LAZARO, BIANCA LAURINE TOMILAS

MS BIOLOGY

1. What do you think is the current phase of taxonomy here in the locality (in Cordillera)?
Provide specific evidence (e.g. articles or synthesis) as why you thought so. Place you
answer on a short coupon bond. It could handwritten or encoded.

The discovery of new species leads to new findings and brings out new information. One
example of new orchid species found in the region of Cordillera is Dendrochilum ignisforum. it was
described in 2020 with the help from researchers from the Philippine Taxonomic Initiative (PTI). It
is proposed to be classified as a vulnerable species under the IUCN Red List. Since the Region is
blessed with unique vegetation, mountainous area, it is endowed with various varieties of flora and
fauna. Many species of organisms that are found over period of time are studied and undergone
different phases of development in taxonomy.
Naming and Classification of organisms in the region helped researchers to identify some of
the problems in our Biodiversity. One example mentioned in the article is the effect of global
warming that in the long run, it can diminish the population of the organism.

On a Philippine mountain, researchers

• A new wild orchid species, Dendrochilum ignisiflorum, has been described in the Philippine
province of Benguet in the northern Cordilleras mountain range.
• This fiery orange orchid belongs to a genus found in high-elevation forests in Southeast Asia,
particularly in the Philippines, Borneo and Sumatra.
• The scientists who described it say the species is threatened by climate change, which could
make its niche range uninhabitable.
• The mountain where it’s found is also an increasingly popular tourist spot, while the forests in
the area around it are being cleared for agriculture.

A new tiny orchid species with fiery orange flowers has been discovered on a mountain peak in
the northern Philippines’ Cordilleras range.

The wild orchid species was named Dendrochilum ignisiflorum and described in a study in the
journal Phytotaxa. It belongs to the Dendrochilum genus which prefers the mossy or cloud forests
blanketing the high mountains of Southeast Asia, particularly in the Philippines, Borneo and
Sumatra. This new Philippine-endemic orchid has been proposed as vulnerable under the criteria
of the IUCN Red List.

Botanists recorded the species thriving at an elevation of around 2,300 meters (7,500 feet) on
exposed ridges and the mossy forest summit of Mount Komkompol in Benguet province. Because
it’s a high-elevation orchid, experts say it’s vulnerable to habitat loss due to climate change and
deforestation.
Despite each flower measuring no more than 5 millimeters (0.2 inches), this species stands out
for its fiery color (the species name in Latin means “fire flower”). “[It’s] not a showy type of orchid
like what our mom or aunt collects,” says study lead author Maverick Tamayo of the University of
the Philippines Baguio (UPB). “It’s really small but the color of its flower can be easily discerned
with the lush green background of the mossy forest.”

Tamayo discovered the flowers by accident. He was two days into a strenuous climb when he
spotted the bright yellow-orange flowers attached to a nearby tree. Right away, Tamayo says he
knew it was different from other Dendrochilum species in the Philippines, and his speculation was
confirmed five months later. Unlike other Dendrochilum species, D. ignisiflorum only has a single
leaf per pseudobulb, the enlarged, aboveground portion of the stem. This acts as perfect
camouflage for the plant as it blends into the mossy forest it’s latched onto — unless its flowers
are in full bloom. “You won’t even notice it unless you pay close attention to small details,”
Tamayo says. D. ignisiflorum and other high-altitude orchid species are threatened by global
temperature increases, researchers say, which could make them rarer and harder to spot in the
mountains. “Climate change will be a problem,” says co-author Rene Alfred Bustamante, the
executive director of the Philippine Taxonomic Initiative, Inc. “As the climate of such habitats gets
warmer and warmer, species that have evolved for these habitats could not thrive or adapt fast
enough against the effects of global warming. We don’t know the exact impact of global warming
in the area, but because these species are so niche-specific, any change would be detrimental to
them.”

Tamayo says the species is “highly selective to its habitat choice,” and hotter temperatures could
dry up the forests, depriving the species of the moisture it needs to survive. “Increased climate
[warming] could, in the long run, diminish the population of this species,” he says.

Deforestation, particularly the clearing of forests for farmland, which is common across the
Cordillera range, could drive this species to extinction, researchers say. Mount Komkompol lies
within a protected area: the Upper Agno River Basin Resource Reserve. It’s a highly important
water system that drains from north to south, feeding major dams on the main island of Luzon.
While the area has been declared a protected zone, locals have cleared primary forests there
to grow profitable highland vegetables that feed millions across the country.

“Although tourists might not be able to bring something home as the local guides are very strict,
the human-inflicted disturbance in itself might affect the habitat, the trees or other organisms that
are interrelated with the existence of this species,” Tamayo says. He says hikers tend to bring in
fruit from outside and dispose of the seeds along the trail. This practice introduces potentially
invasive species to the area and “may introduce disturbances in the long run.” Conservationists
have urged local authorities to strictly implement carrying capacities and to properly orient tourists
on science-based and sustainability-focused action plans in the area, including proper waste
disposal and segregation.“We have to think of the health and well-being of the forest in the long
run since the mountain range is not only a tourism site but also a major water system,” Tamayo
says. “In order to protect a species, we should not only think of it as an isolated unit of biodiversity
but a member of a bigger ecological community. Thus, conserving and protecting its habitat
means conserving and protecting the species and all other species that coexist with it.”

Citation:Tamayo, M. N., Pranada, M. A. K., & Bustamante, R. A. A.