STF1053 Biodiversity

Overview of Biodiversity

Biodiversity Definition:
The variety of plants and animals and other
living things in a particular area or region.
The range of variation among living things
The richness of species of living organisms
Biodiversity

is important because plant

and animal species interact and depend
upon one another for food, shelter,
oxygen, and soil enrichment.

Biome
A major ecological community, classified
according to the predominant vegetation
and characterized by adaptations of
organisms to that particular environment.
For

example, the world can be divided into

at least five major biomes: aquatic; deserts;
forests; grasslands; and tundra.

Three levels of biodiversity

1.

2.

Genetic diversity

Variation of genes within species

Species diversity

. Variety of species within a region

3.

Ecosystem diversity

. All the different habitats, biological

communities and ecological processes as well
as variation within individual ecosystem

Biodiversity Kingdom/Kingdom of Life

History of Classification
Two
Kingdom
System

Three
Kingdom
System
Animalia

Animalia

Four
Kingdom
System

Six
Kingdom
System

Animalia

Animalia

Animalia

Protista

Protista
(Protoctista)

Protista
(Protoctista)

Procaryotae
(Monera)

Eubacteria

Fungi

Fungi

Plantae

Plantae

Protista
Fungi
Plantae
Plantae

Five
Kingdom
System

Plantae

Table 1: Biodiversity of Kingdoms

Archeobacte
ria

Monera (Bacteria)
The most numerous and widespread organisms on
earth, composed of prokaryotic organisms
consists entirely of the bacteria - very small
one-celled organisms, possess a cell wall
Lack both membrane-bound organells and multicellular forms
Archaebacteria (most ancient) are so different they may belong to
separate kingdom
Other groups include cyanobacteria (autotrophic) and eubacteria
(heterotrophic)

Protista
most ancient eukaryotic kingdom, comprising
those eukaryotes that can not be classified in any
other kingdoms
best defined as eukaryotes that are not fungi,
animals, or plants
body (single-celled-colonialmulticellular)
nutrition (heterotrophic)

Paramecium aurelia, a ciliate

Fungi
eukaryotic, heterotrophic, usually
multicellular with multinucleated
cells, with cell walls
obtain energy by decomposing
dead and dying organisms and
absorbing their nutrients from
them
Some cause diseases (yeast infection,
rusts, and smuts) while others are useful in
baking, brewing, as foods, drugs and sources of
antibiotics.
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Plantae
immobile, multicellular
eukaryotes
produce their own food by
photosynthesis
cells encasted in cellulose cell walls
important source of oxygen, food,
clothing/construction materials, pigments, spices,
dyes, and drugs (including pesticides)
contain nearly 300,000 species
the most important kingdom
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Animalia
multicellular, heterotrophic eukaryotes
mobile (at least capable of mobility at some stage
during their lives)
cells lacking cell walls
provide food, clothing, fats, scents,
companionship, and labour

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Species Diversity

about 1.7 million species have been described (50,000

vertebrates, 250,000 plants, the rest insects)
Major Groups

No. sp. (world)

Flowering Plants

250,000-300,000

12,000-15,000

Orchid

17,500

1,850

Palma

2,700

385

Rafflesia

15

46.6

Nepenthes

71

40

56.3

Dipterocarp

470

298

63.4

Gimnosperm

742

87

11.7

>10,000

>1,000

10

15,000

Fungi

>120,000

Algae

>17,000

>1,500

Fern
Briophyte

No. sp. (Malaysia)

Table 2: Flora Diversity in Malaysia

%
5
10.5
14

8.8
11

Major Groups

No. sp. (world)

No. sp. (Mal)

Mammals

4,000

280

Birds

9.040

70-760

Amphibians &
Reptiles

10,484

400

Termites

20,000

3,000

8.8

Moths

17,900

1,200

6.7

>0.12 mill

12,000

10

19,056

250

1.3

Butterflies
Freshwater fish

Table 3: Fauna diversity in Malaysia

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Factors that tend to increase diversity

physically diverse habitat
moderate amount of disturbance (fire, storm,
etc)
a small variation in environmental condition
high diversity at one trophic level, increasing
the diversity at another trophic level
an environment highly modified by life (rich
organic soil)
middle stages of succession
evolution

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Factors that tend to decrease diversity

environmental stress
extreme environments
a severe limitation in the supply of an
essential resource
extreme amount of disturbance
recent introduction of exotic species
geographic isolation

