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Extinction's effect on the ecosystem:
Extinction's effect on the ecosystem:
The Philippine Forest Turtle has a diet of fish, crabs, freshwater shrimp, freshwater gastropods, algae, wild fruits, and figs (Diesmos et al., 2012). They play a vital part in helping plant forests. Philippine forest turtles dig tunnels in riverbanks, and this allows the soil to become more fertile. They also feed on vegetation, they distribute and germinate their seeds by defecating them (Formoso, 2018).
Without the Philippine Forest Turtle the population of fish, crabs, freshwater shrimp, and freshwater gastropods in the area would increase. On the other hand, the number of vegetation would decrease because the turtles aren’t there to fertilize the soil, as well as germinate and distribute their seeds. This may create an imbalance of the species within the area as the consumers rise in population whilst vegetation numbers decrease. Due to the high number of consumers, producers in the body of water won’t be able to keep up at the rate at which they are being eaten. On land, the dwindling population of vegetation won’t be able to keep up with the usual demand of its resources. The species richness within the area will eventually decrease as the consumers in water die out having eaten up all the resources. Vegetation on land will eventually decrease too as they can’t sufficiently multiply without the help of the turtles.
Affected organism as a result of the extinction:
Affected organism as a result of the extinction:
Philippine Fig (Ficus pseudopalma)
The Philippine Fig can be found around the Philippines, but they are most common in Luzon, and Palawan is located in Luzon (Fiscusplant, n.d.). The Philippine Fig and Philippine Forest Turtle have a mutual relationship. The turtles eat the fig’s fruit, and the figs benefit from this because when the turtles defecate the seeds from the fruit it allows the fig seeds to germinate and be distributed (Formoso, 2018). Without the Philippine Forest Turtle there would be a decrease in the Philippine Fig population and distribution.
Golden Apple Snail (Pomacea canaliculata)
The symbiotic relationship between the Philippine Forest Turtle and the Golden Apple Snail is Predation. An ongoing study shows how this relationship plays a vital role in reducing the snail’s population. It is important that the snail’s population stays low because the Golden Apple Snail is an invasive species that preys on rice fields (Formoso, 2018). This snail is a threat to farmers that need to sell rice for their livelihood. If the Philippine Forest Turtle goes extinct, then this pest snail will definitely rise in population and cause considerable damage to rice fields. Aside from the effect that the snail’s population would have on rice fields, the snail would also become a greater competitor for resources that other animals need and this poses a threat to species evenness in the area.
Yellow Fever Mosquito (Aedes aegypti)
Yellow Fever Mosquitoes are common in the tropics, which includes Palawan. These mosquitoes are responsible for spreading dengue (Khormi & Kumar, 2014). Philippine Forest Turtle hatchlings eat mosquito larvae, and this does well in keeping the mosquito’s population balanced (Formoso, 2018). In the event of the Philippine Forest Turtle’s extinction, areas would be infested with the Yellow Fever Mosquito and cases of dengue would likely rise around the area.
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