Extinction: BIODIVERSITY LOST

FOREVER
describe biodiversity and its components; explain the value of
biodiversity; explain how natural factors can contribute to
biodiversity crisis and species extinction; relate human activities
to the premature extinction of species; and identify the
conservation efforts that foster the sustainable use of our
biodiversity.

BIOLOGICAL + DIVERSITY = BIODIVERSITY

It is the variability among living organisms from all sources,

including terrestrial, marine and other aquatic ecosystems and
the ecological complexes of which they are part; this includes
diversity within species, between species and of ecosystems.

4 COMPONENTS OF
BIODIVERSITY
1.) ECOSYSTEM DIVERSITY – The measure of the number of
different kinds of ecosystems in an area.

 Biomes - A major ecological community of organisms

adapted to a particular climatic or environmental condition
on a large geographic area in which they occur.

Examples: tropical rainforests, grasslands, coniferous forests,

mangrove forests, vast seas and lakes (TERRESTRIAL
ECOCSYSTEM)

2. GENETIC DIVERSITY - The sum total of genetic information

contained in the genes of organisms.

3. FUNCTIONAL DIVERSITY - The variety of important

biological and chemical processes occurring in ecosystems.

4. SPECIES DIVERSITY - The measure of the number of

different species in an area.

Species abundance - the number of individual members

within a particular species

2 Methods of Measuring
Biodiversity
1. Species Richness - refers to the number of species in a
particular place.

2. Species Evenness - refers to the extent to which individuals

are distributed evenly among species.

ECOLOGICAL RELATIONSHIPS
1. Symbiosis - a close relationship between two species in
which at least one species benefits.

Mutualism - a symbiotic relationship in which both species

benefit.

Commensalism - a symbiotic relationship in which one

species benefits while the other species is not affected.

2. Parasitism - a symbiotic relationship in which one species

(the parasite) benefits while the other species (the host) is
harmed.

3. A predator - an animal that hunts, kills and eats other animals

for food. Prey is a term used to describe organisms that
predators kill for food.

NOTE: Herbivores are animals that eat only plants.

Carnivores are animals that eat only meat.

Omnivores are animals that eat both plants and meat.

IMPORTANCE OF BIODIVERSITY
1. ECONOMIC VALUE - plants, animals, and microorganisms
have economic benefits. Philippines boasts of rich ecosystems,
which can provide substantial economic value.

2. ECOLOGICAL VALUE - all organisms, including humans, are

connected in a circle of life. (aesthetic value).

3. ETHICAL AND MORAL VALUE - your role as stewards of

nature also places your ethical values intact to protect the
environment from further destruction.

EXTINCTION
The termination of a kind of organism or of a group of kinds,
usually a species.

A species is extinct when no member of the species remains alive

anywhere in the world.
Extinction therefore becomes a certainty when there are no
surviving individuals that can reproduce and create a new
generation.

OE.g. Procoptodon vivincurrus (giant short-faced kangaroo) &

Diprotodon.

Diprotodon optatum (giant wombat-like marsupial).

Procoptodon vivincurrus (giant short-faced kangaroo).

NATURAL CAUSES OF
EXTINCTION
Diverse forms of organisms become extinct due to the following
natural causes:

Genetics and demographics

Uncontrolled predation

Coextinction

Mass extinction

Climatic heating and cooling

Changes in sea levels

Acid rain

GENETICS AND DEMOGRAPHICS

If population becomes small for any reason, the members of the

population become more inbred, further reducing population
size.

A smaller population also loses genetic diversity because of

inbreeding and suffers reduction in the ability to adapt to the
changing environment.

UNCONTROLLED PREDATION

Animals become extinct when exotic or non- native species are

introduced to a new habitat.

If they have no natural enemies in their new habitat, then their

prey eventually becomes extinct.

COEXTINCTION

The loss of one species leads to the loss of another. It becomes a

chain of extinction.
For example, when a prey loses its food source, its population
decreases. Therefore, its predators have lesser food to eat;
hence, the population of predators also decreases.

MASS EXTINCTION

This refers to the sharp decrease in the number of species on a

short period of time. These are caused by asteroids impacts,
climate change, and other catastrophic events on Earth.

When Earth was once struck by an asteroid, a huge shockwave

was felt around the globe. Widespread dust and debris rained
down, disrupting the climate and causing extinctions of species,
including the dinosaurs, on a global scale.

5 MASS EXTINCTION IN
BIOLOGICAL HISTORY
1. Cretaceous-Tertiary Period Mass Extinction - Extinction of
the dinosaurs 50% of all species was wiped out. CAUSE: Asteroid
Impact.

2. Triassic-Jurassic Period Mass Extinction- Half of all the

species including large amphibians became extinct. CAUSE:
climate change, flood basalt eruptions, massive volcanic
eruption, ocean acidity, and an asteroid impact.

3. Permian Period Mass Extinction Also known as the Great

Dying 96% of species died out. Life on Earth descended from the
4 % that survived. CAUSE: Asteroid Impact, flood basalt
eruptions, catastrophic methane release, a drop in oxygen levels,
sea level fluctuations

4. Devonian Period Mass Extinction - Three quarters of all

species on Earth died. Seabed became devoid of oxygen: only
bacteria can survive. CAUSE: Changes in sea level, asteroid
impacts, climate change, and new kinds of plants interrupting
the soil.

5. Ordovician-Silurian Period Mass Extinction - Third largest

extinction in Earth's history. 85% of sea life was wiped out.
CAUSE: A huge ice sheet caused the climate change, which
altered the chemistry of the oceans.

CLIMATIC HEATING AND COOLING

This natural event has a very significant effect on extinction.

