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Module 3 Section 2

Biodiversity and a
Healthy Society
WMSU
Karla B. Rivero
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Second Semester, S.Y. 2021-2022

Biodiversity
This section
• focuses on the interconnections among society, • variation of life at level of biological organisation
environment, and health
• tackles the value of biodiversity as a source of food, • the variety and variability among all groups of
medicine, and other biological resources in relation to living organisms and ecosystems in which they
occur
the consumption of goods
• covers the relationship of biodiversity with
(a) health and medicine • the manifestations of all types of diversities are
found at all these levels of organisms
(b) food
(c) energy
(d) water storage and flood control • thus one can define biodiversity as the degree of
variety in nature with regards to biological species
(e) air and water treatment

Three types of biodiversity

OBJECTIVES • Genetic biodiversity
At the end of this section, the students should be able to
• identify the importance of biodiversity as a source of
• Species diversity
different biological resources; and

• discuss the adverse effects of resource depletion on • Community or ecological diversity

society and the measures to mitigate them

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Genetic diversity Ecological diversity

• refers to the variations among organisms of the • refers to the network of different species in an
same species ecosystem and the interaction of these species
• these variations are usually passed down from
parents to offspring • variation of climatic and altitudinal conditions
along with varied ecological habitats are the
reasons for the richness in biodiversity of a
particular region on earth

Species diversity Ecological diversity

• refers to the variety of species within a particular
region

• influenced by the environmental conditions in

the region

Species diversity
• species • society benefits greatly from the richness
– are the normal of biodiversity
measure of – human can source from nature biological
biodiversity resources such as food, medicine, energy and
– basic units of more
biological classification
– grouped together in
families based on
shared characteristics

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Biodiversity in natural ecosystem • beginning 100 B.C. to 300 B.C.

– the Greeks recorded the collection, storage and use
• can also regulate climate, food, pollination, of medicinal herbs.
water and air quality, water storage, • Dark and Middle Ages
decomposition of wastes, among others – monasteries in England, Ireland, France, and
Germany preserved the Western knowledge of
treating illnesses using herbal medicine
• numerous benefits are vulnerable to
Use of herbal medicine in ancient civilizations was
exploitation dependent on the biodiversity present in their respective
environments

Examples
• Saliva apiana (California sage)
– used by Indian tribes of Southern California to aid in childbirth and
was believed to protect the immune system from respiratory
ailments.
• Alhagi maurorum (camel thorn)
– secretes a sweet and gummy substance from its stems and leaves
called manna during hot days

manna
• contains melezitose, and sucrose (an invert sugar)
• believed to have diuretic, diaphoretic, laxative, expectorant,
gastroprotective, antiseptic, and anti-diarrheal properties

– roots are used by Israelis to treat diarrhea

– Konkani people smoke the plant to treat asthma
– Romans used the plant to treat hysterical and uterine
disorders
– Seeds are used to relieve flatulence and to stimulate the
senses

• since 2600 B.C., people have been using plants to treat • Many medicinal products are derived from natural
illnesses, hence the practice of herbal medicine substances from plants

Example – Salicylic acid (active ingredient of aspirin)

– Cupressus sempervirens (Cypress)Used to treat coughs, colds, • derived from the bark of a willow tree
and inflammation
– Commiphora myrrha (myrrh)
– Morphine
• herbal medicines were also used in healing rituals and in • Derived from Papaver somniferum (opium poppy)
the treatment of injuries resulting from wars or accidents
– Digitoxin
• various plant-based drugs were used in Ancient Egypt • used in management of congestive heart failure
and Ancient China • derived from Digitalis purpurea (foxglove)

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• the transmission of diseases due to the movement of • Agriculture and cultivation evolved from picking desired
organisms amplified the need to study the environment crops and breeding animals to maintaining stable supply
in relation to human health of food to last for long periods of time as preparation for
the changing seasons and possibility of natural disasters

• Fungi and microorgranisms found in trees, grasses, • Increasing demand for food resulted in the development
algae, and herbaceous plants, and living in the of more lands for agriculture
intercellular spaces of plant stems, petioles, root, and
leaves have been widely used in the production of many
• Farmers and fishermen rely on healthy ecosystems for
important medicinal products today. their livelihood

• Benefits of biodiversity are necessary for the growth of

many important crops

• About 39% of the leading 57 global crops need birds and

insects as pollinators

Agrobiodiversity
– Result of careful selection and innovative developments by
farmers, fishermen, and herders throughout the years

• basic need for human survival

• Stone Age
– humans relied only on hunting and foraging to get food
– human depended on what the ecosystem could readily provide

• as the Earth’s population grew, the demand on food

increased

• crops that can be grown were discovered and cultivated

and animals were domesticated

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• Humans rely on the energy provided by the ecosystem • In 1820s, natural gas was use as a source of light
to do the necessary activities in order to survive
• In 1830s, electric generator was discovered based on
• Stone Age Michael Faraday’s discovery of electromagnetism
– Heat energy from fire was used mainly for survival against the
harsh cold environments, for cooking, and for communication
with nearby tribes in the form of smoke • In 1850s, commercial oil was drilled which led to the
distillation of kerosene from petroleum
• In 1000 B.C., coal was used by the people as energy
source in northeastern China for heating and cooking • In 1860s, Augustine Mouchot developed the first solar
– was also utilized by Romans and Northern Native Americans powered system for industrial machinery.

