MODULE 4: Biodiversity and Evolution

• Biodiversity - term used to describe the number and variety of life found on Earth.
• Biodiversity has three types: genetic, species, and ecosystem.
• Genetic diversity - pertains to the variation of genes within species.
• Species diversity - pertains to the variety and abundance of species within a region.
• Ecosystem diversity - the variation among groups of organisms in different physical settings.
• Population - pertains to the number of organisms of the same species living in the same region.
• Communities - are composed of different organisms living in the same region
• Biodiversity Index - A scale of the diversity of plant and animal species in a given area. It is also a widely used tool for estimating the complexity, stability, and thus general health of an ecosystem.
• Limiting factors - usually described as lack of particular resources.
• Carrying capacity - It is the size of a biological species that can be sustained in a specific environment, given all the available resources.
• When the number of species decreases in size, and only a few remain, that species is considered as endangered and possibly becomes extinct in the future.
• Threatened Extinction - happens if the last member of that species is gone like dinosaurs.
• 6 Natural Causes of Species Extinction:

  1. Climate change
  2. Land development
  3. Acid precipitations
  4. Diseases or Epidemic
  5. Meteoric impact or Cosmic radiation
  6. The spread of invasive species
• Climate change - the sudden changes in the earth’s temperature
• Land Development - Conversion of land into residential area or building.
• Acid precipitation - is a result of air pollution
• Diseases or Epidemic - infectious diseases or virulent infectious diseases cause the change in biological populations.
• Meteoric impact or Cosmic radiation - extinction happens when a massive asteroid or meteor hits the surface of the earth.
• The spread of Invasive species - it can change the abundance of diversity or the food web in an ecosystem by destroying and replacing its natural value and number.
• Man-Made Causes of Species Extinction:

  1. Deforestation
  2. Pollution
  3. Destruction of costal resources
• Evolution - Describes the gradual change of organisms from one state to another. It deals with the first appearance of organisms and studies how they survive and change through the course of time.
• Geologic timescale - timetable of the earth’s history.
• Species


  related organisms that share common

  characteristics and are capable of interbreeding or

  producing offsprings
• Label the missing parts

  A) number species

  B) number or runs

  C) number or trees

  
• Label the missing parts

  A) number of individuals

  B) size of area