The State of Philippine Biodiversity
Biological Diversity
• Biological Diversity or simply known as biodiversity “refers to the
totality of all species on earth and the ecosystems where they thrive”.
• Also associated to “variety”.
• Three categories:
• A. Genetic Diversity
• B. Species Diversity
• C. Ecosystem Diversity
Biological Diversity
• Ecosystem Diversity – refers to the various habitats and biomes on
Earth.
• Biodiversity is also a vital part of country’s heritage. It is one of the
life support of the nation.
Why Study Biodiversity?
• Rich source of food.
• Woods – dipterocarp species (Dipterocarpus grandiflorus) apitong,
(Switenia macrophylla) mahogany, (Shorea polysperma) tangile and
(Shorea astylosa) yakal.
• Medicines
• Cinchona plant, a cure to malaria.
• Penicillum, a fungus has been found to have antibacterial properties.
Why Study Biodiversity?
• Medicines
• Eucheuma and Kapaphycus, red alga species are rich sources of
carrageenan which act as a stabilizer and additive in drugs and
cosmetics.
• Bioremediation.
LEVELS OF CLASSIFICATION
• Hierarchical System of Classification – established by Linnaeus
• A level of grouping is called taxon.
• Seven (7) levels of classification
From the least to most inclusive
1. Species – a population of closely related interbreeding individuals.
2. Genus/genera – group of genetically related species.
3. Family – genus with common characteristics.
4. Orders – families with common characteristics.
5. Classes – orders with similar characteristics.
6. Division/Phylum – related classes
7. Kingdom – related phyla
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Primates
Family: Hominidae
Genus: Homo
Species: sapiens
Scientific Names
• Proposed by Linnaeus
• Binomial Nomenclature – two terms
• Genus and species term
Common Name: Blue Crab
Scientific Name:
Callinectes sapidus
Scientific Names
• The genus term always starts with a capital letter with the rest of the letters in
lowercase
• All the letters in species term are in lowercase
e.g.
Homo sapiens
Mus musculus
Zea mays
Sus scrofa
Bos taurus
Scientific Names
• Text – italicized
• Handwritten – underlined
• Cucurbita maxima – text, typwritten/computerized
Cucurbita maxima - handwritten
Kingdom of Organisms
• Linnaeus’ Two Kingdom System
Kingdom of Organisms
• Ernst Haeckel (1866) – three kingdom system:
PROTISTA, PLANTAE & MAMALIA
• Protista (unicellular organisms; microscopic)
Kingdom of Organisms
• H.F. Copeland (1956) – four kingdom system: MYCHOTA,
PROTOCTISTA, PLANTAE & MAMALIA
• Mychota – bacteria & blue green algae
• Protoctista/protista – protozoans, fungi
Kingdom of Organisms
• R.H. Whittaker (1969)– five kingdom system: MONERA,
FUNGI, PROTISTA, PLANTAE & MAMALIA
Kingdom of Organisms
• Six Kingdoms
- Kingdom Archaebacteria – often adapted to
harsh conditions
- Kingdom Eubacteria – true bacteria
- Kingdom Protista
- Kingdom Fungi
- Kingdom Plantae
- Kingdom Animalia
Kingdom of Organisms
• Professor Carl Whoese of the University of Illinois
introduce the term “domain” and renamed the three major
taxa Bacteria, Archae and Eukarya.
Kingdom of Organisms
Domain 1. Bacteria
Kingdom 1. Eubacteria (typical bacteria).
Domain 2. Archaea
Kingdom 2. Archaebacteria (archaic bacteria)
Domain 3. Eukarya
Kingdom 3. Archezoa (protozoans w/out mitochondria, golgi)
Kingdom 4. Protista
Kingdom of Organisms
Kingdom 5. Chromista (brown algae and allies)
Kingdom 6. Plantae (red and green algae and land plants)
Kingdom 7. Fungi
Kingdom 8. Animalia
The Five Kingdom Classification System
• WHITTAKER
• The most popular
The Five Kingdom Classification System
• Kingdom Monera
• Prokaryotic
• Unicellular
• Autotrophic: heterotrophic (absorption)
• With cell wall (peptidoglycan)
• Bacteria
The Five Kingdom Classification System
• Kingdom Protista
• Eukaryotic
• Unicellular
• Photosynthetic: heterotrophic (ingestion,
absorption)
• With cell wall (algae)
• Protozoa, algae
The Five Kingdom Classification System
• Kingdom Plantae
• Eukaryotic
• Multicellular
• Photosynthetic
• With cell wall (cellulose)
The Five Kingdom Classification System
• Kingdom Animalia
Reports on the Number of Species in the World in
the Philippines
Vertebrates
Mammals 4,629
Birds 9,040
Reptiles 6,458
Amphibians 4,222
Total of non-fish vertebrates 24,349
Fish (bony) 18,000
Fish (cartilaginous) 850
Fish (agnathans) 60
Total Fish 18,910
TOTAL OF VERTEBRATES 43,259
Table 1. Species Number in the World (Vertebrate and Higher Plants
Reports on the Number of Species in the World in
the Philippines
Higher Plants
Flowering Plants (Dicots) 170,000
Flowering Plants (Monocots) 50,000
Gymnosperms 529
Ferns 10,000
Bryophytes 16,600
Others 1,300
GRAND TOTAL OF HIGHER PLANTS 248,492
Table 1. Species Number in the World (Vertebrate and Higher Plants)
Philippine Diversity
• Endemic – refers to the species that are found in a particular area
only.
