NATURE

CONSERVATION
BFC 10202 Faculty of Civil &
Environmental
Engineering
Chapter 2 :
Biodiversity

Learn about natural environment :

Living environment
 INTRODUCTION

Learn about natural environment :

Living environment
To learn about living components of planet
earth
I. Biodiversity definition, levels, examples
II. To learn about some interactions, values
III. Issues, threats and how to overcome
NATURAL ENVIRONMENT

Created 4-6bill years ago no living thing

The big bang life
Microbes plants animals + man
(evolutionary approach)
Biosphere atmosphere, lithosphere,
hydrosphere
The Earth - Biosphere
The Earths Life-Support System
Has Four Major Components

Troposphere (where
weather happens)
Atmosphere
Stratosphere (contain
ozone layer)

Hydrosphere Water
EARTH

Geosphere Crust, mantel core

Everywhere that living

Biosphere
organisms occur
Natural Capital: General
structure of the Earth

Fig. 3-2, p. 56
 Atmosphere

Biosphere
(living organisms)
Soil
Rock
Crust

Mantle

Geosphere
Mantle (crust, mantle, core)

Core Atmosphere
(air)

Hydrosphere
(water)
Fig. 3-2, p. 56
The Diversity of Life

Fig. 3-3a, p. 56
PHYSICAL COMPONENTS

What are they? Characteristics?

How are they important to human life and
welfare?

a. Soil rocks
b. Water
c. Air
 Soil

All kinds of rocks

Weathering becomes soil
Medium for plant growth
Support living and non-living things, natural and
man-made things
Provide areas for construction of buildings
 Water

Very important for life processes

Body of living things comprise mainly of
water eg. human >70% water
>70% of planet earth covered with water
Determine climate (eg. rainfall/humidity)
 Air

Oxygen needed for breathing process

Carbon dioxide for photosynthesis, carbohydrates
Nitrogen a composition of protein
Upih Guling Endau Rompin, Johor
I. LIVING COMPONENTS

Characteristics and examples

Importance
a. Monera
b. Protista
c. Fungi
They form BIODIVERSITY
d. Plants
e. Animals
f. Man
 BIODIVERSITY

Definition : CBD 1991

The variability among living organisms from all
sources including inter alia, 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 (CBD, 1992).
 Values of Diversity

i.Utilitarian values : food, medicines, material structure

i.Ecological service value : pollinators, decomposers, watershed,

replenishing oxygen, icon of tourism

i.Aesthetic value: green color to emotional development, beauty

i.Moral value: every living things has the right to live, uniqueness

i.Cultural,religous value: elephant , cow to Hinduism

BIODIVERSITY

Levels : genetic, species, ecosystems

Groups of organisms
Distribution, Endemism
Interactions : Ecological stability
Issues and threats
What do we do?
Level 1: GENETIC DIVERSITY

Variation at genetic level due to different

arrangement of chromosome
Occur naturally or altered by man
Eg. Brassica oleracea (cabbage) genetically
modified by genetic engineering cabbage,
cauliflower, broccoli, brussel sprout
White cabbage, purple cabbage
GENETIC DIVERSITY
GENETIC DIVERSITY

GENETIC DIVERSITY: ALTERED BY HUMAN

Level 2: SPECIES DIVERSITY

Chromosome: Different number & arrangement

About 1.8mill species recorded/named
Estimated 100mill working figure 10mill
Not discovered are mainly small sized organisms
(microbes) eg.: bacteria, viruses, algae
Difficult to access habitats eg. deep ocean, canopy
 SPECIES DIVERSITY

SPIDERS FROGS
SPECIES DIVERSITY

Species diversity

BUTTERFLIES
Level 3: ECOSYSTEM DIVERSITY

More diverse eg. Tropical vs. arboreal forest

Involve diversity in interactions
More diversity, more interactions more stable
In Malaysia : forest, mangrove, mountain
Types of ecosystems tropical, temperate, polar
Vegetation determine diversity determine diversity of
animals
Vegetation autotrophic depends on solar radiation for
photosynthesis
 ECOSYSTEM DIVERSITY

