1

MODULE 1 3
EARTH’S ECOLOGY Weeks

Introduction
There are lot of questions that need to be answer about our ecosystem. One
question is on how does a particular species often deal with their habitat or other
organisms that surrounds them.
In this module, you will be made to study how organisms interact in the
communities and ecosystems and learn how to take part in the conservation of
these species and their habitats.
The interaction of these organisms creates fascination among scientists
specially ecologists who tries to attempt to discover and explain the importance of
a particular species in the environment.
This module consists of three lessons namely:
Lesson 1: Earth’s Ecosystem
Lesson 2: Energy in the Ecosystem
Lesson 3: Biogeochemical Cycle
You are expected to be in class as scheduled to discuss answers to practic-
es set, assigned topics for readings and discussions and activities.
For every activity always follow the steps of the scientific process.
For the exploratory activities, you are required to make a visual display or
presentation and clear verbal presentation. Make sure your presentation:
 Has a logical and coherent introduction, body and conclusion.
 Completed within the allocated time.

Module Objectives
At the end of this module, you will be able to:
1. Express understanding of the complex interactions of humans and
ecosystem in the world.
2. Enumerate the biotic and abiotic factors that contributes to the sur-
vival of an organisms.
 2

Lesson 1

EARTH’S ECOSYSTEM
WEEK 3
HOURS
Lesson Outcomes 1

At the end of this lesson, you will be able to:

1. Discuss the concepts, types and basic
structures of ecosystem.
2. Differentiate the biotic and abiotic factors
of the ecosystem.

Explore Form a hypothesis:

Why do plants and animals live in a certain places? How does the amount of
sunlight affect different organisms? Write your hypothesis in the form “If
plants and other photosynthetic organisms needs lot of sunlight, then……”
Test your hypothesis:
Materials
Experiment: Select areas to study. Chose one ar- Spade or Trowel
ea that receives lots of sunlight and another area
4 small sticks
that receives only little sunlight. Mark of 2 x 2
meter plot in each area with sticks and strings. Measuring stick

Measure: Measure the air temperature at ground String

level and at 1 meter above ground level in each Thermometer
area. Graph paper
Record Data: Using graph paper record the loca- Safety googles
tions of the living things in each area. What kind
Field guide
of organisms do you see?
(based on Wolftree Ecology Field Guide)
Draw Conclusion:
Compare your observations about the two areas. How do the temperature dif-
fer? Which area contains more living things? Make a statement about the ef-
fect of sunlight on the ecosystem.
 3

Explore More
Make a prediction on how water in an ecosystem affects living things? How
have people affected the ecosystem?

Read and Learn

Ecology
- from the Greek Work “oikos” which mean “house”
- it is the study of houses or habitats or more broadly, of organisms and
their relationships to their environment (Wolftree Ecology Field Guide).
- Modern scientist defines it as the study of the structure and function of
nature.

Ecosystem
- ecosystem includes all the different organisms living in a certain area
along with their physical environment.
- “Eco” refers to environment, while “system” refers to a collection of related
parts that works as a whole.

Parts of the Ecosystem

- Abiotic or the non-living
 This term in-
cludes the
prefix “a”
which means
“not” or
“without”.
- Biotic or the living
 This term in-
cludes the
root tip “bio”,
which means
living.
 4

General Characteristics of an Ecosystem (Smith)

1. The ecosystem is a major structural and functional unit of ecology.
2. The structure of an ecosystem is related to its species diversity.
3. The relative amount of energy required to maintain an ecosystem depends
on its structure.
4. The function of the ecosystem is related to energy flow in material cycling
through and within the system.
5. Ecosystems mature by passing from fewer complexes to more complex
states.
6. Both environment and the energy fixation in any given ecosystem are lim-
ited.
7. Alterations in the environment represent selective pressures upon the popu-
lation to which it must adjust.
Aspects of Ecosystem
1. Structural Aspect
a. Description of the arrangement
b. Types and numbers of species and their life histories
2. Functional Aspect
a. Flow of energy
b. Cycling of materials
Relationships among organisms
1. Effects
2. Competition
3. Neutralism
4. Protoco-operation and mutualism
Other kinds of Relationship
- Species may aggregate or separate or show random relationships to one
another.
 5

