiversity also has Utilitarian Value
Utilitarian Value = the value something has as a means to another’s end

Utilitarian values include:

 Goods e.g. sustainable timber
 Services e.g. eco-tourism
 Information e.g. Park Wardens
What do we get from biodiversity?
 Why is it important to
maintain diverse ecosystem?
Mutual contributions of tropical coastal habitats

M angrove ecosystem

Coral reef ecosystem

Seag rass ecosystem

 Typical life cycle of coral reef fish species
and interconnectivity of habitats

R ecruitment of juve niles to

1 week - 3 m onths nearshore nursery grounds
in planktonic
larval phase

MA NGROVES
Larval em bryo Adu lt fish M igration to reef
stocks SEA GRA SS
w hen grow n
Growth
NEA RSHORE HA BITATS
Adult
spaw ning
events
CORA L REEF
PELA GIC ZONE
(op en ocean)
Rich marine biodiversity with 400
species of corals; 900 species of
seaweeds; and 1,400 species of fish
and crustaceans
Provide 50% of the animal protein in
the Philippines
Good number of Filipinos dependent
on fishing for livelihood
 Mangroves and their ecological and economic
benefits
Habitat for birds, bees, m onkeys,
and other wildlife
M icrobial decomposers and herbivores
Benefits to humans:
• Clean water
Leaf litter/Detritus
Juveniles for Nursery • Fish, shells,

s
P rotection from storm

sk
aquaculture ground mollusks, etc.

ll u
w ave and erosion

Mo
• Medicines
Detritus
Traps sedim ents and • Tannins
stabilizes coastal areas • Wood (fuel and
construction)
Detritivores
• Honey
Supports food chain • Alcohol
away from mangrove areas
• Shore protection
Small carnivores • Research data
Com mercial and • Education
subsistencfisheries • Recreation/tourism
• Biodiversity
Large carnivores
  One hectare of mangrove
trees produces up to 3.6
tons of litterfall annually.
 One hectare of healthy
mangrove ecosystem
produces about 1.08 tons
of fish and fishery products
per year.
Falling leaves
(Schatz 1991)
Big fish

C rab
Shrimp Sm all fish

Detritus
(le a f pa rticles w ith fu n g i & b a c te ria )
Food chain in Philippine seagrass ecosystems
Considered as the
“rainforests of the
sea”, coral reefs are Philippine coral reefs host:
among nature’s
most spectacular  more than 2,000 species
and beautiful
creations and ranks
of fish
as one of the most  5,000 species of clams,
complex and diverse
ecosystems in snails and other
the world.
mollusks
 488 species of corals
 981 species of bottom-
living algae
 thousands of other
marine organisms
It is estimated that one square kilometer of healthy coral reefs can produce up to
20 tons of fish per year. Destroyed reefs on the other hand only produce less than
4 tons of fish per square kilometer per year.
 Should we be concerned about
biodiversity?
What we know:
The Earth is losing species at
an alarming rate
• Some scientists estimate that as many
as 3 species per hour are going
extinct and 20,000 extinctions occur
each year.
• When species of plants and animals
go extinct, many other species are
affected.
Extinctionextinctionextinctionforevery2speciesalivetoday,weknowof4000othersonlythroughfossilsextinctionextinctionextincti
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BIODIVERSITY
 GOALS OF CONVENTION
ON BIODIVERSITY
“The conservation of biological diversity, the sustainable
use of its components and the fair and equitable sharing
of the benefits arising out of the utilization of genetic
resources”
“Biodiversity is a common concern of humankind and
an integral part of the development process”

• > 100,000 plant/animal species lost in last 5 years

• Habitat loss is biggest current threat to biodiversity
• Deforestation and forest degradation has increased
since the Rio Earth Summit
 BIODIVERSITY
• How many species are there?
-- 1.4 million named species
(70% of which are invertebrates)
-- estimated 3 to 50 million species alive!
Global Hotspots
 WHAT THREATENS
BIODIVERSITY?
• Background extinction (95% of all extinctions)
• Mass extinction
BIODIVERSITY
Background rates

• 1 mammal species
every 400 years

• 1 bird species/200 yrs

Now…………...

• 10,000 times the

background rate!

• 20-75 plant/animal
species each day?
 ENDANGERED VS
THREATENED

Threatened: population low but extinction less imminent

Endangered: number so low that extinction imminent
Threats to biodiversity
THE GREATEST THREAT
HABITAT FRAGMENTATION
 SYSTEM REGULATORS
1000

Effective runoff (mm)

75% water
recycled

0 100
Ground cover removal (%)
25% water
lost in runoff
 RATES OF DEFORESTATION
1981-1990:
• 0.9%/year
• 53,000 sq. mi./year
• 21,000 sq. mi. in
South America (Amz)

• By 1988, +/- 10% of

the Amazon had been
cut down

• Due to isolation of
fragments and in
forest/clearing
boundaries = 16%
affected by deforestation
http://www.rainforestweb.org/
 • Swidden agriculture
CAUSES (slash-and-burn)

> 60% of deforestation

> Rapid decline in soil productivity (nutrient storage?)
> Can be sustainable
-- (15 - 20 year rotation)
Inequitable land ownership
(e.g., Brazil where only 5% of farmers own land)
CAUSES Commercial logging

21% of deforestation
creaming of the most valuabl
hardwoods
1-2 trees per hectare taken
(widespread damage)
clearcut versus selective
CAUSES: Cattle ranching
12% of deforestation
frequently aided by government subsidies
2 trees destroyed for each hamburger made from
“tropical forest beef”
WHY DEFORESTATION?
 WHY DEFORESTATION?
• Complex

• Many underlying social problems giving impetus to deforestation:

> over-consumption in industrialized countries

> foreign debt
> poverty
> unequal ownership of land
> overpopulation
Deforestation
 WHAT CAN BE DONE?

1. The need to preserve intact sections of tropical forest

> The question of “edge communities”
 WHAT CAN BE DONE?

2. The need to address the economic needs of the lesser

developed nations in which all of the tropical
forests reside
> Are the ideas of commercial development and maintaining
the health of the environment mutually exclusive?
 WHAT CAN BE DONE?
• Broad-scale commercial and conservation strategies need to be
developed but these must take into account the economic and
environmental constraints of the particular country
(i.e., detailed local knowledge!)
• There must be designated core and buffer conservation zones
centered around areas of particular endemism (other areas can
be designated for limited sustainable commercial activities
(polycyclic logging, selective extraction of forest products etc.)
Total area: 39 ha; core: 2 Total area: 42 ha; core: 25

Research and training

Multiple-use
Buffer Tourist facility

Core
Human settlement
 BIODIVERSITY

http://endangered.fws.gov/
http://www.nesarc.org/

L.L.OLALIA, Msci

http://www.stopextinction.org/

http://www.audubon.org/campaign/esa/esa.html