Ecosystem diversity

Tropical Rainforest Savannah Temperate Rainforest

Desert Taiga Tundra

Chaparral Freshwater Marine

Level 3: ECOSYSTEM DIVERSITY
 Distribution

Tropics higher diversity than temperate

Lowland higher diversity than highlands
Tropical rainforest 7% global land mass harbour
>50% biodiversity
Marine ecosystems in tropic higher primary
productivity higher diversity
Distribution of tropical rainforest in the world

Pic to show tropical rainforest

 Endemism

Certain species of living things only found in

restricted geographical areas endemics
Eg. Orang utan (Borneo and Sumatra)
Probosis monkey (Borneo)
Zebra (Africa); Panda (China)
Kangaroo (Australia)
 Endemic to Borneo

Orang utan Probosis monkey

Pongo pygmaeus Larvatus nasalis
Zebra is Endemic in Africa
Giraffes is Endemic in Africa
6 GROUPS OF LIVING THINGS

Monera
Prokaryote bacteria, viruses

Protista
Eukaryote one celled, protozoa, algae

Fungi
Autotrophic make own food, no chlorophyll; enzymes digest food (decomposing
organic matter), mushroom

Plantae
Autotrophic mostly + chlorophyll

Animalia
heterotrophic

Man
1. Monera: bacteria, viruses

Prokaryotic ancient/early cell (nucleus

unbounded)
No apparent nucleus (just nucleoid), no
nuclear membrane
Organelles not bound by membranes (eg:
mitochondria, chloroplast)
Bacteria, virus
Eg : Esterichia coli dysentery
Salmonella food poisoning
Eg: HIV - AIDS
Prokaryote

Cell with no nuclear

membrane
Nucleoplasma dispersed all
over cell in cytoplasma
Various kinds of Prokaryotes
 2. Protista

Eurokaryotic, one celled organisms

Nucleus bound by membrane
Organelle bound by membrane
Able to do all life functions (eat, digest,
breathe, reproduce, moves)
Egs :
Plant-like (Volvox),
Animal-like (Paramecium)
In between (Euglena)
Eukaryote

Nucleus bound by a membrane

Various kinds of Eukaryotes

Volvox Protozoa (eg. Euglena)

Paramesium
Importance of Protista

Trypanosoma
sleeping sickness
Carry diseases
vector tzetze flies,
Africa

Entamoeba Plasmodium
histolytica malaria, vector
hemoraging mosquitoes
dysentery (Anophelese)
Glossina
 3. Fungi

Plant-like (not mobile/attached; autotrophic)

No chlorophyl, enzymes digest food
Food : decomposing organic materials eg.
Rotting wood
Body parts : root-like (mycorrhiza), trunk or
stem-like (hypha), fruit body containing spores
Some poisonous
Importance of Fungi

Food button
Decomposers in various
mushroom, oyster
ecosystems
mushroom

Medicines Penicillium
Biotechnology yeast (medicine for
in fermentation infections, found on
rotting bread/mold)
Fungi
Edible Fungi
 4. Plantae (Plants)

PLANT

Lower plants Higher plants

(reproduction: spores) (reproduction: seeds)

Non-vascular Flower to cover

Vascular ferns Naked seeds
mosses seeds
(Pteridophyta) (Gymnospermae)
(Bryophyta) (Angiospermae)

One seed body Two seed body

(Monocotyledon) (Dicotyledon)
Gymnospermae (naked seeds)
4. Plantae (Plants)

Green with chlorophyll

Photosynthesis to make food
and produce
Oxygen as waste product
With leaves, flower, roots, stem
or the likes
 Lower plants: Bryophyta
(mosses, liverworts, horn mosses)

Mosses, liverworts, horn mosses

24,000sp (15,000 mosses; 9,000 liverworts
and 100 horn mosses)
No leaves, stem, flower, fruit and roots
Rhizoid root-like (to grasp surface)
Water : male spore female spore
Important as resource for small organisms eg.
tiny beetles, fish and in preventing erosion,
cover plant, store/provide water to ecosystem
Interacts with other organisms
 Lower plants: Mosses
important indicator of humidity

