UNIT 1 MODULE 3

BIODIVERSITY AND
EVOLUTION
 C O N T E N T S TA N D A R D S

1) Relate species extinction to the failure of

populations of organisms to adapt to abrupt
changes in the environment.
 Explain the importance of biological diversity
Find out how changes in the environment can
affect species extinction
 Distinguish environmental changes that may
result in the loss of the species.
 P E R F O R M A N C E S TA N D A R D

 Make a multimedia presentation of a

timeline of extinction of representative
microorganisms, plants and animals.
 Name the animals in the picture?
What is the similarity among the three animals?
 Match the words with its meaning.
COLUMN A COLUMN B
1. Biodiversity a. a class of individuals having common
attributes and designated by a common name
2. Community b. refers to living things (such as plants and
animals) that naturally live together and rely on
one another for survival.
3. Species c. refers to the variety of life in an area.
Biodiversity
refers to the variety of life in an area.
Community
refers to living things (such as plants and animals) that
naturally live together and rely on one another for survival.
Species
a class of individuals having common attributes and
designated by a common name
What can you see from the two pictures?
 ACTIVITY
 Compare the index of the diversity of an
ocean and aquarium.
 What would be the effect if an ecosystem
has a low index of diversity?
Objective:

 Measure species distribution using the mathematical

way of expressing the amount of biodiversity and
species distribution in a community.
Perform the activity
1. Study the picture carefully.
2. Record the number of species present in the picture.
Place an X under the first species. Continue to mark X as long as the species is the same as the previous one.
3. When a different species is observed, mark an O on your list. Continue to mark O if the next is the same species as the previous. If it is different, mark
Y.
Runs are represented by a group of similar symbols in a row. Example: XXXXOOXO would be 4 runs.
(XXXX – 1 run, OO I run, X - 1 run, O - 1 run)
4. Record your data on the table.
5. Calculate the Index of diversity using the given formula:
Index of diversity = Number of species x number of runs
Number of animals
 3

15
Guide Questions:
 1. Compare how your animal index of
diversity (I.D.) would be different in a
jungle.
 2. If humans were concerned about
biological diversity, would be it best to
have a low or high index of diversity (I.D.)
for a particular environment? Explain your
answer.
 3. What do you think will happen if a
population of only one specie continues to
increase in number?
1. Compare how your animal index of diversity
(I.D.) would be different in a jungle.

 Small communities have low I.D. since

there is less species distribution while
the jungle has high I.D since there are
different kinds of species distribution.
What can you see from the two pictures?
 ACTIVITY
 Compare the index of the diversity of an
ocean and aquarium.
 What would be the effect if an ecosystem
has a low index of diversity?
2. If humans were concerned about biological diversity, would
be it best to have a low or high index of diversity (I.D.) for a
particular environment? Explain your answer.

 Communities with many different species

( a high index of diversity) will be able to
withstand environmental changes better
than communities with only a few species.
(a low index of diversity).
What do you think will happen if a population of only
one specie continues to increase in number?

 There will be more of that organism!

Whether that is a good or bad thing
depends on where in the food chain
that organism sits.
 How is biological diversity important?
 Biological diversity is a valuable natural resource for
the survival of mankind, a gradual reduction of which
may result in the disappearance of species of
economic value to the human race.
 A high degree of biodiversity is generally favorable and
desirable, and this is because it leads to community
stabilization and higher productivity. 
 Biodiversity is essential for the processes that support
all life on Earth, including humans. Without a wide
range of animals, plants and microorganisms, we
cannot have the healthy ecosystems that we rely on to
provide us with the air we breathe and the food we eat.
Review:

 What is the index of diversity?

