Environmental Science

Habitat Loss, Deforestation, and Extinction

Imbalance in the Ecosystem

 Causes: Human activities and natural calamities.

 Result: Disrupted ecological balance, affecting all living organisms.

Philippines Forest Denudation:

 Habitat Destruction: The process whereby a normal habitat is incapable to

support its native species.
 Biodiversity Loss: refers to the drop in the number, genetic variability, variety of
species, and the biological communities in a given area.
 Conversion of Land for housing and commercial use.
 Dynamite and Poison-Dependent Fishing Practices: Harmful to marine life and
ecosystems.

Extinction - term used to describe when all the animals of that kind die.

 Causes: Construction, deforestation, overhunting by humans.

 A word used to an identified species, of which there are no known existing

individuals, to an identified species, of which there are no known existing
individuals.
 In biology, extinction is the vanishing or termination of a species
 Environmental forces
 Evolutionary changes in their members

Habitat Destruction Visuals

 Images of damaged coral reefs, deforested lands, and destroyed habitats

highlight the physical impact of human activity on nature.

Reasons for Habitat Loss

 Listed causes include deforestation, poaching, urbanization, overexploitation,

pollution, climate change, invasive species, overhunting, wildfires.

Natural Causes of Extinction

1. Genetics and Demographics – The population becomes small for any reason.
Members of the population become more inbred, further reducing population
 size. A smaller population also loses genetic diversity because of inbreeding and
suffer species reduction in the ability to adapt to the changing environment.
2. Uncontrolled Predation – Animals become extinct or non-native species are
introduced to a new habitat. If they have no natural enemies in their new habitat,
they their prey eventually becomes extinct.
3. Coextinction: The loss of one species leads to the loss of another. It becomes a
chain of extinction.
4. Mass Extinction: Sharp decreases in the number of species on Earth in a short
period. These are caused by asteroids impacts, climate chance and other
catastrophic events on earth.
5. Climatic Heating and Cooling: This natural event has a very significant effect
on extinction. Many species are not used to severe weather conditions and long
seasons or a changing chemical make up of their surroundings.
6. Change in Sea Levels: Affects habitat availability and chemical composition of
habitats, leading to unsuitable conditions for some species.
7. Acid Rain: Increases soil acidity, impacting plants and aquatic life, to possibly
lethal levels. Aside from the natural causes of acid rain, human activities have
led to the presence of certain chemicals in the atmosphere that contributes to the
formation of acid rain.

Human Activities Leading to Environmental Harm

 Deforestation: Leads to loss of habitat for many species.

 Pollution: Contaminates ecosystems, affecting wildlife health and survival.
 Overexploitation: Overuse of natural resources leading to depletion and loss of
species.
 Climate Change: Alters habitats and survival conditions, leading to species
migration or death.

Natural Causes

 Genetics and Demographics: Small, inbred populations lose resilience.

 Uncontrolled Predation: Introduction of non-native species disrupts ecological
balances.
 Climatic Events: Severe weather and changes in temperatures affect species'
survival.
 Geological Changes: Changes in sea levels and landforms can eliminate
habitats.
Biodiversity and Extinction

Human Activities Responsible for the decline of biodiversity, including extinction

of species:

1. Increased Human Population: Leads to habitat destruction, pollution, and

climate change, severely impacting biodiversity.
2. Overhunting: an activity that results in a serious reduction of species population
or harm to wildlife.
3. Introducing Foreign Species a non native species that has one way or another
that had been integrated into the native environment by humans, that compete
with native species and removing natural predators.
4. Habitat Destruction: In places like the Philippines, deforestation is a leading
cause of habitat destruction. Remember that rainforests serve as home to
countless animals and plants. Habitat destruction negatively impacts biodiversity
on an exponential scale.
5. Bottom Trawling: This is a fishing method in which a boat drags a net along the
ocean bottom, scooping up sea life but also9 damaging the structure of the
marine community. Banning this method can give “breathing space” to our seas.
It can also allow many marine species to recover.
6. Pesticide Pollution: Chemicals like dichlorodiphenultichloroeethan (DDT) is
used to kill insects. It is sprayed on bodies of water to kill mosquito larvae.
Some predatory birds such as hawks and eagles become weak when they have
high levels of concentrated pesticides in their bodies.

Characteristics of Species Vulnerable to Extinction:

1. Large Species with Low Reproductive Rates: Like whales and rhinos, they have
fewer offspring, making population recovery slow.
2. Species which high economic values: Such as elephants and sea turtles, are
often targeted for their parts, leading to overexploitation.
3. Species at the End of Long Food Chains such as birds of prey, cats, and reptiles.
4. Species Restricted to local, insular habitats such as snail darters and key deer.
5. Highly Specialized Species such as giant pandas and black-footed ferrets.
6. Migratory Species such as monarch butterflies marine mammals, and many
birds.