Liverworts Horn Mosses

Mosses Elk Mosses

Lower plants: Pteridophyta (ferns)

Vascular lower plants

12,000sp (67% tropical)
Ancient 375-400 million years ago
Non-flowering, with spore
Food, medicinal values
Handicraft
Succession ecological in betweens
Pteridophyta
Higher plants: Tracheophyta

Fruiting plants
Naked seed Gymnospermae
Covered seed Angiospermae (fruits/flowers)
Mostly terrestrial
Tolerance to dryness
Reproduction using specific organs
Tracheophyta
Tongkat Ali
 Pitchers plant (Nepenthes)

A unique plant with huge potential as

tourism product
Gymnospermae (no flower/seed)

Cycads ancient plants (Jurassic, Dinosaur

period) palm-like (at present as
ornamentals)
Ginko ancient plant eg. Ginko biloba
(strengthen memory)
Gnetophytum retain water in stem
(liana) eg Gnetum
Cornifer Pinus (Casuarina ru)
 Various Kinds of Gymnospermae

Ginkgo Biloba Liana

Casuarina (Rhu)
Angiospermae (flower & seed)

Flower protect seed

Monocotyledon and dicotyledon
Important as economic resources
Food, construction materials, paper,
medicines
 Flowers

bunga tahi ayam rose

Fruits of the dipterocarp (meranti)
 Monocotyledon

Egs : Coconut tree, oil palm

One cotyl (germinating body) in seed
Leaves : parallel vein
Vascular bundles : scattered
Root : fibrous
Coconut tree monocot
 Dicotyledonous

Eg : Durian tree, long beans, peanuts

Two cotyls (germinating bodies) in a seed
Leaves : complex venation
Vascular bundles : arranged
Root : with main root system
Wild Durian from Sabah
5. Animalia (Animals)

Heterotrophic
does not make
own food,
consume various
kinds of food (no
chlorophyll)
Mobile (with
appendage legs,
wings)
Examples: Protozoa

One celled animals (mono-celled)

Able to perform all live activities eg. move,
feed, reproduce, react, breathe, excrete
etc.
Egs : Euglena, Paramecium
Importance : caused diseases
Examples: Protozoa
Examples: Porifera (Sponges)

Sponges are multi-celled

Single cell may be able to survive but tend
to aggregate
Mainly marine animals
Importance commercial and medical
Egs. Glass sponges, bath sponges
Examples: Porifera (Sponges)
Examples: Cnidaria / Coelentara

Tissue cells form layers and have

specific function
Two layers epidermis and
gastrodermis from two germs layers
(ectoderma and endoderma) -
diploblastic
Eg : Hydra, Corals, Sea anemone
Symmetry - Radial
Examples: Cnidaria / Coelentara

hydra, jelly fish, anemone

Examples: Cnidaria / Coelentara

corals
Examples: Platyhelminthes

Flat worms
Triploblastic 3 layers of tissue epidermis,
muscles, gut layers (from 3 germ layers
ectodermis, mesodermis and endodermis)
Organs mouth, gut, reproductive organs
Acoelemate no coelom
Some movement; Symmetry: bilateral
Importance: caused diseases eg. tape worms
Examples: Platyhelminthes (flatworm)
Examples: Nematoda

Triploblastic, with organs

Cylindrical with strong muscles
Pseudocoelomate
Eg. Round worms, Filaria, Hook worm
Symmetry: bilateral
Movement limited - endoparasite
Filariasis worms infection
Examples: Mollusca

Triploblastic, developed organs

Snails, shell-fishes (oyster, mussels,
octopus and squids)
True coelom
Movement more active directional
Importance food, pearls, source of
calsium carbonate
Used in research (vision)
Examples: Mollusca

snails, bivalves, squid

(From Brum & McKane 1989)
Diversity of Sea Shells
Diversity of Land Snails
Examples: Annelida

Triploblastic, true coelomate,

directional movement with some
forms of organs for movement
Egs. Earthworms, polycheates,
leeches
Decomposers, medical
 Examples: Annelida

Earthworm & polycheates

(bristle worms)
Examples: Annelida - Leeches
Examples: Arthropoda

Appendage for movement clearly

segmented, invade land
Symmetry : bilateral
Egs : insects, millipedes, spiders,
scorpions, centipedes, prawns,
crabs
Importance : many (food,
pollinators, decomposers, vectors,
carriers of pathogenic microbes)
 Examples: Arthropoda

Spiders and centipedes

(From : Brum & McKane 1989)
 Examples: Arthropoda

Most diverse animal, beetles 400,000 spp?

