BIODIVERSITY

Biodiversity refers to the variety of

living species on Earth.

PLANTS

BACTERIA

ANIMALS
FUNGI
Genetic Biodiversity
refers to the variety of
genetic characteristics
involved in the genetic
makeup of a species, it is the
diversity within the species
which acts as the major
reason for the distinguishing
characteristic expressed by
each individual.
Genetic Biodiversity
Maintaining high
genetic diversity allows
species to adapt to
future environmental
changes and avoid
inbreeding.
Genetic Biodiversity
It strengthens the ability of
species and populations to
resist diseases, pests,
changes in climate and
other stresses. Gene
variations underpin their
capacity to evolve and their
flexibility to adapt.
Genetic Biodiversity
The FAO has warned that
declining genetic diversity in
food and agriculture makes
food crops and livestock more
susceptible to disease and
farmers more vulnerable to
crop failure.
Species diversity is
defined as the number of
different species present
in an ecosystem and
relative abundance of
each of those species.
Species richness: Number of different species present in an ecosystem.

Species evenness: Relative abundance of individuals of each of those species

Importance of Species Diversity
•More diverse ecosystem tend to be more productive.

•Greater species richness and productivity makes an ecosystem

more sustainable and stable

•More diverse the ecosystem, greater is the ability to withstand

environmental stresses like drought or invasive infestations

•Species richness makes an ecosystem able to respond to any

catastrophe
Importance of Species Diversity
•In Species-rich communities, each species can use a different portion
of resources available as per their requirement.

•Rich diversity is important for the survival of mankind

•Healthy biodiversity has innumerable benefits like nutrients storage and

recycling, soil formation and protection from erosion, absorption of
harmful gases, climate stability

•Humans get lots of product from nature like fruits, cereals, meat, wood,
fiber, raisin, dyes, medicine, antibiotics, etc.

•Amazon forest is estimated to produce 20 percent of total oxygen in the

 Importance of Species Diversity
•Pollinators, symbiotic relationships, decomposers, each species perform a
unique role, which is irreplaceable

•Diversity in large numbers help in large scale interaction among organisms

such as in the food web

•In the nitrogen cycle, bacteria, plants have a crucial relationship,

earthworms contribute to soil fertility

•Apart from these, there are other benefits such as recreation and tourism,
education and research
 Ecosystem biodiversity
the variety of different habitats, communities and
ecological processes
Describes the role an organism plays in a
community.

A species’ niche is all of the

environmental factors and interspecies
relationships that influence the species.

A species' niche describes how it fits

within its environment.

The ecological niche is the interaction

between a species and all the biotic and
abiotic elements that impact ecology.
COMPETITIVE EXCLUSION PRINCIPLE

Two or more species with limited

resources and similar resource-
use patterns cannot coexist in a
stable habitat because one
species will be better suited and
would outcompete or otherwise
exterminate the others.
•The environment that an organism lives in
•The organism’s behavior patterns ( Active periods may be diurnal or
nocturnal)

COMPONENTS

• The resources that the organisms draw from the environment (food sources)
•The interaction pattern with other species in the community (predator-prey,
host-microbe relationships)
Fundamental Niches
• It examines the full spectrum of conditions in which a certain species might
be able to survive, grow and reproduce.
• Its size is large.
• It emphasizes the various roles of species.

Realized Niches
• The particular ecological settings where a species coexists. It outlines the
species’ experiences and how it copes with certain circumstances.
• It takes competition into account along with all other biotic and abiotic
ecological interactions.
• Its size is small. It is considered a subset of a fundamental niche. As the
realized niche expands, so does the fundamental niche.
• It makes emphasis what the species do. G. Evelyn Hutchinson in 1957
Importance of Ecological Niche
•It permits the coexistence of several species, usually without intense
competition and under scarce shared resources.
•It facilitates species to be aware of their position in the food chain and ecology.
•The number of niches in an ecosystem defines the number of species present.
Thus, they define the variety of the place.
•There would be less biodiversity and an unbalanced ecosystem without
ecological niches.
•It helps to comprehend better how communities relate to local environmental
factors, fitness, characteristic evolutions, and interactions between predators
and prey.
•Ecological niche modeling uses algorithms to process environmental data,
contribute to conservation projects, and plan ecological reserves.
Symbiosis • The relationship
between different
species living in close
association with one
another
Predation
• When one organism hunts and
kills another organism for food.
• Predator
• captures, kills, and consumes
another individual
• Prey
• the individual that is killed
Adaptations for Predators
• Rattlesnakes have
acute smelling and
heat-sensitive pits
• Spiders build webs
• Carnivores have
sharp teeth
• Tigers have striped
camouflaged coat
 Adaptations for Animal Prey
• Poisonous and warn
predators with bright
colors
• Mimicry: a harmless
species resembles a
poisonous or
distasteful one
• Stay in herds; run King Snake Coral Snake

