Biodiversity and Evolution

Different parts of the ecosystem interact with one another.

Changes to one part affect other parts.
When all the members of a species die, that species’ place in the ecosystem is gone forever.

A population is a group of living things within a certain area that are all of the same
species.
Biodiversity refers to the variety of life in the area. In a jungle community, some
populations, such as ants, fungi, and ferns, can be very large in number.

Index of diversity = Number of species x number of runs

Number of trees
Communities with many different species (a high index of diversity) will be able to withstand
environmental changes better than communities with only a few species (a low index of diversity).

In a balanced ecosystem, organisms need a balanced environment. A change in

population sizes may be due to factors affecting the environment.

Population Density- It refers to the number of individuals per unit area.

Limiting Factors- Anything that limits the size of a population like certain environment
conditions .
- Keep a population from increasing in size and help balance an ecosystem.
Examples:
1. Availability of food 4. Light
2. Water 5. temperature
3. Living conditions 6. Soil nutrients
Carrying capacity- The maximum population size an environment can support.
If the population size rises above the carrying capacity, organisms die
because they cannot meet all their needs.
Extinction- Occurs when the last member of that species dies.
Let us think of it
1. When the population of a species begins declining rapidly, the species is said to be a
threatened species.
2. A species is endangered when its population has become so low that
it is possible of becoming extinct.
3. Human actions have resulted in habitat loss and degradation that
have accelerated the rate of extinction.

Major causes of Deforestation

1. Kaingin farming
2. Illegal logging
3. Conversion of agricultural lands to housing projects
4. Forest fires
5. Typhoons

Effects
1. Soil erosion
2. Floods
3. Decrease in wildlife resources that will eventually lead to extinction.

Wildlife Depletion

As human population gets bigger, huge space is needed for shelter, for growing crops, and for industries.

Deforestation is one of the major causes of the disappearance of wildlife species.

What happens to animal populations that are driven away from their natural habitat? If they cannot find
enough space, many will die or become extinct. Some species may become endangered, or in the
verge of becoming extinct. In other cases, some
animals may be threatened,

Water Pollution
A major problem in lakes, rivers and ponds is eutrophication. It happens when the concentration
of organic nutrients that comes from domestic garbage and thrown in bodies of water, increases rapidly.

Another effect of water pollution is mass death of fish or “fish kill”

A ‘fish kill’ usually happens when there is an increase in concentration of organic nutrients in bodies of
water. This condition causes algal bloom and growth of aquatic plants. When the algae die, they sink to
the bottom and the process of decomposition proceeds. This process uses up oxygen and as a result,
aquatic animals die due to lack of oxygen.