Environmental Issues

1. PANGASINAN STATE UNIVERSITY GRADUATE SCHOOL Urdaneta City, Pangasinan ECOLOGY & ECOLOGICAL PROBLEMS Discussant: MR. GILBERT P. MORALISTA, Ed. D. Student Professor: DR. JO BITONIO

2. What is Ecology? Origin of the word…”ecology” Greek origin OIKOS = household LOGOS = study of… Study of the “ house/environment” in which we live.

11. Levels of Organization - Terms Population – one species live in one place at one time Community – All populations (diff. species) that live in a particular area.

12. Levels of Organization - Terms Habitat – physical location of community Organism –simplest level of organization

21. PHILIPPINE BIODIVERSITY STATUS OUR LIVING AND NON-LIVING RESOURCES

23. The Birds

25. The Mammals Deer that cannot be found elsewhere: the Calamian hog deer or Calamian deer have longer and darker legs, compared with other hog deer. By 1996, its population further declined to only about 900, prompting conservationists to declare it as an endangered species. One of the world's rarest mammals lives in the dwindling forest of Panay Island: Philippine spotted deer (Cervus alfredi), considered by many as the most endangered deer in the planet

26. Unique pygmy water buffalos (Bubalus mindorensis) endemic to Mindoro listed as one of the ten most endangered species in the world. From 10,000 heads in the 1900's, population went down to 369 heads in the late 1980's to as few as 20 heads roaming in the wild today

27. South of Palawan, lies the Balabac Island, home of the world's smallest hoofed mammal - the Philippine mouse deer. Locally known as Pilandok ( Tragalus nigricans ), this ruminant stands only about 40 centimeters at the shoulder level. While the mouse deer are widely distributed across Asia, their dwindling population has alarmed the World Conservation Union, which declared them as endangered in 1996.

28. Amphibians and Reptiles Crocodylus porosus , it is different from Mindoro's freshwater crocodile ( Crocodylus mindorensis ) There were tales that a 27-foot saltwater crocodile was killed near Lake Taal in Batangas in 1823. It reportedly took 40 men to bring the body ashore.

31. The world's smallest freshwater fish is found in the Philippines. The dwarf goby (Pandaka pygmaea) measures 1.2 centimeters or less than half of an inch, the tiniest known vertebrate. American Ichthyologist Albert Herre first discovered it in Malabon River in 1925.

32. World's smallest commercial fish: Sinarapan ( Mistichthys luzonensis) found only in Lakes Bato and Buhi in Camarines Sur province. Sinarapan grows to an average length of 1.25 centimeters, only slightly longer than the dwarf goby. Today, unabated fishing in the two lakes threatens the population of sinarapan.

34. A shell called glory of the sea (Connus gloriamaris) is also found in the Philippines and considered as one of the most expensive shells in the world. Pisidum, the world's tiniest shell, can be found under Philippine waters. Pisidum is less than 1 millimeter long

36. There are more than 150 species of palms and dipterocarps in the hotspot, and around two-thirds of these are found nowhere else in the world. Among the endemic fruit trees in the Philippines are durian, mabolo, pili and bignay

37. Of the 1,000 species of orchids found in the Philippines, 70 percent are restricted to the hotspot Gingers, begonias, gesneriads, orchids and pandans are particularly high in endemic species As many as 9,000 flowering plants can be found in the country

38. CLIMATE CHANGE The topic of climate change is like a puzzle with many different pieces—oceans, the atmosphere, ecosystems, polar ice, natural and human influences. Scientists have been working on this puzzle for more than a century, and while there are still gaps in our knowledge, most experts feel we have the puzzle is complete enough to show that human activities are having an adverse effect on our planet. This talks look at many of those puzzle pieces, the evidence behind them, and the conclusions we can draw from them.

42. Increasing greenhouse gases trap more heat

44. Greenhouse gases Nitrous oxide Carbon dioxide Water Methane Sulfur hexafluoride While there are many substances that act as greenhouse gases, two of the most important are water and carbon dioxide, or CO2.

45. CO2 comes from a variety of sources. For example, plants take up carbon dioxide in the air to make wood, stems, and leaves, and then release it back into the air when the leaves fall or the plants die. The concern today is that fossil fuel use is putting huge amounts of CO2 in the atmosphere at a rate faster than the climate system can adapt to.

47. Could the warming be natural?

49. Is it real?

53. Computer models

56. Why should we care?

61. What next—what can we do?

66. Scientists are still working on the puzzle. The IPCC’s 5 th Assessment Report is planned for 2013-2014. Climate models are being improved, more data is being collected. However, the puzzle is already complete enough to know we need to take action. GOD BLESS MOTHER EARTH