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THOUGH a lot of species have already been discovered through
scientific explorations and studies, it is believed that 90 percent of life on
the planet is yet to be known.
Though the
Earth is just a pinprick of a planet in the universe, it is the only known
planet that supports life. Humans, the most intelligent form of life, have been
struggling to identify other life forms through scientific explorations. And
the Philippines, being considered as one of the most biologically diverse
countries in the world, has been a treasure trove of new species discoveries.
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The 2011 Philippine Biodiversity Expedition
AIMING to
conduct the first “comprehensive survey of both terrestrial and marine
diversity” in the Philippines, scientists, biologists, taxonomists, science
educators and students from the University of the Philippines (UP) and the
California Academy of Sciences (CAS) conducted the “2011 Philippine
Biodiversity Expedition” which explored the forests of Mount Makiling, Mount
Banahaw, Mount Isarog, the freshwater of Taal Lake, the shallow waters of
marine ecosystems of the Verde Island Passage in Mabini and Anilao, Batangas,
and the deep sea around Lubang Island, Mindoro.
The expedition
was funded by a generous $500,000 gift from Margaret and Will Hearst III of the
US as well as resources from the University of the Philippines.
From April 26
to June 8, 2011, the 94-member expedition team, including a group of American
and Filipino journalists, documented the sites’ biodiversity and discovered new
species. Dr. Terrence Gosliner, dean of the CAS, led the American team while
Dr. Perry Ong, director of the UP Diliman Institute of Biology and Dr. Edwino
Fernando of the UP Los Baños College of Forestry and Natural Resources, led the
Filipino contingent.
The expedition
was a baptism of fire for the then-newly installed administration of UP
President Alfredo Pascual, who was able to mobilize the university’s resources
to be actively involved in undertaking this international research
collaboration on an extremely urgent environmental issue, that of biodiversity
conservation. The 2011 Philippine Biodiversity Expedition is a reflection of
the priorities of what the university intends to pursue in the coming years.
On February 9,
2012, Dr. Gosliner presented a follow up report on the results of the
expedition at a forum held in UP Diliman.
“We were
inspired to conduct the study here in the Philippines not just because of its
biological richness but also because of the enthusiasm and receptivity to
conservation recommendations expressed by our Filipino partners,” said Dr.
Gosliner.
Discoveries
COMPRISED of more than 7,000 islands, the Philippines is home to
a wide variety of species. This was reaffirmed by the expedition with the
discovery of approximately 500 new species found in rainforests, coral reefs
and the ocean floor.
According to Dr. Gosliner, among the interesting species
discovered include a deep-sea, shrimp-eating shark that inflates its stomach
with water to bulk up and scare off other predators; a cicada that makes a
“laughing” call; three new lobster relatives that squeeze into crevices instead
of carrying shells on their backs; a worm-like pipefish that hides among
colonies of soft coral; a starfish that only eats sunken driftwood; and a crab
with needle-like teeth on its pincers.
To confirm that these species are indeed new to science,
scientists will now proceed to the next stage of exploration, using microscopes
and DNA sequencing to complete the species’ identification and ultimately to
publish these results.
The marine research team of the 2011 Philippine Biodiversity expedition
did not just find new species of octocorals, barnacles, annelids and other
marine life forms, but also a lot of waste polluting bodies of water and the
terrestrial research team of the Philippine Biodiversity Expedition identifies
and documents samples of flora and fauna found during the expedition. The team
explored the peaks of Mount Makiling, Mount Isarog and Mount Banahaw.
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