NATURE CONSERVATION
BFC 10202
Part 2 : Learn about natural environment : Living environment
Faculty of Civil & Environmental Engineering
INTRODUCTION Part 2
Learn about natural environment :
Living environment
To learn about living components of planet
earth
I. Biodiversity definition, levels, examples
II. To learn about some interactions, values
III. Issues, threats and how to overcome
NATURAL ENVIRONMENT
Created 4-6bill yrs ago no living thing
The big bang life
Microbes plants animals + man
(evolutionary approach)
Biosphere atmosphere, lithosphere,
hydrosphere
The earth - Biosphere
PHYSICAL COMPONENTS
What are they? Characteristics?
How are they important to human life
and welfare?
a. Soil rocks
b. Water
c. Air
Soil
All kinds of rocks
Weathering becomes soil
Medium for plant growth
Support living and non-living things,
natural and man-made things
Provide areas for construction of
buildings
Water
Very important for life processes
Body of living things comprise mainly of
water eg human >70% water
>70% of planet earth covered with water
Early medium for evolution
Determine climate (eg rainfall/humidity)
Air
Oxygen needed for breathing process
Carbon dioxide for photosynthesis,
carbohydrates
Nitrogen a composition of protein
Upih Guling Endau Rompin, Johor
I. LIVING COMPONENTS
Characteristics and examples
Importance
a. Monera a-f : they form
b. Protista BIODIVERSITY
c. Fungi
d. Plants
e. Animals
f. Man
BIODIVERSITY
Defn : CBD 1991
The variability among living
organisms from all sources including
inter alia, terrestrial, marine and other
aquatic ecosystems and the
ecological complexes of which they
are part; this includes diversity within
species, between species and of
ecosystems (CBD, 1992).
Values of diversity
Utilitarian values : food, medicines, material
structure
Ecological service value : pollinators,
decomposers, watershed, replenishing
oxygen, icon of tourism
Aesthetic value: green color to emotional
development, beauty
Moral value: every living things has the right to
live, uniqueness
Cultural,releigous value: elephant , cow to
hinduism
BIODIVERSITY
Levels : genetic, species, ecosystems
Groups of organisms
Distribution, Endemism
Interactions : Ecological stability
Issues and threats
What do we do?
Level 1 :GENETIC DIVERSITY
Variation at genetic level due to different
arrangement of chromosome
Occur naturally or altered by man
Eg. Brassica oleracea (cabbage)
genetically modified by genetic
engineering cabbage, cauliflower,
broccoli, brussel sprout
White cabbage, purple cabbage
diversity
Genetic
diversity
Level 2 : SPECIES DIVERSITY
Chromosome:Different number & arrangement
About 1.8mill species recorded/named
Estimated 100mill working figure 10mill
Not discovered are mainly small sized
organisms (microbes) eg bacteria, viruses,
algae
Difficult to access habitats eg deep ocean,
canopy
Species diversity
Level 3 :ECOSYSTEM DIVERSITY
More diverse eg.Tropical vs arboreal forest
Involve diversity in interactions
More diversity, more interactions more stable
In Malaysia : forest, mangrove, mountain
Types of ecosystems tropical, temperate, polar
Vegetation determine diversity determine
diversity of animals
Vegetation autotrophic depends on solar
radiation for photosynthesis
Ecosystem
diversity
Distribution
Tropics higher diversity than temperate
Lowland higher diversity than highlands
Tropical rainforest 7% global land mass
harbour >50% biodiversity
Marine ecosystems in tropic higher
primary productivity higher diversity
Pic to show tropical rainforest
Distribution of tropical rainforest in the world
Endemism
Certain species of living things only
found in restricted geographical areas
endemics
Eg. Orang utan (Borneo and Sumatra)
Probosis monkey (Borneo)
Zebra (Africa); Panda (China)
Kangaroo (Australia)
Orang utan Pongo pygmaeus Probosis monkey Larvatus
nasalis
ENDEMIC TO BORNEO
Zebra is endemic in Africa
Giraffe is endemic to Africa
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