Module 9

• Biodiversity - the variety and variability of species of their population, the variety of species of their life forms, the diversity of the complex association with species with their interaction and their ecological process
• As human population grows, biodiversity decreases
• Threats to biodiversity • Habitat loss and destruction • Alterations in ecosystem composition • Over exploitation • Pollution and contamination • Global climate change
• Consequences of Biodiversity loss • Can lead to the collapse of food chains, reduced ecosystem resilience, and increased vulnerability to diseases and pests • Due to industrialization and urbanization, poor housing conditions, urban sprawl and poverty prevails • Pollution
• Global citizen science is science for everyone by everyone
• Genetically Modified Organisms • Genetic engineering was introduced to humankind since selective breeding and domestication of animals • Organism, whether plant, or animal, or microorganism, in which the genetic material has been altered in such a way that does not occur naturally by mating or natural recombination (WHO)
• Benefits of GMOs • Higher efficiency in farming • Increase in harvest • Control in fertility • Increase in food processing • Improvement of desirable characteristics • Nutritional and pharmaceutical enhancement
• Potential Risks • Insufficient studies on the long term effects to humans and the environment • Can produce mutation in organisms • Human consumption may lead to allergic reaction, gene mutation, antibiotic resistance • Risk in gene flow • Emergence of new forms of resistance and pest problems • Production of new pathogens
• GMOs in PH • No Philippine biosafety law, only regulations • Existing regulation is weak, can be fixed through legislation
• Gene therapy is a therapeutic approach that aims to treat or prevent diseases by altering the genetic material of a patient's cells. • It involves the introduction, removal, or modification of genes to correct genetic abnormalities or enhance the body's ability to fight diseases.
• two types of gene therapy. Germline Gene Therapy and Somatic Gene Therapy