STS 100: SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, & SOCIETY

College of Liberal Arts, Sciences and Education

Prepared by: Prince Solmer G. Sabusap
P

MODULE 5
BIODIVERSITY
Brief Introduction or Description
This module intends to introduce the importance of biodiversity and some biological technologies, their
applications, and their impact on human society and the environment.
Learning Outcomes:
By the end of the module, you should be able to:
1. determine the inter-relatedness of society, the environment, and health;
2. explain the process of genetic engineering; and
3. discuss the ethics, implications, and potential future impacts of GMO’s.

Pre-Activity - Before Reading Questions/This part may also contain motivational activities

1. What is Biodiversity and why is it important?

2. What can you do to protect our biodiversity?

Lesson 1 :

Biodiversity was originated from the Greek word “bios” means “life” and from the Latin word “diversitas”
means “variety/differences.” It refers to the variety of living organisms within a given area including plants,
bacteria, animals, and humans.

3 Types of Biodiversity:

1. Species Diversity - refers to the variety of the different types of species

found in a particular area. It includes all the species ranging from
plants to different microorganisms.

2. Genetic Diversity - refers to the variations among genetic resources of

the organisms. Every individual of a particular species differs from
each other in their genetic constitution.

3. Ecological Diversity - refers to the diversity observed among the

different ecosystems in a region. Different ecosystems like desserts,
rainforests, mangroves, etc. , show a variety of life residing in them. https://courses.lumenlearning.com/wm-biology2/chapter/the-
diversity-of-life/

Why is Biodiversity important? Biodiversity is essential for

the processes that support all life on Earth, including humans.
Without it, our entire support system for human, as well as animal
life, would collapse. Humans rely on nature to get water, clean air
and food, to get raw materials for medicines, and to prevent
flooding and other extreme weather effects. Our natural
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 STS 100: SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, & SOCIETY
College of Liberal Arts, Sciences and Education
Prepared by: Prince Solmer G. Sabusap
P

ecosystems provide so much that they’re truly vital to life on earth.

What will happen if we lose biodiversity? The loss of biodiversity threatens food supplies,
opportunities for recreation and tourism, and sources of wood, medicines, and energy. Without a wide range of
animals, plants and microorganisms, we cannot have the healthy ecosystems that can better withstand and
recover from a variety of disasters.

Healthy Biodiversity Biodiversity Loss

2010, International Year of Biodiversity. The United Nations (UN) declared 2010 to be the International
Year of Biodiversity, the International Year for the Rapprochement of Cultures, and the International Year of
Youth. It focuses on boosting awareness of biodiversity’s importance by promoting actions to foster
biodiversity worldwide.

Lesson 2 :

BIOTECHNOLOGY

Biotechnology is technology that utilizes biological systems, living organisms or parts of this to develop
or create different products. Modern biotechnology paves the way for new developments on food and
agriculture. Particularly, it aims to develop new precision tools and diagnostics; speed up breeding gains and
efficiency; develop pest- and disease-resistant crops; combat salinity, drought, and problems of agriculture;
enhance the nutritional quality of food; increase crop varieties and choice; reduce inputs and production costs;
and increase profits (Bragdon et al,. 2005).

Applications of Biotechnology:

1. Agricultural biotechnology (Green biotechnology) aims

to introduce sustainable agricultural practices with best
yield potential and minimal adverse effects on
environment

2. Food biotechnology is an emerging field, which can

increase the production of food, improving its nutritional
content and improving the taste of the food. It may
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 STS 100: SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, & SOCIETY
College of Liberal Arts, Sciences and Education
Prepared by: Prince Solmer G. Sabusap
P

remove allergens and toxic components from foods, for their better utility

3. Industrial biotechnology (White biotechnology) utilizes biotechnological tools for the manufacturing of
biotechnology-derived products (fuels, plastics, enzymes, chemicals, and many more compounds) on
industrial scale. The aim is to develop newer industrial manufacturing processes and products, which are
economical and better than preexisting ones with minimal environmental impact.

4. Environmental biotechnology addresses environmental problems, such as the removal of pollution,

renewable energy generation or biomass production, by exploiting biological processes.

5. Medical biotechnology (Red biotechnology) uses living cells and cell materials to produce pharmaceutical
and diagnostic products that help treat and prevent human diseases.

6. Marine biotechnology (Blue biotechnology), explores the products which can be obtained from aquatic
organisms.

MODULE: “Law and policy of relevance to the management of plant genetic resources”

Biodiversity International has released a module titled “Law and policy of relevance to the management
of plant genetic resources” (Bragdon et al., 2005) which aims to help professionals in managing, conserving,
and using plant genetic resources for food and agriculture.

