TYPES OF BIODIVERSITY

Group 2
science
BIODIVERSITY
Biodiversity is a term used to
the enormous variety of life
on Earth. Biodiversity exist in
3 levels: Species, Genetic,
and ecosystem
 THE THREE LEVELS OF BIODIVERSITY

• Species Diversity – Pertains to the total number of species that exist within a
region.
(Species – A group of organisms possessing a unique set of characteristics)
Examples:
The Philippines hosts more than 52,177 described species.
 THE THREE LEVELS OF BIODIVERSITY

• Genetic Diversity – Pertains to the variations in genes between distinct species. Different
breeds of Dogs, cats, Pigeons etc. are an example of Genetic Diversity.
 THE THREE LEVELS OF BIODIVERSITY

• Ecosystem diversity – pertains to the variations of ecosystem,

Losing one level of biodiversity may leads to the loss of other levels of biodiversity. The three levels
are closely intertwined.
BIODIVERSITY LOSS​
Biodiversity loss is a worldwide concern. Scientist can determines that biodiversity is lost by certain losses:
• Extinction of species – Extinction of species is the number one cause of biodiversity loss, extinction means the
last individual of a species is dead and that type of species is gone forever. One example of this is the extinction
of dinosaurs where no dinosaurs are alive making them extinct.
• Loss of specific habitats – Species have different needs and one of them is a habitat, if a specific habitat is lost
than the species that live in that certain habitat might go extinct aswell. Habitats provides the necessary elements
of life like food, water, shelter, and etc. its important for the species to live.
• Loss of genetic variations of species – Genetic variations plays an important role in the survival and ability of
the species to adapt to changing environment. More genetic variations means longer chances for species to
survive. Take dogs as an example, Dogs have various of genetic variations making them survive until now.
 MAN MADE CAUSES OF EXTINCTION
• Habitat destruction – it pertains to the destruction of a habitat making it unhabitable for species. One
example that is very known to many is deforestation.
• Commercial harvesting and hunting for sports – Considered as the second cause of mass extinctions of
plants and animals species. This is made because of man’s greed to make profit and earn money.
Examples are anchovies for sardines, tigers cheetahs, and jaguars for fur, and etc.
• Introduction of alien, exotic, or nonnative species – introduction of exotic species can lead to Extinction
of native species. They crowd the vulnerable native species and monopolize the limited resources in the
area, making the native species to not reproduce due to lack of resources causing extinction.
 MAN MADE CAUSES OF EXTINCTION
• pollution caused by human activities – pollution caused by human activities can be a cause of extinction
for it pollutes our air and water that most species needed the most. Humans have come to rely on fossil
fuels and because of this it pollutes our air with carbon dioxide.
• Other causes like superstition – Us making ideas that certain species brings bad luck can cause
extinction aswell. For example is snakes, Some people believe that snakes are a bad omen and killing
them will help them triumph over any enemies.
 THE "DOMINO" OR "RIFFLE EFFECT" OF SPECIES
EXTINCTION
Each species of living organisms whether big or small have specific roles to play. The loss of
one species can upset the balance of the environment. Remove one species and this "small
change" can lead to big problems that are far reaching and difficult to repair.

One example is the Dodo bird, Dodos (Raphus cucullatus) are flightless birds that are endemic
to Mauritius, an island east of Madagascar in the Indian Ocean. Once Sailors arrived in the
island they were hunted for food. The sailors also brought with them their domesticated
animals, including monkeys, cats, pigs, and Rats, all of them have been a threat to Dodo nests.
 THE "DOMINO" OR "RIFFLE EFFECT" OF
SPECIES EXTINCTION
Scientist discovered that the removal (extinction) of one species can further change the
relative composition or the relative abundance of other species in a community. They call
this phenomenon "domino effect" or "riffle effect."

The domino or riffle effect can happen if the species that have been removed in the area
are keystone species. A keystone species is one whose presence and activities strongly
affect other species in the community.