CARAGA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY

LEARNING MODULE

Learning Modules

in

NATS 202

People’s and Earth’s

Ecosystem

NATS 202 FOR CIT BSBA STUDENTS 1

JHON LLOYD Z. BANTIGUE
 CARAGA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
LEARNING MODULE

2.2 What keeps us and other Organisms alive?

As you go through this topic, you will be able to:

1. Identify the major components of Earth’s life support system.

2. Identify the three factors that sustain life on Earth.
3. Explain what will happen when solar energy reached the Earth surface.

4 Components of Earth’s Life-Support System

Scientific studies reveal that the earth’s life-support system consists of four main spherical
systems that interact with one another—the atmosphere (air), the hydrosphere (water), the
geosphere (rock, soil, sediment), and the biosphere (living things).

The atmosphere is a thin spherical envelope of gases surrounding the earth’s surface. Its
inner layer, the troposphere, extends only about 17 kilometers (11 miles) above sea level at the
tropics and about 7 kilometers (4 miles) above the earth’s north and south poles. It contains the
majority of the air that we breathe, consisting mostly of nitrogen (78% of the total volume) and
oxygen (21%). The remaining 1% of the air includes water vapor, carbon dioxide, and methane, all
of which are called greenhouse gases, because they trap heat and thus warm the lower
atmosphere. Almost all of the earth’s weather occurs in this layer.

The next layer, stretching 17–50 kilometers (11–31 miles) above the earth’s surface, is the
stratosphere. Its lower portion contains enough ozone (O3) gas to filter out most of the sun’s
harmful ultraviolet radiation. This global sunscreen allows life to exist on land and in the surface
layers of bodies of water.

The hydrosphere consists of all of the water on or near the earth’s surface. It is found as
liquid water (on the surface and underground), ice (polar ice, icebergs, and ice in frozen soil layers
called permafrost), and water vapor in the atmosphere. Most of this water is in the oceans, which
cover about 71% of the globe.

The geosphere consists of the earth’s intensely hot core, a thick mantle composed mostly
of rock, and a thin outer crust. Most of the geosphere is located in the earth’s interior. Its upper
portion contains nonrenewable fossil fuels and minerals that we use, as well as renewable soil
chemicals that organisms need in order to live, grow, and reproduce.

The biosphere occupies those parts of the atmosphere, hydrosphere, and geosphere
where life exists. This thin layer of the earth extends from about 9 kilometers (6 miles) above the
earth’s surface down to the bottom of the ocean, and it includes the lower part of the atmosphere,
most of the hydrosphere, and the uppermost part of the geosphere. If the earth were an apple, the
biosphere would be no thicker than the apple’s skin. The goal of ecology is to understand the
interactions in this thin layer of air, water, soil, and organisms.

NATS 202 FOR CIT BSBA STUDENTS 2

JHON LLOYD Z. BANTIGUE
 CARAGA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
LEARNING MODULE

Major Biomes of the World

Biologists have classified the terrestrial (land) portion of the biosphere into biomes— large
regions such as forests, deserts, and grasslands, with distinct climates and certain species
(especially vegetation) adapted to them.

Scientists divide the watery parts of the biosphere into aquatic life zones, each containing
numerous ecosystems. There are freshwater life zones (such as lakes and streams) and ocean or
marine life zones (such as coral reefs and coastal estuaries). The earth is mostly a water planet
with saltwater covering about 71% of its surface and freshwater covering just 2%.

Tundra ecosystem is a major zone of treeless region found in the Arctic Circle (Arctic
tundra) and on the tops of mountains (alpine tundra), where the climate is cold and windy and
rainfall is scant. Tundra lands are covered with snow for much of the year, but summer brings burst
of wildflowers. Tundra is known for largest stretches of bare ground and rock and for patchy
mantles of low vegetation such as mosses, lichens, herbs and small shrubs. This surface supports
a meager but unique variety of animals. The Finns called their treeless northern reaches the
tunturi, but the concept of a vast frozen plain as a special ecological realm called tundra was
developed by the Russians.

Boreal Forest or Taiga generally referred to in North America or snow forest. It is a biome
characterized by coniferous forests consisting mostly of pines, spruce, and larches. The taiga or
boreal forest is the world’s largest land biome. It occupies 17% of the Earth’s land surface area in a
circumpolar belt of the Northern Hemisphere. Plants and animals in the taiga are adapted to short
growing seasons of long days that vary from cool to warm. Winters are long and very cold, the
days are short, and a persistent snowpack is the norm. The taiga biomes of North America and
Eurasia display a number of similarities, even sharing some plant and animal species.