• Philippines has a high rate of endemism.
• Luzon for example, has 31 endemic species of mammals out of a total
of 111 known worldwide.
• Philippines has been considered as epicentre for marine biodiversity.
Philippine Diversity
• Rich Philippine biodiversity could be traced back to the country’s
geological history.
• Our country is divided into 15 biogeographical zones.
Philippine Diversity
• Philippines has approximately 14,000 species of plants, this is 5% of
the world’s accounting.
• Our country belongs to the Malesia Plant Geographical Group where
the Malay Peninsula, Sumatra and Borneo are included.
• However, algae are not yet included.
Philippine Diversity
Number of Species of Plants and Fungi in the Philippines
Plant Groupings Number
Angiosperm (Flowering Plants) 9,000
Gymnosperms 33
Ferns and Fern allies 1,011
Mosses 506
Liverworts and Hornworts 518
Fungi 700
Lichens 790
Philippine Diversity
• Mangroves, 35 species can be found in our country out of 54 in the
world.
• 170,000 animal species.
• 204 species of mammals are present, 174 species are terrestrial where
111 are endemic.
• Our country has the most diverse composition of corals with about 430
species, 12 coral species are endemic to the Philippines.
Philippine Diversity
• Associated reef fishes comprises 60% of the total that can be found
worldwide.
• Birds, resident and non-resident breeders, 576. 395 are resident, 195
are endemic.
• Reptiles 258 species and amphibians is 101, 68% of this group is
endemic.
Philippine Diversity
• Insects, 20,940 and 69.8% is endemic.
Philippine Diversity
• Endangered/Threatened Species – refers to group of organisms that
is on the verge of extinction.
• Biodiversity hotspots – critical habitats where endangered species
can be found which are classified by the government and non-
governmental organizations.
Philippine Diversity
Taxonomic Group No. of Threatened Species No. of Threatened Endemic Species
Amphibians 24 24
Reptiles 8 4
Birds 74 59
Mammals 51 41
List of Some of the Endangered Species in the
Philippines
Taxonomic Group No. of Threatened No. of Threatened
Species Endemic Species
Amphibians 24 24
Reptiles 8 4
Birds 74 59
Mammals 51 41
List of Some of the Endangered Species in the
Philippines
Ecosystem Diversity
• 1. Forest Ecosystem
• A. Mangrove – forested area along the coastline which protects it from
erosion.
• Muddy with poor undergrowth.
• Pneumatophores or aerials roots are characteristic structures.
• Nursery for fish and crustaceans.
Ecosystem Diversity
• 1. Forest Ecosystem
• B. Beach Forest – found beyond the limits of the high tide where the
vegetation can survive the impact of salt spray.
• C. Pine Forest – also called coniferous forest, found in higher
elevations ranging from 500 to 1,500 meters. Dominated by genus
Pinus.
Ecosystem Diversity
• 1. Forest Ecosystem
• D. Dipterocarp Forest – provides hardwood, can be found in all types
of topography. Dominated by Dipterocarpus (apitong), Shorea (lauan,
apitong tangile), Parashorea (bagtikan) and many others.
• E. Molave Forest – grow typically on limestone hills with scanty dry
soil cover, dominated by the species Vitex parviflora (molave) with
associated trees such as Pterocarpus (narra).
Ecosystem Diversity
• 1. Forest Ecosystem
• F. Grassland – dominated by two species of grass, Imperata cylindrical
(kogon) and Saccharum spontaneum (talahib).
• Phragmites communis (tambo) are found in open and wet lowland
areas.
• Grassland ecosystem in Batanes is an example.
Ecosystem Diversity
• 1. Forest Ecosystem
• G. Mossy Forests – dominated by species that form a single tree layer
with a height of 6 to 9 meters.
• The branch of trees including the forest floors are covered with
bryophytes like moss, liverworts and hornworts.
Ecosystem Diversity
• 2. Aquatic Ecosystems
• Divided into freshwater and marine.
• 18 major river basins, 211 lakes and 22 marshlands.
• Agno river (Bulacan) and Umiray River (Quezon) is channelled to La
Mesa Dam.
Ecosystem Diversity
• 2. Aquatic Ecosystems
• Lakes
• Lake Buhi is the home of the endemic fish, Mistichytys “sinarapan”.
Ecosystem Diversity
• 2. Aquatic Ecosystems
• Wetlands
• Candama swamp and Agusan marshland.
Ecosystem Diversity
• 2. Aquatic Ecosystems
• Marine ecosystem
• Apo reef in Mindoro and Tubataha reefs in Sulu sea.
Threats to Biodiversity
• Natural phenomena – extinction and speciation.
• Extinction rate in the past has been estimated to be 90 species per century however, it
has accelerated by 40,000 times.
• Causes
• 1. Anthropogenic activities like over-exploitation which led to destruction of habitats of
plants and animals.
• 2. Increase in population.
• 3. Mining.
• 4. Excessive use of pesticides.
• 5. Deforestation.
• 6. Introduction of invasive species.
