CRETACEOUS PERIOD

DINOSAURS WENT EXTINCT ABOUT 65 MILLION YEARS AGO (AT

THE END OF THE CRETACEOUS PERIOD), AFTER LIVING ON
EARTH FOR ABOUT 165 MILLION YEARS.

Did you know that there were ones Stegodon
(elephant with a sideways trunk) and
rhinoceroses (three-toed hoofed mammals,
having massive body, a large head with 1 or 2
horns on the snout) living naturally in the
Philippines? The fossils (preserved traces or
impression of an organism in Earth’s crust) of
these animals were found in different parts of
Cagayan Valley in Luzon, in Panay Island in
Visayas, in Agusan Valley in Mindanao and in
Taguig City in Metro Manila.
The presence of these fossils shows
evidence that some of the islands in
the Philippines were once connected
to mainland Asia via a land bridge.
These animals migrated in the country
during the last Ice Age where they
evolved to
 have smaller sizes. Today, these
animals have long
disappeared. Why is it so?

 is a process in which species of an organism ceases to exist.

normally takes place when the death rate is higher than the
birth rate to the point that the population of the species goes
beyond recovery. Once an organism becomes extinct, an
organism is lost forever.
 is a vital part of evolution.
In evolution, organisms change over time. It is also driven by
the process of natural selection in which organisms
with characteristics that are well suited to the environment are
“selected”.
When organisms fail to adopt to
a changing environment, to produce
healthy offspring, or to compete
with other organisms in an
environment that
is abruptly changing, extinction can
take place. The organisms that do not
“fit” in the environment will die off.
Extinction events have been around since
organisms have been existing on the
planet. Based on studies conducted by
scientists using the fossils of ancient
organisms, 99% of organisms that ever
lived have gone extinct. This means that
one in a hundred species that have ever
lived survives today.
Ordovician- Silurian Extinction. This occurred 440 million years ago
wherein Earth experienced massive glaciations.
This happened around 350 million years ago
wherein 70% of marine organisms became
extinct in a span of 20 million years.
This is the largest extinction event that
happened in history which occurred 250
million years ago where 90% of organisms
perished. Due to the massive extinction, it is
sometimes called “ The Great Dying”.
This extinction event killed 70%-75% of the
world species which includes many large
reptiles, amphibians, and mammal-like
organisms 200 million years ago.
This is also known as K-T extinction which occurred 65 million years
ago, this is perhaps one of the most famous extinction events due to the
die-off of dinosaurs.
Living things depend on each other in so many
ways. They also depend on their environment
(land, water and air) where they can find all the
sources that will keep them alive and
functioning.
Natural processes as well as the activities
of the living things, most often change
the
environment. Some changes are
detrimental to some species but beneficial
to other species. Thus, it can be said that
there exist an intricate system of
connections among living organisms and
their environments.
Each species of living organisms whether big
or small have specific roles to play. The lost of
one species can upset the balance of the
environment. Remove one species and this
“small change” can lead to big problems that
are far reaching and difficult to repair.
Scientistdiscovered that the removal (extinction) of
one species can further change the relative
composition or the relative abundance of other
species in the community and this phenomenon was
called “domino effect or riffle effect”. This can
happen if the species that have been removed in the
area are keystone species.
  Keystone species is one whose presence and
activities strongly affect other species in the
community.
 TRIVIA

The “janitor fish” (Pterygoplichthys pardalis and

Pterygoplichthys disjunctivus) that were introduce by the
aquarium industry in the Philippines from South America are
now adverse competitors of indigenous fishes that bring
damages to fishing nets and fish pens in the waters of Laguna
Bay, Marikina River, and Lake Cuyapo in Nueva Ecija. These
two species reached the natural waters through human
activities.
pertains to the ability of the organisms to
respond to changes in the environment.
also pertains to the set of characteristics the
organisms have that improve their chances to
survive in the changing environment. For the
organisms to survive, they must have some
structures, physiology, and behaviors that
would enable them to meet the requirements of
the new environment.
This involves changes in the morphology
of the organism. Example is for plants to
survive on land environment, they must
possess an extensive root system to get
 water and other nutrients from the
surroundings.
This is any function which an organism
exhibits as a direct response to an
environment change. Like for example is
we, humans perspire when the
temperature
environmental than usual. gets
This is any activity that is higher
instinctive or, which an organism
has learned or
has become conditioned of doing for
protection to the environmental
change.
Natural processes and man- made
activities change the environment.
Living things should possess adaptive
traits (culture, function, functions and
behaviors) that would help them
encounter the demands of the new
environment.
However, where do these adaptive
traits come from? Adaptive traits can
be acquired during sexual
reproduction for it introduce new
traits as the offspring inherit the
parent’s genes. Adaptations are also
products of genetic changes