Marine Biodiversity Introduction

Question 1

Philippines is “_______________________” of marine biodiversity

Answer 1

“center of the center”

Question 2

Why is the Philippines considered such a center for marine life? What does this mean exactly? And what are some basic information on Philippine marine biodiversity?

Answer 2

The Philippines is part of the “Coral Triangle”, a region recognized as the global center of marine biodiversity. This area boasts an extraordinary concentration of marine species, making it a hotspot for marine life.

Question 3

an area of tremendous importance because it is recognized as the global center for marine biodiversity

Answer 3

“Coral Triangle”

Question 4

The region is called Coral Triangle due to the large number of corals in the area. But if the region is the center of global marine biodiversity, the center of this center is not other than the Philippines, and the Philippines’ marine resources are made up not just of coral reefs but “_____________, _________________, __________________, __________________, _________________, ___________________ and many others”

Answer 4

seagrass beds, mangrove and beach forests, fisheries, invertebrates, seaweeds, marine mammals

Question 5

Countries in the Coral Triangle

Answer 5

Philippines
Malaysia
Indonesia
Timor Leste
Papua New Guinea
Solomon Islands

Question 6

• The idea of being “the center of the center” came out of a study by _____________ and ______________ in 2005, where they noted that there is a higher concentration of species per unit area in the Philippines than anywhere else in this region.

Answer 6

Kent Carpenter and Victor Springer

Question 7

*The idea of being “the center of the center” came out of a study by Kent Carpenter and Victor Springer in 2005, where they noted that _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Answer 7

there is a higher concentration of species per unit area in the Philippines than anywhere else in this region.

Question 8

percent coverage of all coral species and of the world’s coral reefs in the Philippines

Answer 8

75%, 35%

Question 9

According to Philippines Fourth National Report to the Convention on Biological Diversity(2009), how rich is the Philippines (number of species)?

Answer 9

• 468 scleractinian corals,
• 1,755 reef-associated fishes,
• 648 species of mollusks,
• 19 species of seagrass and 820 species of algae

Question 10

According to _______________________, the Philippines has the second highest seagrass diversity in the world, second only to Australia.

Answer 10

(Fishbase 2008, BFAR-NFRDI-PAWB, 2005)

Question 11

(Fishbase 2008, BFAR-NFRDI-PAWB, 2005) indicate that Philippines harbors about ________ fish species (list still incomplete), _______ of which are considered commercially important

Answer 11

3,212
731

Question 12

Threats to Philippine marine biodiversity have been grouped into five major categories:

Answer 12

• chemical pollution and eutrophication,
• fisheries operations,
• habitat alteration,
• invasion of alien species and global climate change. * Primary threats are habitat loss due mostly to destructive human activities such as mining, logging, and hazardous and solid waste disposal.