Components of an Ecosystem
Major components of an ecosystem are:
- Solar Energy
- Producers (Plants)
- Consumers (of Plants, Insects, and Animals)
- Decomposers (Bacteria and Fungi)
- Nutrients (Important for growth—carbon dioxide, oxygen, nitrogen,
minerals)

Figure 1: The Structure and Function of an Ecosystem

Posted by Keshav Jain in Ecology, Environment, General Knowledge .Oct. 2016. http://
myscienceschool.org/index.php?/archives/999-What-are-the-four-elements-of-an-ecosystem.html
 6

Species and their Natural Habitat

Species
- the smallest unit of classification for
biological organisms.
Individuals
- species that are alike in structure
and functions. Individual of the same spe-
cies can breed with each other.
Habitat
- the place where an organism can
Bo h o l Ta rsiers (T ars ius
meet the need of specific conditions to sur-
Syrichta) measures 4 to 5 inch-
vive and reproduce. The structure of a habi-
es and is considered as the
tat describes the shape, size and placement
world’s smallest primate. Its
of abiotic and biotic features of an ecosys-
size is no longer than an adult
tem.
man’s hand and weigh only
about 113 to 142 grams or four
Levels of Ecological Organization to five ounces. The primate be-
longs to the more primitive sub
- it shows how organisms interact with
-order Prosimii or prosimian
each other and with their environments.
that dates back 45 million
- Population: all the individuals of a years.
single species inhabiting a certain area.
Bohol Philippines Travel Guide
Community: all the populations of different
https://www.bohol-
species that share an area.
philippines.com/tarsiers.html
-Ecosystem: community along with
the nonliving elements of the forest (like
soil, water, sunlight)
-Biome: ecosystems around the planet
with similar characteristics.
-Biosphere: all the biomes on Earth.
 7

Figure 2: Levels of Ecological Organization

Picture taken from the PowerPoint presentation published by Todd Bailey. https://
slideplayer.com/slide/10947568/

Niches
- it is the way of life or the role a species pursues within its habitat.
- An organism’s niche is composed of both biotic and abiotic parts.
- Biotic factors that defines a niche are food sources and predators.
- Abiotic factors are the amount of sunlight and water.
- Within a niche, a species satisfies its basic needs in four specific catego-
ries:
 Food
 Water
 Shelter
 Reproduction
- An organism’s niche includes how much water it needs, what it eats,
where it lives, what it uses for shelter from enemies and the elements, when and
how it reproduces, how its young and such factors makes up its life.

QUICK CHECK!!!
What do you think will
happens when two spe-
cies try to share the same
niche in the same habi-
tat?
 8

Ecological Disturbances
- A change in an ecosystem caused by an event that disrupts or changes all
or part of an ecosystem.
- It can have many effects on both the abiotic, non-living, and biotic living.
Ecosystem Change
- Its an event that cause disturbances that alter the structure and function
of ecosystems. This will cause changes with the species present in the ecosystem,
the size and stability of populations, and area where communities are located.
- Some organisms will thrive in a changed area, others will be displaced or
killed.
- When studying ecological disturbances consider the following:
 Type of disturbances
 Intensity or how severe the changes or destruction
 Frequency or how often it occurs
- The types, intensities, and frequencies of past disturbance events will pro-
vide information about why an ecosystem looks the way it does today.
- Evidences of Disturbances
 Charcoal in soil
 Jagged edged stumps
 Compacted soil
 Fresh sand or silt deposits
 Rounded rocks
 Single plant species in the forest
 Burn scars on trees
 Numerous snags
 Pole-sized trees bent over
 Group of dead or dying trees
 Debris in streamside vegetation
 Ash and pumice mixed in soil
 Even-aged trees
 Tree tops missing
 9