away
• Camouflage
Adaptations of Plants
• Physical defenses
• Sharp thorns, spines, sticky
hairs, tough leaves
• Chemical defenses
(secondary compounds)
• Poisons can be irritating or
bad-tasting
• Stychnine nicotine (toxic to
insects), poison ivy, and
poison oak are some
examples.
• Medicine can be
manufactured using these
plants.
• Morphine, atropine, codeine,
taxol, and quinine, all come
from plants.
Parasitism
• One organism is harmed
(the host)while the other
organism benefits (the
parasite)
• Usually does not result in
death
• Two types
• Ectoparasites (external)
• Endoparasites (internal)
• Parasites have many
adaptations
Competition
• Results from fundamental
niche overlap
• Two or more species use the
same limited resource
• Competitive exclusion: one
species is eliminated from a
community
• Interspecific competition
• Occurs when two different
species compete for a limited
resource.
• Intraspecific competition
• When members of the same
species compete for limited
resource.
Competition and Community Structure

• Resource partitioning
• A pattern of resource
use in which species
reduce their use of
shared resources
• Many species of
warblers eat insects. If
two species of warbler
lived in the same area,
they would compete for
the same food, and
each population would
suffer. To limit
competition, one
warbler will eat at the
top of a tree, and
another will eat near
the bottom of a tree.
 Competition and Community
Structure
• Character displacement
• Evolution of anatomical differences that reduce
competition between similar species
• Example: Beak size in finches
 Competition and Community
Structure
• Ecological Equivalents
• These are species that Poison
occupy the same niche, but Dart Frog
live in different
geographical regions.
• Ex. Poison Frogs
• Mantella Frog of
Madagascar
• Poison Dart Frog of South
America
• Both have brightly Mantella
colored skin that Frog
secretes a highly
poisonous toxin to
ward off predators.
• Both prey on similar
insects, and live in
similar habitats.
Amensalism is a type of biological interaction
where one species causes harm to another
organism without any cost or benefits to itself.
Mutualism
• Cooperative relationship in
which both species derive
some benefit

For the bees, the pollen and nectar

from many flowers is an important
source of fats, proteins, vitamins, and
minerals. The nectar is a source of
energy.
As bees travel from one blossom to
another, pollen clings to their fuzzy
bodies. It is then transferred to the
other flowers of the same species. This
The acacias provide shelter for ants in the pollinates or fertilizes the plant. Plants
thorns and nectar in extrafloral nectaries then can produce their own fruits and
for their symbiotic ants. In turn, the ants seeds.
protect the plant by attacking large
mammalian herbivores and stem-boring Mutualism
beetles that damage the plant.
Commensalism
• Interaction in which one
species benefits; the other
is neither helped nor
harmed

The Cattle Egret feeds on a wide

range of prey, particularly insects,
especially grasshoppers, crickets,
flies (adults and maggots), and
moths, as well as spiders, frogs,
and earthworms. The species is
usually found with cattle, in this
case cape buffalo, and other large
grazing and browsing animals, and
catches small creatures disturbed
by the mammals
Protocooperation is a type of
ecological interaction where both the
species involved in the interaction are
benefitted, but the interaction is not
obligatory for survival.
 Roles of Species
They have broad niches. These can live in many places and can eat a variety of foods.
They can thrive in rapidly changing environmental conditions. E.g. cockroaches, rats,
mice, flies, white-tailed deer, raccoons, humans, etc.

Generalist species
Specialist species: They have a narrow
niche, found in only one type of habitat
and feed on a few types of food. They
are more prone to disturbances in the
environmental condition and cannot
tolerate the change and environmental
stress.
•Native species: Species that normally
live and thrive in a particular ecosystem.
Non-native species
(invasive or alien
species): Species that
migrate deliberately or
accidentally to an
ecosystem. They can
spread rapidly if they find a
favourable niche. Invasive
species compete with other
species for food and
habitat.
Indicator species: These serve
as biological smoke alarms.
These species provide early
warnings of damage to an
ecosystem.
Keystone species: They play
an important role in
Ecosystem Engineers
maintaining species diversity
and integrity of an Mutualists
ecosystem. They have a high
Predators
impact on the types and
abundance of species in an
ecosystem.
Threats to species
diversity

Habitat Loss and

Fragmentation: Due to
pollution, urbanization and
various other human activities,
habitat loss and fragmentation
is a major cause of loss in
species diversity and driving
plants and animals extinct
•Over Exploitation: Over-
exploitation of natural resources
leads to the extinction of many
species. E.g. Steller’s sea cow,
the passenger pigeon, many
marine fishes are overharvested
Alien species
invasions: When alien
species are introduced
deliberately or
unintentionally, some of
them become invasive,
leading to the extinction of
indigenous species.
Co-extinctions: When a
species becomes
extinct, the species that
are associated with it
also becomes extinct.
 Conservation of Species Diversity
Biodiversity rich regions are protected as biosphere
reserves, national parks and sanctuaries i.e. called in-situ
conservation.
•Ex-situ conversation, where threatened and
endangered species are identified, taken out and
given full protection and kept in special reserves
like botanical gardens, wildlife safari, etc.
Assignment

Describe 5 Protected landscape and 5

Protected Seascape in the Philippines. Discuss
the basis of declaring its protection by tracing
its historical background.