The module provides the following:

1. Biotechnology uses biological systems, living organisms, or derivatives thereof, to make or modify
products or processes for a specific use.

2. Genetic engineering is a technique that allows genes and DNA to be transferred from one source to
another. It leads to the production of living modified organisms (LMOs) or genetically modified
organisms (GMOs).

3. Modern biotechnology gives scientists molecular tools for obtaining a better understanding of the
structure and function of genes in living organisms.

Lesson 3 :

GENETICALLY MODIFIED ORGANISM

Based on evolutionary theory, the concept of survival of the fittest implies that living organisms have a
natural spectrum of characteristics such as size, mass, or length. The characteristics of an organism and its
successors can be modified today by modern technology, giving rise to what are called Genetically Modified
Organisms or GMOs (Mayr, 2001).

Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs)

A GMO is a plant, animal, microorganism, or other organism whose

genetic makeup has been modified using recombinant DNA methods (also
called Genre Splicing), gene modification, or transgenic technology.

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 STS 100: SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, & SOCIETY
College of Liberal Arts, Sciences and Education
Prepared by: Prince Solmer G. Sabusap
P

It is the result of a laboratory process where genes from the DNA of one species are extracted and
artificially inserted into the genes of an unrelated plant or animal, also called genetic engineering (GE) or
genetic modification (GM) or “transgenic” organisms. It aims to address issues with regard to food security,
agriculture, drug production, and nutrition.

In research studies, animals that have been safely genetically engineered (GE) include cattle, pigs,
chickens, goats, sheep, dogs, cats, fish, rats, and mice.

What are the benefits of genetic engineering?

Example: Enviro-Pig. Through genetic engineering, this animal emits 30

to 60 percent less phosphorus than traditional pigs fed the same conventional
diet. This lessens livestock’s impact in the environment.

Genetic engineering of animals offers solutions for improving public

health and enhancing quality of life. The benefits include advancing human
health, enhancing food production, reducing environmental impact, optimizing
animal health and welfare and production of cutting edge industrial applications.

Lesson 4 :

GENETIC MODIFICATION

Recombinant DNA (rDNA) is a technology that uses enzymes to cut and paste together DNA sequences
of interest.

GM’s Process: Producing GM crop

Recombinant DNA Technology (Genetic Engineering)

In the process of recombinant DNA Technology, the needed information for an organism can be
“borrowed” from another. Such a process means that a farmer can “design” an organism to have the
characteristics necessary to address particular issues.

Example: A farmer may want the crops to have less chance of getting bruised due to rough handling. If
an organism containing a gene that prevents bruising in the mature fruit (employing the science of genetics)
could be found, then this characteristic could then be used to modify crops through the process of
recombinant gene technology.

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 STS 100: SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, & SOCIETY
College of Liberal Arts, Sciences and Education
Prepared by: Prince Solmer G. Sabusap
P

Lesson 5 :

CARTAGENA PROTOCOL ON BIOSAFETY

Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety is an international agreement which aims to ensure the safe handling,
transport, and use of living modified organisms (LMOs) resulting from modern biotechnology that may have
adverse effects on biological diversity, taking also into account risks to human health.

The Protocol is an international agreement which aims to ensure the safe handling, transport, and use
of living modified organisms (LMOs) resulting from modern biotechnology that may have adverse effects on
biological diversity, taking also into account risks to human health. It takes a precautionary approach by
making sure that countries are provided with the data necessary to make informed decisions before agreeing
to the import of such organisms into their territory.

The Philippines recognizes the technologies that can be of particular help for its development. Since the
Philippines is one of the biodiversity “hot spots” in the world, it is helpful to know how biotechnology will
progress in the country.

Global Area of Transgenic Crops Million Hectares (1996-2003):

Source: Everding, G. (2016). Genetically modified Golden Rice falls short on lifesaving promises. The
Source by Washington University in St. Louis. Available from https://non-gmoreport.com/articles/genetically-
modified-golden-rice-falls-short-on-lifesaving-promises/

Activity - After Reading Questions/Discussion Questions:

1. Can you differentiate the 3 types of biodiversity?

2. How can you encourage other people to protect biodiversity?
3. How does biotechnology impact society?

Learning Tasks:

1. Reflection Paper

2. Quiz 4

3. Group Activity: Standing on the Shoulder of the Giants

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 STS 100: SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, & SOCIETY
College of Liberal Arts, Sciences and Education
Prepared by: Prince Solmer G. Sabusap
P

Reflection

I learned that _______________________________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

I realized that _______________________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________________

References:

McNamara DJ. (2018). Science, Technology, and Society. Quezon City: C&E Publishing. pp. 105-114

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