Lesson Review
Name: ________________________________________ Date: ________________
Year & Section: ______________________________ Score: _______________

THINK, TALK AND WRITE

Main Idea: What is difference between biotic and abiotic factors?
Test Practice:
1. Which of the following is an abiotic factor?
A. Plants B. Animals C. Sunlight D. People
2. A habitat is
A. A place to buy our needs
B. The same as an ecosystem
C. A particular are inhabited by organisms
D. Number of organisms living in a specific area
3. All the non-living factors in the ecosystems is referred as
A. The community C. Abiotic Factor
B. Biotic Factors D. Biomes
4. The physical location of an ecosystem in which a species lives.
A. Habitat B. Niche C. Biotic Zone D. Tropical level
5. Which of the following would be a biotic factor in an ecosystem?
A. Bacteria B. Soil C. Temperature D. Rainfall

EXPOSITORY WRITING
Research an endangered species (animal or plants) in or near the ecosys-
tem in which you live. What factors contribute to the extinction of this
species in your community.
 10

Lesson 2

ENERGY IN THE ECOSYSTEM

WEEK 3
HOURS
Lesson Outcomes 2

At the end of this lesson, you will be able to:

1. Make a thorough observations of how the
energy flows in the ecosystem.
2. Make contributions to the construction of
a food chain and a food web.

Explore How can you model a food chain?

Make a prediction Materials
What would a food chain of 20 organisms look Top half of empty bottle
like? Would it be linear? Write your answer as a Yarn
prediction in the form of 20 animals were made
Construction Paper
into a food chain, then it would be like….
Hole Punch
Test your prediction
Scissor
1. Cut construction paper into 20 rectangles.
Write the names of the eight producers, six animals that eat the producers,
four animals that eat the plant eaters, and two animals that eat the ani-
mals that that eat the plant eaters. Make a hole in each rectangle.
2. Make a model. Cover the top of the soda bottle with construction paper.
This will be the sun. Punch eight holes around the rim. Attach a piece of
yarn to each of the eight producers. Attach the other ends to the soda bot-
tle. Using yarn, link each plant-eating animals to a producer. Continue by
linking the animals that eat the plant eaters to the plant-eating animals.
Only one animal may be attached to a food source.
Draw conclusion
3. Observe: How many levels are in your model? What happens to the number
 11

of organisms in each level as you move away from the Sun?

4. Predict. What would happen to the number of plant eaters if a drought de-
stroyed the plants? What happens to the animal population?

Explore More
What changes might occur in an ecosystem into which the predators move?
Make a prediction and test it. Then analyze and present your results.

Read and Learn

Energy and matter are transformed from one organism to another in food
chains and food webs. In this lesson, we will survey aspects of energy flow and
material recycling within ecosystem.
Matter
- everything that takes up space and has mass. With three interchangeable
physical forms or phase: solid, liquid, gas.
- it is transformed and combined in different ways, but it doesn’t disappear
Energy
- It is the capacity to do work, such as moving matter over a distance. It can
take many forms like heat energy and chemical energy.
Energy in the Living System
- Energy is the ability to do work, the first law of thermodynamics describes
behavior of energy and energy may be transformed from one type to another but
never created or destroyed. The energy that an organisms uses for its work comes
from the breakdown of organic molecules within cells.
- Major Categories of the trophic level
a. Producers or Autotrophs—mainly green plants, photosynthetic or they
produce their own food from simple inorganic materials.
b. Consumers or Heterotrophs—these are animals and other organisms
like fungi and bacteria which cannot make their own foods directly
from simple inorganic materials they take in food that is already
formed by eating plants or other animals. If the organism consume
plants they are called herbivores or primary consumers. If they obtain
their food by eating other animals they are called carnivorous or sec-
ondary or tertiary consumers.
 12

c. Decomposers– these are dead animal, plants and excretes their own food.
They break down dead organisms into simpler substances. Some of these sub-
stances are absorbed by the decomposers and others returned to the environ-
ment.

