EVOLUTIONARY

DIVERSITY
By:
Nicole Dumayac
Beatrice Abello
Chelsea Rabanes
Darien Borromeo
 Index
• What is Evolutionary Diversity?
• Extinction
• Role of Extinction in Evolution
• Common Misconceptions
• Essential questions
 Introduction
• Every species on Earth is related to every
other species. In evolutionary diversity,
genetic connections unite species.

• The more closely related any two species

are, the more genetic information they
will share.
Determining an organism’s closest
relative

• Potential to mate and produce offspring

• Members of species shares genes
• Physical appearance
• Behavior
• How they live
• All living organisms share a common
molecule, ribonucleic acid (RNA) and
most also have deoxyribonucleic acid
(DNA)

• All species are descended from a single

common ancestor

• Species diverge and develop as time goes

by.
 EXTINCTION
• The end of existence of a group of
organisms, caused by their inability to
adapt to changing environmental
conditions.
 Role of Extinction in Evolution
• 99% of the species are extinct.

• Biologists regarded extinction as a

natural outcome of competition.

• New species evolve after the wave of

extinction.
 Extinction does not result
from evolution, but actually
causes it.
 Common Misconceptions

• Evolutionary theory is still, in some

cases, the cause of misconception.
Essential Questions
Why is biodiversity essential to the
health of the environment?

No other species lives independent of

other species. All species are
interdependent, connected in a web of
life that forms the foundation of the
ecosystem.
 How does human population growth
threaten diversity of life on Earth?

• Human population growth threatens

global biodiversity because of the ways
we alter natural ecosystems in our quest
for resources and habitat.
Which of the world’s ecosystems contain
the richest variety of plant and animal
life?

• The riches biodiversity is found near the

equator. Indonesia and equatorial South
America may support the highest
biodiversity on land.
 Are there still living species of mammals
or birds that remain to be discovered?
• A rodent, Tapecomys primus, was described
from the mountain forests of Bolivia.

• A bird, Scarlet-banded Barbet, was described

from a cloud forest in Peru.

• 95% of living birds and mammal species have

been discovered.
 What are the main reasons animals
become endangered today?

• Excessive hunting
• Exposure to pesticides and other pollutants
• Ongoing competition between species.
• Habitat loss as a result of human exploitation
and encroachment.
Does it make sense to save all species
from extinction?

• It would not be possible, or desirable, to

prevent the extinction of all species.

• Extinction can serve as an engine of evolution.