• In 1892, geothermal energy was first used

• In 400 B.C., water energy or hydro power was used by • In 1942, the first nuclear fission reactor was designed
the Ancient Greeks and Romans and for irrigation. and built

• In 347 A.D. , the earliest known oil wells were developed • In 19th century and 20th century, the utilization of coal
in China energy shaped the industrialization of the United States,
– Made use of extensive bamboo pipelines with depths of 800 ft United Kingdom, and other European countries
for lighting and heating

• From the development of the use of energy source

• In 500 A.D. – 900 A.D., the Persians started to use wind- throughout history, there was no direct nor indirect
powered grain mills and water pumps exhaustion of biodiversity in the utilization of energy
resources.
• By 1300, windmills, taking the modern pinwheel shape,
were developed in Western Europe

• In 1390, the Dutch built larger windmills for draining • However, as early as 1973, the effects on the
lakes and marshes in the Rhine River Delta environment and the risk of potential accidents when
using energy alarmed many environmental
• Wind energy organizations.
– were also used to navigate through bodies of water
• In 1979, a nuclear reactor accident at Three Mile Island
• During 1700s and 1800s, at the time of the Industrial near Middletown, Pennsylvania happened
Revolution, biomass was replaced with coal as a primary
source of energy • At the end of 1980, the biggest oil spill in the US waters,
– The British discovered that by burning coal, it is transformed into the Exxon Valdez oil spill in Alaska occurred
hot-burning coke, a fuel with high carbon content and few
impurities
• In the 2000s, the coal ash spill in Tennessee, oil spill in
the Gulf of Mexico, and the Fukushima nuclear crisis in
Japan

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• The demands for energy created a positive impact on Aqueducts

unconventional ways of producing energy, but in turn, – invented and built by the Romans and Greeks to maintain stable
have resulted in adverse effects on biodiversity in terms water supplies to communities that were far from bodies of water
of wildlife mortality, habitat loss, fragmentation, noise
and light pollution, invasive species, and changes in • Late 19th century
carbon stock and water resources – dams were built to maintain water supplies in communities due
to the increasing demand for potable water and irrigation of
crops

• Biodiversity in forest plays an unquestionably crucial role

in water resources

Forest
– provide natural filtration and storage systems to provide
freshwater
– roots and leaves of trees create conditions that promote the
infiltration of rainwater into the soil to fill up the aquifer systems
with groundwater, while percolation occurs allowing the
movement of surface water into rivers and lakes
– Play a major role in the water cycle by affecting the rates of
transpiration and evaporation and water storage in watersheds

There seem to be a synchrony between indigenous forests and

biodiversity so that they contribute and regulate the quantity and
quality of freshwater (Blumenfeld, Lu, Christopherson, & Coates,
2009)

• earliest recorded civilizations were situated near rivers or Advantages of flooding

lakes which made their livelihoods dependent on water – mostly known for its adverse effects but also has
some benefits
• 2000 years ago, with increasing demand of potable – in agriculture, flooding can help the farmers for it
water along with the discovery of groundwater, wells distributes nutrients that particular patches of soil
began to be used in the Middle East lacked
• makes the soil healthier and more fertile for the
• water from rivers and lakes was also used for irrigation cultivation of crops
– can add nutrients to rivers and lakes thus improving
• to cope with the adverse effects of the changing tides, the ecosystem
floodways were utilized to prevent flooding in nearby
communities that usually result in damaged crops

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Disadvantages of flooding • gases (NOx and O3) in moderation contribute to a

– Causes long term damages healthy ecosystem and balanced biodiversity
– Flooding caused by typhoons have been extremely – Excessive concentrations of these gases slowly
damaging which may be one of the effects of climate diminish the capacity of the environment to clean
change itself and to resilient.
– In the Philippines,
• flooding in the urban areas • excessive nitrogen stimulates the growth of nitrogen-
– results in damaging of homes, roads, and other loving plant species but reduces the occurrence of plant
infrastructures species adapted to low-nitrogen environment
– caused by lack of proper drainage system and
waste management system

• Flooding in the rural areas Nitrogen

– easily destroy crops and farmlands and may – reduces the resilience of forests to other
even be deadly for low-lying areas near rivers environmental stresses such as drought, frost, pests,
and lakes and diseases
– high concentration of nitrite in drinking water is
detrimental in the protection of natural ecosystems
– can adversely affect the structure and function of
ecosystems
– Takes decades to feel the effect of excessive nitrogen
in the environment

Ozone
– caused an extensive vegetation damage around the
world due from 1990 – 2006

Ground level ozone

• created by chemical reaction of NOx and volatile
organic compounds (VOC) under the pressence of
sunlight
• high levels of ozone promotes early flowering,
affecting the synchronization of pollinators and
flowers
• damages the leaves of salad crops

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• negative impacts on vegetation reduce the sink capacity • There is a need to enhance the implementation of
for carbon dioxide and ozone, enhancing their regulations and worldwide protocols.
atmospheric concentrations and affect global water cycle
• Strict implementation of environmental laws among
• the effects of global warming are harmful to the industries and communities alike must be ensured to
environment and its inhabitants prevent further damage of biodiversity from air pollution
and water pollution.
• soil store air pollutants temporarily that affect water
purification • Efforts to ensure that whatever treatment is employed, it
– stored pollutants have adverse effects on soil should not promote mass pollution transfer from one
functioning matrix of the environment to another.
– create problems when retention capacity of soil is
reached or disturbed

• Worldwide efforts are made to decrease nitrogen

deposition to the biosphere to enhance plant species
diversity and relative species richness in grasslands.