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Changes in level of biodiversity

are based on fossil record, distribution of organisms since 4650 million
years ago, but are incomplete
Species diversity and no. of families increased from Cambrian and
Pleistocene Periods
Species diversity is higher as latitudes and altitudes increases
In terrestrial habitat, diversity was higher in wet areas
The hot spot for biological diversity is in Tropical Rain Forests
Estimated of 90% species on Earth found in Tropical Rain Forests with
only 7% of the total land area (Earth)
Factors like climate, edaphic and topography play major roles in
influencing biodiversity through time
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The importance of Biodiversity

As biological resources that provide human

needs (food, shelter, warmth, medicines)

The value of Biodiversity

Determined by 3 main approaches:

1. consumptive use value (firewood, fodder, meat consumed directly, not thro market
2. productive use value (commercial products sold
in the market eg. meat, timber, medicinal plants,
etc)
3. non-consumptive use value (intangible values
such as option value and existence value)
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The Economic Value of Biodiversity

Biodiversity

= Irreplaceable stock of knowledge (4.5 billion

years of evolution)

Diversity

= information

Use

in medicines only 1 % screened for medical use,

generating $10 billion industry, 25% prescription drugs in
USA are plant-based

Use

in agriculture diversity in crop plants, gene banks,

increase variability in yields

Scientific

research, tourism

Maintaining

habitats, hydrological regulations

Undiscovered

species
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Ecological services of biodiversity

Local

ecosystem services (hydrological regulation,

soil production, soil protection, nutrient recycling)
Hyderological (water quality and quantity, flood
control, stability of river banks, maintenance of
coastal zones)

Maintain

weather conditions (local & global)

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The ecological services of biodiversity (cont)

MACROCONSUMERS
WASTE
RAW
MATERIALS

ECOSYSTEM
SERVICES
MICROCONSUMERS
PHOTOSYTHETIC
PRODUCERS

NUTRIENTS

SUNLIGHT
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LOSSES OF BIODIVERSITY AND THEIR CAUSES

How many species are there?

the number of described species is about 1.7 million;

the total is estimated at about 5 million.

It has taken 4.5 billion years for this biodiversity to evolve, and we are rapidly
destroying it.

the natural rate of extinction is estimated at about one species per year, the
present rate is estimated at 10,000 times that - about one per hour - and almost all
of these losses are caused by human activities

Species diversity

About 1.7 million species has been described:

50,000 vertebrates

250,000 plant

The rest are invertebrates (mostly insects)

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What are the processes that regulate species

diversity?
Chance
random processes of birth, death and migration.

History
correlation through time as a function of reproduction.
If a species was abundant in the near past, chances are that
it will be abundant today. Also, progeny tend to cluster near
the parents, therefore, we tend to find organisms in "pockets"
rather than evenly distributed in space.

Necessity
The laws of growth, competition and interaction.
Different species flourish in different conditions. The number
of species that can coexist will depend on how complex the
environment is and on how strongly they compete with one
another. And, of course, the number of species of herbivores,
predators and parasites will depend on the number of plants,
prey and hosts.
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Neutral processes that regulate species

diversity
Immigration

Immigration provides a continual source of new

diversity for a region. The importance of
immigration increases as the size of the area
decreases. Some organisms are dispersed much
more broadly than others.

Extinction

Extinction of a species or a population will occur due to

two reasons:
as a result of accidents (environmental fluctuations)
or because of population interactions (predation,
competition)
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Loss of biodiversity
In prehistoric times, natural disasters and competition with other
species were the main causes.
In historic times, overexploitation and exotic species
introductions have caused many extinctions.
Today, the main problems facing wildlife are destruction of habitat
and pollution.
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Mechanisms for loss of biodiversity

Habitat Loss and Fragmentation (dam, coastal development, forest loss
for marginal agriculture & timber harvest)

Introduced species (In Hawaii, some 86 introduced plant species seriously

threaten native biodiversity; one introduced tree species has now displaced
more than 30,000 acres of native trees)

Over-exploitation of plant and animal species (for food, timber,

precious commodity, medicine)

Pollution of soil, water, and atmosphere (due to use of pesticides and

detergents)

Global climate change (green-house effect)

Industrial agriculture and forestry (through propagating high yield
species/varieties only)

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