 Examples: Arthropoda

Insects (From Brum & McKane 1989)

Examples: Echinodermata

Another line of evolution formation of mouth,

cleavage
Animals with pentamerous radial arms
Symmetry : bilateral and radial (matures forms)
Starfishes, sea urchin, sea ferns, sand dollars
Mainly marine
Uses : food (sea urchin, sea cucumber), medicine
(sea cucumber/gamat), decorations
Examples: Echinodermata

Starfishes, Sea Urchin

Examples: Chordata

Higher animals with backbones

(notochord)
5 Classes Pisces, Amphibia, Reptilia,
Aves, Mammalia
Importance food, tourism,
transportation, furs and feathers,
medical, hides, fat sources , dairy
products
Class 1: Pisces (Fish)

Fish with cartilage bones (sharks, rays) and

real bones (mackerels, sole, puffer fish, tuna)
Threats over harvesting, unsustainable
methods, coral fish, whales
Fresh water fish 9,000spp
Marine fish 13,000spp
Total fish species 22,000
Class 1: Pisces (Fish)
 Class 2: Amphibia
(Frogs/ Toads/ Salamanders/ Cecilia)

Frogs and toads 4,500spp

Salamanders - not found in Malaysia
Cecilian rare
Indicators threats, global warming
caused extinction
Evolutionary importance in between
fish and reptiles
 AMPHIBIA

FROG/ KATAK SALAMANDER

TOAD/KODOK SESILIA
Frogs- Indicator of Climate Changes
 Class 3: Reptilia
(Snakes/ Crocodiles/ Lizards/ Tortoises)

Land animals - Shelled eggs

Coarse skins dehydration
Importance skin industry, food,
medical (vaccines)
Threats over consumption eg. turtles
eggs, snake skin
KOMODO DRAGON LEATHERBACK TURTLE ANACONDA

SALTWATER CROCODILE LEAF CHAMELEON

Reptilia- An Important Evolutionary Organism
Reptiles: 268/69 (25%) Malaysia : 6500 (4%) World
Class 4: Aves (Birds)

Flying and non-flying (wings)

Domesticated food (chicken,
ducks, ostrich)
Bird watching
Seed dispersers
Birds: 736/11 (1.5%) Malaysia : 9672 (8%) world
 OSTRICH STELLERS SEA EAGLE

HUMMINGBIRD VULTURES (AS SCAVENGERS)

 Birds evolved from reptiles, shows
evolutionary advancement ability to fly
Birds Kingfisher (Halcyon smyrnensis)
Class 5: Mamalia

Land and air and aquatic

Fur as protection
No eggs stage (except
monotremes)
Placentals and milk feeding
 Mamalia

Mammals: 1. as source of protein

2. as tourism attraction
 II. INTERACTIONS

When two or more organisms interact with one

another resulting in some effects.
Eg: cow eats grass (herbivory); owl eat rats
predation
Eg: worms in human stomach feeding on digested
food - parasitism
Eg: ants feed on honey produced by aphids, ants
protect aphids - mutualism
INTERACTIONS - examples

+ + : Mutualism
- 0 : Amensalism
+ - : Parasitism, Predation, Herbivory
+ 0: Epiphytic
++ : Mutualism

two organisms of different species

exist in a relationship in which each
individual benefits from the activity
of the other
- 0 : Amensalism

Amensalism is an interaction
where an organism inflicts harm
to another organism without
any costs or benefits received
by itself
Algal blooms can lead to the
death of many species of fish
and other animals but the algae
doesnt benefit the death of
those individuals
 + - : Parasitism, Predation, Herbivory