 OBJECTIVE

 Determine the pattern of population

distribution using a mathematical
formula.
 TERMS TO REMEMBER
 Population-
 pertains to the number of organisms of the same species living in a
certain place.
 Limiting factors –
 are environmental factors that keep a population from increasing in
size and help balance ecosystems.
 Carrying capacity 
 is the maximum sustainable population of a species the environment
can sustain for an indefinite period of time given available resources.
This is the point where the population theoretically cannot grow any
larger and it is not growing any larger.
 What is population density?
 Population density refers to the number
of individuals in an area.
 Population density = no. of individuals
Size of an area
MEASURING POPULATION DENSITY
POPULATION NUMBER OF DENSITY
NAME ORGANISMS

Bermuda 50

Clover 20

Lilies 40

AREA= 20
 GUIDE QUESTIONS:
 1. C o m p a r e t h e d i s t r i b u t i o n p a t t e r n s o f t h e t h r e e
populations.
 2. W h i c h p o p u l a t i o n h a s the greatest density?
 3. Infer recorded data from the possible causes
for the differences in the population density.
 4 . What conditions could change the density of any of the
populations? What conditions could change the density of
any of the populations?
 5 . Describe how a population’s density can be used to learn about the
needs and characteristics of that population.
 6. H o w a r e l i m i t i n g f a c t o r s r e l a t e d t o
population density?
Compare the distribution patterns of
the three populations.

 The Bermuda grass population is the

largest population than the lily. The
clover has the least number.
 Which population has the
greatest density?
 Bermuda grass has the greatest
density.
Infer from recorded data from the
possible causes for the differences
i n t h e p o p u l a t i o n d e n s i t y.

 Availability of sunlight, nutrients or water

 Presence of other organisms that feed on plants
 The space available to each individual plant
What conditions could change the
density of any of the populations?

 Any change in the factors listed in

question 5 could lead to change in
population density.
 Limiting factors – are environmental
factors that keep a population from
increasing in size and help balance
ecosystems.
Describe how a population’s density can be
used to learn about the needs and
characteristics of that population.
 Population density is based on the
relationship between the needs of
individual species and a complex mix of
limiting factors. Differences might point to
potential problems such as pollutants or
disease.
 How are limiting factors
related to population
density?
 Limiting factors are often related to population
density. The greater the population density, the greater
the effect of limiting factors have on population. For
example, plants may be a limiting factors to
herbivores. If the population of herbivores is so dense,
there may not be enough food for each of them.
 Work on the following problems:
 1. Suppose 60 ants live in a 4 sq m plot of
grass. What would be the population
density of the ants?
 2. What would the population density be if
100 ants live in an 8 sq. m plot of grass?
 3. If 40 carabaos live in a 1.5 sq. km area,
what is their population density per sq.
km?
 Answer briefly the following questions in your
answer sheets:
 1. if the population species of a give area is doubled,
what effect would this have on the resources of the
community?
 2. In a population, limiting factors and population
density are often related. Suppose that the population
density of the plant seedlings in an area is very high,
explain how limiting factors may affect the population
density.
 3. In a farm, Soy beans were the only crop that was
planed on several hectares of land. A farmer noticed
that a fungus was growing all over the soy bean fields.
Predict what might happen to the soy beans and the
fungus.
1. if the population species of a give area is doubled, what effect
would this have on the resources of the community?

 Competition for resources

would increase as resources
decline.
 2. In a population, limiting factors and population density are often related.
Suppose that the population density of the plant seedlings in an area is very
high, explain how limiting factors may affect the population density.

 The greater the population density, the greater the effect

of limiting factors. For example, when population density
of plant seedlings is too great, there may not be enough
water to support the growth and development of all the
seedlings. Many will not survive, reducing the size of the
population.
3. In a farm. Soy beans were the only crop that was planed on several hectares of land.
A farmer noticed that a fungus was growing all over the soy bean fields. Predict what
might happen to the soy beans and the fungus.

 The soy beans might be killed by the fungus which

would most likely also die.
What do you think will happen
If the population density of humans increases?
Give the meaning of population density.

