Understanding Biodiversity

Introduction to Biodiversity

• Biodiversity refers to the variety and richness of life at different scales.
• It encompasses the diversity of genes, species, and ecosystems.
• Humans rely on biodiversity for intellectual, physical, emotional, and economic well-being.
• Loss of biodiversity is a significant threat to survival and quality of life.
• Species extinction has accelerated dramatically in the last fifty years.
• Current extinction rates are estimated to be 1,000 times higher than natural background rates.
• The 1992 Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro raised global awareness of human activities destroying ecosystems.
• Biodiversity loss occurs through extinction or displacement of species, with extinction accelerating over time.
• Tropical ecosystems are particularly affected by biodiversity loss.
• Natural and human-induced environmental changes drive biodiversity decline.
• Loss of biodiversity threatens the foundation of life on Earth, with local impacts accumulating globally.
• Module 7 explores what biodiversity is, its causes, and why it matters.
• Regions with rapidly declining biodiversity, including the Philippines will be examined.
• Primary drivers of biodiversity loss, like population growth, habitat destruction, and climate change will be investigated.
• Threats to food and energy security, clean water scarcity, and the erosion of social relationships are effects of biodiversity loss that will be discussed.
• Biodiversity loss poses a clear danger to the health and stability of ecosystems.

Learning Outcomes

• Describe the biodiversity concept.
• Explain the importance and attributes of biodiversity.
• Discuss biodiversity distribution and biodiversity hotspots.
• Articulate the causes of biodiversity loss.
• Identify specific problems caused by biodiversity loss in your community.
• Participate in community discussions on biodiversity loss.

Levels of Biodiversity

• The term biodiversity was coined by Walter Rozen in 1985 and first used in publication in 1988 by Edward O. Wilson.
• Biodiversity encompasses the total richness and variety of life on Earth.
• The Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) defines biodiversity as the variability among living organisms and their ecological complexes.
• Genetic diversity is the total variation of genes within a species, including population differences.
• It encompasses genetic variation found in plants, animals, and microorganisms.
• It’s crucial for species survival and adaptation, providing raw material for evolutionary changes.
• Variation in genes allows for changes in morphology, anatomy, or physiology across generations.
• Decreased genetic diversity can increase vulnerability to diseases and reduce ability to adapt.
  • The cheetah, Acinonyx jubatus, exemplifies the importance of genetic diversity.
  • A severe population bottleneck 10,000 years ago reduced the genetic diversity of cheetahs.
  • Cheetahs are now highly susceptible to diseases and genetic defects, reducing resilience and long-term survival.
• Species diversity is the variety of species within a specific geographical region, location, or ecosystem.
• It includes the number of different species (richness), abundance, distribution, and roles within the ecosystem.
  • Richness is the count of different species in an area, regardless of abundance.
  • Richness can be measured on scales from a spoonful of soil to an entire continent.
  • Evenness assesses the relative abundance of each species in a community.
  • High evenness means no single species dominates the community.
  • Low evenness indicates one or a few species are significantly more abundant than others.
• Species diversity is high in complex habitats like coral reefs and tropical rainforests.
• Environments like high-altitude lakes, deserts, and the deep sea typically have lower species diversity.
  • Coral reefs are called the "rainforests of the sea" and have high species diversity.
  • The Great Barrier Reef supports over 1,500 fish species, 400 coral species, and marine mammals.
  • The reef's species richness and evenness contribute to resilience and ecosystem functions.
• Ecosystem diversity is the variety and distribution of ecosystems within a region or the biosphere.
• It encompasses different habitats, biotic communities, and ecological processes in a given area.
• This diversity is crucial since different ecosystems support different species with unique genetic variations and adaptations.
• A wide array of habitats within an ecosystem supports a diverse array of species in ecological niches.
  • Whether a tropical rainforest, coral reef, or mountain range, habitats host distinct communities.
  • Each community includes plants, animals, and microorganisms adapted to specific conditions.
  • The Amazon Rainforest is one of the most biodiverse regions and exemplifies high ecosystem diversity.
  • It includes várzea, upland forests, and riverine ecosystems.
  • The Amazon supports more than 400 billion individual trees and over 2.5 million insect species.
  • Different habitats provide processes like carbon sequestration, nutrient cycling, and water filtration. These support functionality of the ecosystem.