Parasitism Predation Herbivory

Parasitism is non-mutual relationship between species, where
one species, the parasite, benefits at the expense of the other,
the host
In predation, one organism kills and consumes another (prey).
Herbivory is the consumption of plant material by animals
 + 0: Epiphytic/ Commensalism

Epiphytic Commensalism

Epiphyte is a plant that grows harmlessly upon another plant (such as a

tree) and derives its moisture and nutrients from the air, rain, and
sometimes from debris accumulating around it.
Commensalism, is a class of relationships between two organisms where
one organism benefits from the other without affecting it.
 Effects of Interactions

Interdependency low to high degree

Increase & decrease of organism populations
Leads to ecological balance
More interactions more stable (ecosystems) eg.
Tropics: high biodiversity more interactions -
ecosystems more stable
Disturbance to one components disturb the
balance
Parasitic Plants and Plants
VALUES OF DIVERSITY

1. Utilitarian values : food, medicines, structural

materials
2. Intrinsic/ecological /services values : pollinators,
decomposers (insects), watershed, replenishing
oxygen, tourism
3. Aesthetical values : beauty, green colour to emotional
development
4. Moral values : right to live, uniqueness
5. Cultural, religious values : Elephant, Cow to Hinduism,
6. Optional values for future uses eg. Wildlife in tourism
 Uses of
biodiversity

IMR

Fruits and
vegetables
IMR
 Staple Foods

IMR

Tapioca & rice :

carbohydrates
IMR
 Food :
Protein

Cattle, fish
and fowl
Construction materials
Panelling for houses
Trees provide
water and
oxygen
Aesthetic value
 Simply
beautiful
Tourism icon
Tourism icon
Tapir endemic to peninsular Malaysia
III. ISSUES IN DIVERSITY

1. We do not know what we have

poor documentation how it
affects implication (Not enough
surveys)
Not enough basic studies focus on applied studies
No supporting infra eg bioinformatics
III. ISSUES IN DIVERSITY

2. We do not know much about

traditional uses poor
documentation how it affects
Traditional uses of plants in healthcare not enough
documentation
Loss of TK Takako & Maryati 2004
III. ISSUES IN DIVERSITY

3. Rich biodiversity poor

technology implication
Slow advance in new technologies
Still depend on old technologies
Case of Bitangor : Sarawak has Bintangor (has
potential to cure HIV) but need technology from
America to help process
III. ISSUES IN DIVERSITY

4. Overharvesting
Using unsustainable methods of harvesting
Killing progenies, wasteful
Eg fish bombing, poisoning, clear cutting
III. ISSUES IN DIVERSITY

5. IPR, invasive species, PAs

IPR and ABS not clear cut
Took too long time for patenting
Invasive species
Protected Areas not many and not networked
Mikania micrantha weed
suffocating plants
especially
cover crop legumes
(kekacang)
Costing millions of RM
 Crows are invasive species
IMR
THREATS TO BIODIVERSITY

Conversion of land use from forest to agricultural, settlements

(new townships etc), basic facilities (schools, offices etc),
Pollution (air, soil, freshwater and marine environment form
agrochemicals pollution, siltation, oil spills)
Erosion of traditional knowledge (some plant wild varieties are
not looked after and now extinct because traditional knowledge
on use of these varieties was not practiced)
Unsustainable harvesting of natural resources (such as using fine
meshed nets when catching fishes), fish bombing and poisoning
Climatic change and global warming (biodiversity has specific life
regime, over which will cause death)
`

Conversion of land use

Conversion of land use
Pollution
Unsustainable Harvesting
Poor documentation of traditional
knowledge : eg. Herbal uses
IMR
 WHAT DO WE DO

Enhance discovery of biodiversity

Enhance discovery of uses of biodiversity
Document traditional knowledge
Enhance knowledge based industry
(education/tourism/publication/multimedia)
Enhance conservation ethics
WHAT HAVE WE LEARNT IN
CHAPTER 2?

The living component of planet earth

BIODIVERSITY
Define biodiversity
Go through the major groupings
Interactions
Values
Threats
How to overcome the threat
 Thank you

Terima kasih

THANK YOU
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