 Population density refers to the number

of individuals in an area.
 Population density = no. of individuals
Size of an area
 If you were a farmer, what are you going to
do to increase the productivity of the crops?
Watch the video then answer how the use
of synthetic fertilizer and pesticides
affects species extinction.
 Effects of synthetic fertilizer
Synthetic fertilizers have long-term
negative effects. Synthetic fertilizers kill beneficial microorganisms in
the soil that convert dead human and plant remains into nutrient-rich
organic matter. Nitrogen- and phosphate-
based synthetic fertilizers leach into groundwater and increase its
toxicity, causing water pollution.
However, the persistent use of chemical fertilizer can actually
alter soil fertility by increasing acid levels in the soil. The
synthetic chemicals in fertilizers negatively impact naturally
occurring soil micro-organisms by affecting soil pH.
 Effects of Pesticides
Chemical pesticides deplete the nutritional value of the food and
contaminate it. When we eat any food such as apples, lettuce,
potatoes, or strawberries, these pesticides enter our body and may
lead to many health issues. While these chemical pesticides are
developed to kill organisms found on the crop, they are also harmful
to other living things.

Repeated exposure to pesticides, even in small doses, has been

linked to a number of diseases such as cancer, Parkinson’s,
Alzheimer’s, sterility, and developmental disorders.
 BIOLOGICAL MAGNIFICATION
 The build-up of pollutants in organisms at higher trophic
levels in a food chain.
 EUTROPHICATION
 Nutrients are washed away from the land to enrich bodies of
water. It causes excessive growth of aquatic plants and algae
and results in algal bloom, which eventually dies and
decomposes. The process depletes the oxygen dissolved in
water, causing fish and other aquatic organisms to die,
What should we do to minimize pest and
increase the fertility of soil?
Organic farming also known as ecological farming or biological farming is an
agricultural system that uses fertilizers of organic origin such as compost manure,
green manure, and bone meal and places emphasis on techniques such as crop
rotation and companion planting. Biological pest control, mixed cropping, and the
fostering of insect predators are encouraged.
What are the causes of species extinction?
Hunting and trapping
 KEY QUESTIONS

1) List endangered species in the

Philippines.
2) What causes species extinction?
3) How can changes in the environment
affect species extinction?
Philippine Eagle(Harin Ibon)
Philippine Crocodile
Philippine Tarsier
tamaraw
 Click icon to add picture

Babalac Mouse-Deer(Pilandok)
Sea turtles
 Things to Remember
 When the population of a species begins to
decline rapidly, the species is said to be
threatened.
 When a species population becomes so low
that only a few remain, the species is
considered endangered and will possibly
become extinct.
 Extinction occurs when the last member of
that species dies.
What is the difference between a threatened
species and an endangered species?

 Endangered species are those plants and animals

that are so rare they are in danger of becoming
extinct. Threatened species are plants and animals
whose numbers are very low or decreasing rapidly.
Threatened species are not endangered yet, but are
likely to become endangered in the future.
ANSWERS
1) Hunting and trapping (Poaching)
2) Taking animals for profit
3) Destruction of habitat
4) Pollution
5) Over harvesting
 Watch video presentation
 Using the fishbone concept map, the students
give the causes and effects of species extinction.
Students will suggest ways of saving
endangered species
 Acid rain is a result of air pollution mostly from factories and motor vehicles.
 Sustainable development means that a society should live under the carrying capacity of
the environment.
 Ask students:
 • Why should we protect endangered species? (Some possible answers might include: (1) saving
species preserves ecosystems: species are an important part of what make up ecosystems; maintaining
healthy ecosystems ensures a healthy biosphere; (2) practical uses of species: when species become
extinct, we may lose a potentially valuable product; and (3) aesthetic reasons: when species become
extinct, we lose objects of fascination, wonder, and beauty.)
 • As a human being, how do you think or feel about this ongoing global and potentially disastrous
problem? (Accept all answers. Encourage students to support their feelings and views with examples.)
 • How can you as an individual help this cause? (Possible answers might include some of the
following: (1) support zoos, nature centers, nature reserves, or botanical gardens; volunteer money,
time, and ideas; (2) start a native plants garden or use a spot in your backyard to attract wildlife; (3)
avoid buying ivory, snakeskin belts, alligator boots, and other products made from endangered animals;
and (4) keep learning about plants and animals; share what you've learned with others.)
 Answer the following:
 Is the world a safe place for all animals
and plants? Why or why not?
 What does it mean for a species to be
endangered?