Temperate Forest is a forest found between the tropical and boreal regions, located in the
temperate zone. It is the second largest biome on the planet, covering 25% of the world’s forest
area, only behind the boreal forest, which covers 33%. These forests cover both hemispheres at
latitude ranging from 25 to 50 degrees, wrapping the planet in a belt similar to that of the boreal
forest. Due to its large size spanning several continents, there are several main types: deciduous,
coniferous, broadleaf and mixed forest and rainforest. Temperate forests are characterized as
regions with high levels of precipitation, humidity and a variety of deciduous trees. Deciduous trees
are those that lose their leaves in winter. Decreasing temperatures and shortened daylight hours in
fall mean decreased photosynthesis for plants. Bud new leaves in spring when warmer
temperatures and longer hours of daylight return.

Temperate grasslands are also called: prairies or steppes. Its temperatures tend to be
more extreme than the temperate forest. Temperate grasslands are characterized as having
grasses as the dominant vegetation. Trees and large shrubs are absent. Temperatures vary more
from summer to winter, and the amount of rainfall is less in temperature grasslands than in
savanna.

Deserts are located in regions between 5- and 30-degrees latitude. Environment is very
extreme. They have the highest average monthly temperature on Earth. Rainfall is sporadic;
precipitation may not be observed at all in a few years. In addition to these extreme environmental
and climate conditions, most tropical deserts are covered with sand and rocks, and thus too flat
and lacking in vegetation to block out the wind. Wind may erode and transport sand, rocks and
other materials; these are known as eolian processes. Landforms caused by winds erosion vary

NATS 202 FOR CIT BSBA STUDENTS 3

JHON LLOYD Z. BANTIGUE
 CARAGA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
LEARNING MODULE

greatly in characteristics and size. Representative landforms include depressions and pans,
yardangs, inverted topography and ventifacts. No significant population can survive in tropical
deserts due to extreme aridity, heat and paucity of vegetation; only specific flora and fauna with
special behavioral and physical mechanisms are supported. Although tropical deserts are
considered to be harsh and barren, they are in fact important sources of natural resources and play
a significant role in economic development.

Savanna or savannah is a type of grasslands biome and is sometimes called the tropical
grasslands. It is rolling grassland with scattered trees and shrubs. It has 2 distinct seasons in
regards to precipitation. There is rainy season in the summer with around 15 to 25 inches of rain
and a dry season in the winter when only a couple of inches of rain may fall. There are often large
herds of grazing animals on the savanna that thrive on the abundance of grass and trees. The
savanna stays pretty warm all year. It cools down some during the dry season, but stays warm and
humid during the rainy season.

Dry forests are most defined by their low amount of rain, and many by a “pulse rain
system, which means no predictable rainy season, and the rain that may come in unexpected small
or large burst at any month. Most of the remaining dry forests are located on Hawaii’s dry, leeward
coasts to mid-level elevation where rainfall is far less. Dry forests are also found to the South in
Puna and Ka’u and they are found on other islands as well as world-wide.

Tropical forests are forested landscapes in tropical regions: the land areas approximately
bounded by the tropic of Cancer and Capricorn, but possibly affected by other factors such as
prevailing winds. Tropical forests are extensive, making up just under half of the world’s forests.
The tropical domain has the largest proportion of the world’s forests (45 %) followed by the boreal,
temperate and subtropical domains.

NATS 202 FOR CIT BSBA STUDENTS 4

JHON LLOYD Z. BANTIGUE
 CARAGA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
LEARNING MODULE

Three Factors that Sustain Life on Earth

Life on Earth depends on three interconnected factors:

The cycling of matter or nutrients (the atoms, ions, and compounds needed for survival by
living organisms) through parts of the biosphere. Because the earth is closed to significant inputs
of matter from space, its essentially fixed supply of nutrients must be continually recycled to
support life. Nutrient movements in ecosystems and in the biosphere are round-trips, which can
take from seconds to centuries to complete. The law of conservation of matter governs this
nutrient cycling process.

The one-way flow of high-quality energy from the sun, through living things in their
feeding interactions, into the environment as low-quality energy (mostly heat dispersed into air
or water at a low temperature), and eventually back into space as heat. No round-trips are allowed
because high- quality energy cannot be recycled. The first and second laws of
thermodynamics govern this energy flow.