Many species are not used to severe weather conditions and long
seasons, or a changing chemical makeup of their surroundings.
Food chains and, therefore, food webs get disrupted as more
species die. Thus, species with no alternate food become extinct.

CHANGES IN SEA LEVELS

The spreading of the ocean floor cause the rising of sea levels.
Therefore, a significant amount of water can displace onto the
land that is already occupied. Gases from volcanic activities can
also be absorbed by the water, changing its chemical
composition. Eventually, water may become unsuitable for some
forms of life.

ACID RAIN

This increases the acidity of the soil which affects plant and lakes
to possibly lethal levels. Aside from natural causes of acid rain,
human activities have led to the presence of certain chemicals in
the atmosphere that contributes to the formation of acid rain.

CHARACTERISTICS OF SPECIES
VULNERABLE TO EXTINCTION
1. Large species with low reproductive potential such as whales,
rhinos, great apes condors, and whooping cranes.

2. Species with high economic value such as whales, sea turtles,

elephants, spotted cats, rhinoceros.

3. Species at the end of the long chains such as birds of prey,

cats and

4. Species restricted to local, insular habitats such as snail

darters and key deer.

5. Highly specialized species such as giant pandas and black-

footed ferrets.

6. Migratory species such as monarch butterflies, marine

mammals, and many birds.

CATEGORIES OF SPECIES
EXTINCTION
1. Extinct in the wild. If individual species remain alive in
captivity or on other human, controlled situations, the species is
said to be extinct in the wild. Examples of these are the black
soft-shell turtle, red-tailed shark, and the
2. Locally Extinct. If individual members of a species are no
longer found in an area it once inhabited but are still found
elsewhere in the wild, then that species is to be locally extinct.

Examples:

Gray wolf - locally extinct in Massachusetts but is found in

other parts of the North America.

Asiatic lion - now only be found in Gujarat, India.

South China tiger - once native to the provinces of Fujian,

Guangdong, Hunan and Jiangxi in southern China.

3. Globally Extinct. When the members of a species can no

longer be found anywhere on Earth, that species is said to be
globally extinct. Examples of these are the woolly mammoth,
Pinta Island tortoise, dodo, and Tasmanian tiger

4. Ecologically extinct. When a species persists at such

reduced numbers that its effect on the other species in its
community is negligible, then that particular species is referred
to as ecologically extinct. Examples of these are some species of
tigers.

ANTHROPOGENIC EXTINCTION
HABITAT DESTRUCTION - Habitat destruction negatively
impacts biodiversity on an exponential scale.

HABITAT DEGRADATION - Biological communities can be

damaged, and species may be driven to extinction by external
factors that do not change the structure of dominant plants in
the community.

BOTTOM TRAWLING OR DRAGGING - This is a fishing

method in which a boat drags a net along the ocean bottom,
scooping up sea life but also damaging the structure of the
marine.

PESTICIDE POLLUTION

✔Dichlorophenyltrichloroethane (DDT) is used to kill insects. It is

sprayed on bodies of water to kill mosquito larvae.

✔Pesticides can find their way to bodies of water, releasing large

amounts of nitrates and phosphates which leads to
eutrophication.
✔Eutrophication has a disastrous effect on the environment
because it may lead to the deaths of organisms because of lack of
oxygen.

POLLUTION IN THE AIR, WATER AND LAND

✓Acid rain

Inhibits the microbial process of decomposition, lowering the

rate of mineral recycling and ecosystem productivity.

CONSERVATION CATEGORIES
OF SPECIES
International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural
Resources (IUCN)

The international agency that monitors Earth's biodiversity.

Conservation Categories of Species

a. Extinct (EX)

b. Extinct in the Wild (EW)

c. Near Threatened (NT)

d. Least Concern (LC)

e Data Deficient (DD)

A. Extinct (EX) - This category means that there is no

reasonable doubt that the last individual has died.

B. Extinct in the Wild (EW) - This category means that the

species survive in cultivation, in captivity, or as a naturalized
population (or populations) well outside the past range.

C. Near Threatened (NT) - the species does not qualify for

Critically Endangered (CR), Endangered (EN), or Vulnerable
(VU) as of now, but it is close to qualifying or is likely to qualify
for, a threatened category in boar future.

D. Data Deficient (DD) - There is inadequate information to

make a direct, or indirect, assessment of its risk of extinction
based on its distribution and or population status. A taxon in this
category may be well studied, and its biology well known, but
appropriate data on abundance and/or distribution are lacking.
Therefore, DD is not a category of threat.

E. Least Concem (LC) - The species does not qualify for

Critically Endangered (CR), Endangered (EN), Vulnerable (VU),
or Near Threatened (NT) categories. Widespread and abundant
taxa are included in this category.

BIODIVERSITY CONSERVATION
| Our government protects biodiversity by promulgating and
passing laws on biodiversity conservation.

Laws providing effective protection programs for species and

their habitats.

Government also encourages private landowners to be involved

in conservation leasing

A form of leasing which provides payments to private owners

who actively manage their land for biodiversity.

Also, a certification of origin of biological products is required in

conservation leasing to ensure that wild populations are not
depleted by illegal Collection

Government also undertakes development programs that

contribute to biodiversity conservation. Some international and
local nongovernment organizations provide funds for biodiversity
conservation.

World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) is the first international

NGO to provide substantial support for conservation programs
and draw attention to biodiversity.

Biodiversity Conservation Network (BCN) provides funds for

three major projects focused on sustainable utilization of
biodiversity resources. Their recipients are:

Manila Observatory

World Wide Fund for Nature Philippine Program

Kalahan Educational Foundation