Biodiversity and Stability

Biodiversity is a term that describes how varied living things

are in a specific area. Organisms are part of biodiversity and
may be economically and ecologically valuable. Their products
are sources of food, medicine, clothing, shelter and energy.
These organisms are also important in maintaining balance in the
ecosystem as they perform their specific roles. Some species
maintain the quality of natural bodies of water; some prevent
soil erosion and floods, cycle materials in the soil, and absorb
pollutants. Others feed on insects and pests, which control the
population of organisms in a certain environment, thus making
the ecosystem balance and stable.
The value of species can be divided into various categories:

1. Direct economic value

The species is considered to have direct economic

value if their products are sources of food,
medicine, clothing, shelter, and energy. For
example, some medicines being used nowadays have
formulations extracted from plants or animals.
Another common plant, Vitexnegundo (Lagundi), is
extracted for cough syrup production
2. Indirect economic value

A species has an indirect economic value

if there are benefits produced by the
organism without using them. For example,
certain species maintain the chemical
quality of natural bodies of water,
prevent soil erosion and floods, cycle
materials in the soil, and absorb
pollutants.
3. Aesthetic value

Many species provide visual or

artistic enjoyment, like a forested
landscape and the calming beauty of
a natural park, or they may be used
for spiritual meditation like the
prayer mountains
Biodiversity is very important because it
sustains through the flow of energy, the
food web on earth, and contributes to
environmental stability.
Stability

of an ecosystem can be described

as the resilience to withstand
changes that may occur in the
environment. Many changes occur
in the environment resulting from
natural or human activities.
These changes may severely reduce
biodiversity and result in the
instability of the ecosystem.
Population density

refers to the number of

organisms per unit area. If
a population density is very
high, that means there are
many organisms crowded into
a certain area. If a
population's density is low,
that means there are very
few organisms in an area.
Population
• A population can be defined as the number of all individuals
belonging to the same group or species that live in a particular
area and interbreed with one another to form offspring.

• When it comes to humans, the population may refer to the

collective number of human individuals.

• The science that focuses on the characterization and statistical

analysis of the human population refers to demography.

• It aims to provide a comprehensive census that collects, analyzes,

compiles, and publishes all necessary information regarding the
characteristics of the human population in a certain region.
Population Growth

•  Population growth is the increase in the number of

individuals in a population.
•  A population may increase if resources, such as food,
water, and shelter, are readily available.
•  Population growth is often related to the biotic potential
of organisms. This is the capacity of an individual or
population to reproduce under ideal conditions—sufficient
food supply, no predators, and a lack of disease.
• In general, large organisms, such as elephants and whales,
have low biotic potentials, whereas small organisms, such as
insects and bacteria, have high biotic potentials.
Types of Population Growth

There are two trends commonly observed in a

population:
exponential and logistic growths.

Exponential growth
• It happens when the population grows faster and faster as
time goes on.  Plotting population size against time
results in a J-shaped curve.
• Exponential growth is only possible when infinite resources
are available, and there is little to no competition,
predation, and disease. This is not the case in the real
world because species compete for limited resources.
• Common example for this is algal bloom where the
population of the algae in water bodies rapidly increase
due to too much concentration of nutrients present in the
water.
 Logistic growth

• It accounts for the limited resources,

competition, predation, and environmental
factors that can slow down population
growth.
• The plot of population size vs. time is
an S-shaped curve with the first part of
the graph similar to that for exponential
growth.
• This part occurs in environments where
there are few individuals and plentiful
resources. However, when the number of
individuals becomes large enough, the
resources are depleted, and the growth rate
slows down. Eventually, the growth rate
levels off as the carrying capacity is
reached.
• Common example of this are microorganisms
in a culture plate.
Carrying capacity

determines the maximum population

size of a species that the ecosystem
can sustain with its natural
resources. It influences the
population size as well as birth
rates, death rates, and movement of
species. A population increases and
has an exponential growth when the
resources are not limited. This
exponential growth will turn to
logistic growth as it encounters
environmental resistance.
The concept of carrying capacity and environmental
resistance can be visualized using the spilling
bucket diagram. The water put into the bucket is
like the production of the things put into the
ecosystem. When the bucket is all full, it is like
an ecosystem that has met its carrying capacity.
When the bucket reaches the top, the rest of the
water coming in "overflow", like when an ecosystem
overpopulates. If you do not want to "overflow"
your ecosystem, you stay under the carrying
capacity.