Velez College

F. Ramos St., Cebu City

Maria Angelika L. Miñoza

BSPT-1B

Activity 3 - For Week Starting 03/31/20 Ending 04/03/20

Deadline: Tuesday, April 07, 2020

Unit 3, Chapter 2: Biodiversity and the Healthy Society

Instruction: You need to read Unit 3 (Chapter 1) and answer briefly the following questions.

I. Essential Questions

1. What causes the extinction of the species?

According to Edward O. Wilson, the causation of species extinction is due to the rapid disappearance of
ecosystems and destruction of biomes such as tropical forests and grasslands. In addition, the majority of the
past five mass extinctions that happened were brought about by catastrophic events and physical disasters.
Wilson and other biologists also said believed that the next mass extinction will probably happen because of the
disruption and destruction of the ecosystem caused by the human race and not from physical disasters.
2. In the context of biodiversity, what is a hotspot and why are some countries called hotspots?
A biodiversity hotspot is a biogeographic region that is both a significant reservoir of biodiversity and is
threatened with destruction. If a certain area or place has over 1,500 species of endemic plants and has also lost
over 70% of its original habitat, it is considered to be a hotspot.
3. How can the disruption of ecosystems cause a cascade of extinctions?
Ecosystems change over time. Sudden disruptions such as volcanoes, floods, or fires can affect which species will
thrive in an environment. Other disruptions are caused by human activities. Some disruptions can be devastating
for an individual species and may even cause an entire species to permanently disappear. As species become
extinct, the variety of species in the biosphere decreases, which decreases biodiversity, or the variety of life. The
way humans rapidly alter the ecosystem can decrease species diversity and may cause species extinction.
4. Compare and contrast species diversity and genetic diversity using a Venn Diagram.

- Heterogeneity of - variety in the number

living species Of genetic types
- It is trait of the - Genetic diversity
community helps in the evolution - It is trait of the species.
of new species
- It is related to number - It is related to number of
- work together to
and distribution of species create the complexity genes and their alleles
found in an area found in organisms.
of life on earth
- It influences biotic
- It influences adaptability
interactions and stability
and distribution of a
of the community
species in diverse
habitats
5. Using a bar graph, distinguish between a tropical rain forest and a deciduous forest with regard to plant cover
and animal diversity count living therein.

800
700
600
500
Animal Species
400
Plant Species
300
200
100
0
Tropical Rainforest Deciduous Forest

Note: For Nos. 4 and 5, you need to cite your data reference using APA format.

II. Multiple Choice Questions: Encircle the best answer.

1. Which among the choices below is not a type of biodiversity.

a. ecosystem b. ecology c. species d. genetic
2. The Philippines is considered one of the ________megadiverse countries of the world.
a. 15 b. 71 c. 13 d. 17
3. The number of plant species that is considered endemic in the Philippines.
a. 3,528 b. 3,825 c. 5,823 d. 5,382
4. The world’s richest habitat is ________________.
a. Forest b. Tropical rain forest c. Savannah d. Deciduous forest
5. The Philippines is losing _________% of forest cover annually.
a. 21 b. 12 c. 1.2 d. 2.1

References:
3 Differences between "Genetic Diversity" and "Species Diversity". (2013, October
23). Retrieved from http://www.yourarticlelibrary.com/difference/3-differences-
between-genetic-diversity-and-species-diversity/11560
Tropical Rainforest. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://owt-
thephilippines.weebly.com/tropical-rainforest.html
Langenberger G., Martin K., & Sauerborn J. (2006) “Vascular Plant Species
Inventory of a Philippine Lowland Rain Forest and its Conservation Value.
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10531-005-2576-4
Sawe, Benjamin Elisha. (2017, April 25). Ecological Regions Of The Philippines.
Retrieved from https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/ecological-regions-of-the-
philippines.html