NATS 202 FOR CIT BSBA STUDENTS 5

JHON LLOYD Z. BANTIGUE
 CARAGA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
LEARNING MODULE

Gravity, which allows the planet to hold onto its atmosphere and helps to enable the
movement and cycling of chemicals through the air, water, soil, and organisms.

What happens to Solar Energy reaching the Earth?

Millions of kilometers from the earth, in the immense nuclear fusion reactor that is the sun,
nuclei of hydrogen fuse together to form larger helium nuclei , releasing tremendous
amounts of energy into space. Only a very small amount of this output of energy reaches the
earth—a tiny sphere in the vastness of space. This energy reaches the earth in the form of
electromagnetic waves, mostly as visible light, ultraviolet (UV) radiation, and heat (infrared
radiation). Much of this energy is absorbed or reflected back into space by the earth’s
atmosphere, clouds, and surface. Ozone gas (O3) in the lower stratosphere absorbs about 95% of
the sun’s harmful incoming UV radiation. Without this ozone layer, life as we know it on the land
and in the upper layer of water would not exist.

The UV, visible, and infrared energy that reaches the atmosphere lights the earth
during daytime, warms the air, and evaporates and cycles water through the biosphere.
Approximately 1% of this incoming energy generates winds. Green plants, algae, and some
types of bacteria use less than 0.1% of it to produce the nutrients they need through
photosynthesis and in turn to feed animals that eat plants and flesh.

Of the total solar radiation intercepted by the earth, about 1% reaches the earth’s
surface, and most of it is then reflected as longer-wavelength infrared radiation. As this infrared
radiation travels back up through the lower atmosphere toward space, it encounters greenhouse
gases such as water vapor, carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, and ozone. It causes these
gaseous molecules to vibrate and release infrared radiation with even longer wavelengths. The
vibrating gaseous molecules then have higher kinetic energy, which helps to warm the lower
atmosphere and the earth’s surface. Without this natural greenhouse effect, the earth would be too
cold to support the forms of life we find here today.

Human activities add greenhouse gases to the atmosphere. For example, burning carbon-
containing fuels releases huge amounts of carbon dioxide (CO2) into the atmosphere. Growing
crops and raising livestock release large amounts of methane (CH4) and nitrous oxide
(N2O). Clearing CO2-absorbing tropical rain forests (Core Case Study) faster than they can grow
back also increases the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere. There is considerable and
growing evidence that these activities are increasing the natural greenhouse effect and
warming the earth’s atmosphere. This in turn is changing the earth’s climate.

NATS 202 FOR CIT BSBA STUDENTS 6

JHON LLOYD Z. BANTIGUE
 CARAGA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
LEARNING MODULE

Self – Check 2
Arrange the internal structure of the Earth from outer surface to inner surface: I.
Lower mantle IV. Crust I. Outer core V. Upper mantle III. Inner core
MULTIPLE CHOICE
Choose the best answer form each statement below.
1.
a. III, II, IV, I, V c. III, IV, II, I, V
b. IV, I, III, II, V d. IV, V, I, II, III
2. It extends only about 17 kilometers (11 miles) above sea level at the tropics and
about 7 kilometers (4 miles) above the earth’s north and south poles.
a. Atmosphere c. Hydrosphere
b. Troposphere d. Exosphere
3. Which of the following gases are included in greenhouse gas.
a. CO2, CH4, N2O, H2O c. CO2, CH2, N2O, H2O
b. CO2, CH2, N2O, SO2 d. CO2, CH2, H2CO3, SO2
4. Also called Earth's sunscreen
a. Ozone layer c. Greenhouse effect
b. Ultraviolet Radiation d. Trees
5.Consists of the earth’s intensely hot core, a thick mantle composed mostly of rock,
and a thin outer crust.
a. Mantle c. Inner Core
b. Outer Core d. Geosphere
6.What is the goal of ecology?
a. To attain the knowledge and understanding of the earth and of its history.
b. To understand how and why human behavior has changed over time.
c. To understand the interactions in this thin layer of air, water, soil, and organisms.
d. To response to the need to understand the complex water systems of the Earth and help
solve water problems.

NATS 202 FOR CIT BSBA STUDENTS 7

JHON LLOYD Z. BANTIGUE