CONSERVATION STATUS AND MEDICINAL USES OF PTERIDOPHYTES IN

RIPARIAN VEGETATION OF ALUBIJID RIVER

DENIEL EARL A. CABALLERO

ERENIO B. NOVERO

APPLE GRACE S. DAGANATO

A SCIENCE RESEARCH SUBMITTED TO THE FACULTY OF SENIOR HIGH

SCHOOL DEPARTMENT, ALUBIJID NATIONAL COMPREHENSIVE HIGH
SCHOOL IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT FOR PRACTICAL RESEARCH II

SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, ENGINEERING AND MATHEMATICS

(Team pura)

OCTOBER 2019
 INTRODUCTION

Background of the Study

Plants play a vital role in both terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. They are

photoautotrophs (self-feeders) multicellular organisms and considered as

producer.

In the Philippines, a small archipelago in Southeast Asia, is consist of 7,

641 islands. It is considered as one of the biologically mega diverse in both flora

and fauna with the most threatened species and ecosystems due to natural

phenomena and anthropogenic activities.

Pteridophytes are seedless vascular plants having xylem and phloem

conducting tissues. They reproduce through spores rather than seeds. It is

composed of highly diverse true ferns and other dwelling plants such as

horsetails and whisk ferns. There are about 11,000 species of Pteridophytes

species making them the most diverse group after flowering plants.

Riparian vegetation communities are the most complex and dynamic

feature that provides crucial roles in landscapes biodiversity (Chovanec, A.,

Schiemer, F., Cabela, A., Gressler, S., Grötter, C., Pascher, K., Raab, R., Teufl,

H. and Wimmer, R. (2000). According to Geoffrey E. Petts (1994) river

ecosystem have been dramatically altered by anthropogenic activities across the

globe. In fact, most of industrial discharge and biological sewage find their way to

rivers.