Biodiversity Attributes and Ecosystem Processes

• Each level of biodiversity (composition, structure, function) can be described further in terms of composition, structure, and function.
• Biodiversity can be described through compositional, structural, and functional diversity.
• Each attribute plays a role in shaping ecosystems and maintaining stability and resilience.
  • Compositional biodiversity refers to types and numbers of elements (genes, species, habitats) in an area.
  • Composition can include genetic composition of populations, species identity/abundance, habitat distribution across a landscape.
  • A forest may have tree species with varying population sizes, contributing to composition diversity.
• Structural biodiversity describes the arrangement and organization of biological components across space and time.
• It encompasses spatial distribution and temporal fluctuations of habitats, species, genetic diversity within an ecosystem.
• Spatial structure is observed in vertical layering of trees, or patchiness of vegetation across a landscape.
• Temporal structural biodiversity is influenced by environmental fluctuations that regulate feeding and breeding patterns.
• Temporal fluctuations depend on water availability and temperature changes with tides supporting estuarine fish.
• Functional biodiversity refers to the variety of biological processes within an ecosystem.
• It reflects how species interact, physical environment, and driving ecological processes.
• Functional biodiversity is observed in nutrient cycling, pollination, predation, parasitim, and germination.
• The balance between filter feeders and grazers show functional diversity essential for an ecosystems resilience.
• Biodiversity offers benefits to humanity/the natural world, categorized into anthropocentric and ecocentric perspectives.
  • Biodiversity provides practical benefits like new scientific information, useful materials, and recreational, medical, resources.
  • Anthropocentric view protects species/ecosystems, even with unknown utility, under premise that they prove valuable.
  • Ecosystem services-natural processes directly supporting human well-being are the most significant benefit.
• Animals, plants, living components contribute to purifying water/air, pollinating, stabilizing soil, maintaining balance, nutrients
• Coastal mangrove forests in Cebu acted as a natural barrier, absorbing and slowing winds and waves during Yolanda reducing potential damage.

Ecosystem Processes and Linkages

• Ecosystem processes are cycles and exchanges of energy and nutrients maintaining ecosystem structure and function.
• These include nutrient cycling, energy flow, habitat provision, regulation of environmental conditions for sustaining life.
  • Primary Production: conversion of solar energy by plants via photosynthesis forms the base of the food web.
  • High plant species diversity enhances primary production by optimizing resource use and stabilizing energy flow. Diverse plant communities are ore efficient at capturning light.
  • Nutrient Cycling: movement/exchange of organic/inorganic matter, including the carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus cycles.
  • Species play critical roles, like decomposing organic matter, fixing nitrogen, diversity ensures efficiency/stability, ecosystem health.
  • Energy Flow: transfer of energy through food chains from plants to consumers and then decomposers.
  • Biodiversity supports complex trophic interactions providing continued energy flow making ecoststems more resilient.
  • Pollination: transfer of pollen from one flower to another, enabling fertilization and seeds and involves diverse Pollinators crucial. Pollination supports food production highlighting the importance of maintaining pollinator diversity by diverse groups. Decomposition: breakdown of dead organic matter, returning nutrients to the soil contributing, to speed and efficiency. A variety of decomposers ensures maintenance of soil for essential plant growth to sustain ecosystem processes. Habitat provision and Environmental Regulation: ecosystems provide habitats for various species, and Environmental egulation. Healthy ecosystems, rich in biodiversity, support diverse organisms and contribute to environmental Stability wetland high.

Enhancing Ecosystem Processes

• Consists of Resilience, Supporting Services, Facilitating Species
• Complex Ecosystems is achieved through diverse and complementary ecological processes.

Interdependence and Sustainable ecosystems.

• Stability and Sustainable practices include healthy ecosystems, conservation and providing for well-being.

Measurements by proxy.

• Strategies with keystone and surrogate species to measure how a species is doing relative to keystone environmental markers.

Measuring diversity and well structured areas.

• Keystone species such as figs show a large influence for the surrounding ecosystem.

Species

• Species requires large habitats to be viable.
• Also called Flagship Species are other species.
• Species are tracked over time as beacons.

36 Biodiversity Hotspots

• Biodiversity is also about biological reach, and depth by meeting certain criterea.
• Represents about 3% of the Earth's total plant surface.

Listed Criterea:

• Hotspots in certain regions is key indicator.

Global and local.

• Global authority on conservation status. Criteria helps priortize conservation methods.

Categories:

• EX, EW, CR, EN, VU are the highest levels used.

The Country

• The Phillioines is considered 1 of 17 mega diverse countries in biodiversity as well as high endemism is recorded.

Statistics

• Thousands of unique species, with details by FPE, and 2016 by DENR-BMB statistics.

Causes for Loss

• Growth a leading force
• High threat to some.

Threat analysis

• Agriculture and urbanization is also a threat
• Overexploitation are some other issues.
• Overfishing
• Complete introduction

Impact on Ecosystem and Biodiversity:

• Major ecosystems change because of different factors.

Economics

Economics also leads to species loss.

Management Strategies and Resources.

• A list of management strategies with resources.

Pollution

• Pollution such as chemical. light, and water polution, can all cause large biodiversity issues.

Solutions and more problems.

• Human activities also affects climate change.

Impacts on Ecosystems is also a factor that leads to damage.

• Some species are also more prone and more difficult to maintain.

Indirectly

• Factors and Human activity is a stressor

Effects of Biodiveristy Loss'

-Loss has far-reaching and profound problems with the various key items being Instability and Services degradation.