QUICK CHECK!!!

How do the consum-

ers get the energy
they need to survive?

Various Types of Energy

a. Gross Energy Intake—this is the food that the animal eats and contain cer-
tain amount of stored energy.
b. Excretory Energy—the process of digestion and assimilation is not 100% ef-
ficient, other energy is lost in feces. The undigested, unassimilated and ex-
cretory fractions are lumped together and called excretory energy.
c. Existence Energy—energy remaining is essentially all the energy that the
animal has to perform all its work. This is the certain amount of energy re-
quired by the animal just for existence.
d. Productive Energy—the amount by which gross energy intake is greater that
existence plus excretory energy used for growing, mating, nest budding or
simply playing.

Food Chain, Food Webs, Trophic Structure and Ecological Pyramids

Food Chain
- the transfer of energy from plants through a series of organisms.
- in a food chain, producers absorb the Sun’s energy and pass it on to con-
sumers and decomposers.
- the path by which organisms travel may be short and simple or long or
complicated.
 13

QUICK LAB……
1. Keep log of everything you eat for one day.
2. Classify: Determine the food whether it is a producer or a consumer.
3. Classify: Which food did you list as consumers?
4. Select two foods from the consumer group and draw a possible food chain
for each. Do not forget yourself. Did you include decomposers in your food
chain? Where do they fit?

Types of Food Chain

1. Grazing Food Chain
- starts with green plants base to grazing herbivores and then on car-
nivores.
2. Detrital Food Chain
- goes from dead organisms or organic matter into microorganisms
then to detritus feeding organisms and their predators.

Links in the Food Chain

1. Primary Consumer—organisms that eat producers, they are the second
link in the food chain after the producer.
2. Secondary Consumer– organisms that eat the primary consumer to gain
energy. They make up the third link in the food chain.
3. Tertiary Consumer—they are the top predator in the food chain. They
usually many producers and few tertiary consumer.
 Decomposer are present throughout the food chain to break down the
remains of dead plant and animals. The remains of these plants and ani-
mals breaks down into nutrients which can be useful to the producers.
This will complete the cycle and allows another food chain to begin.
 14

Food Web
- a food web is a series of overlapping food chains.
- it shows the roles and relationships of among all the species in an ecosys-
tem.
- Herbivores
 Primary consumers or animals that eat producers.
 On land, herbivores have flat-edged teeth in front of their mouth for
tearing plant materials.
- Carnivores
 These are secondary and tertiary consumers, animals that eat other
animals.
 Some carnivores rip into prey with their sharp incisors and canine
teeth or with their beaks.
- Omnivores
 These are animals that eat both producers and consumers.
- Predators
 Animals that eat hunt and kill other living things for food.
 The animals they hunt are the prey.
- Scavengers
 They seek out the remains of dead organisms to eat. They eat meat
without hunting or killing the prey.

QUICK CHECK!!!

Which roles in a food

web could people
play?
 15

Marine Food Web

- marine food web also begins with a producers, in the ocean, these are the
phytoplankton.
- Phytoplankton depend on sunlight to carry out photosynthesis.
- The size of their population depends on the sunlight that can penetrates
the water.
- Ocean is divided into different areas depending on the amount of sunlight
that receive and the water temperature.
 Intertidal Zone—the area of the ocean at the edge of the land. This ar-
ea is affected by changes in high and low tides. This zone supports a
variety of organisms.
 Ocean Zone—from just beyond the low-tide line to the point where the
ocean begins is an area where sunlight penetrates and water are
calmers. It is where you can find some of the world’s magnificent un-
derwater habitat. This is also a region of complex food webs with
predators and many types of prey at every feeding level. In the open
ocean lies the three main zones these are:
 Top or sunlight—zone that reaches from the surface down to
about 200 meters or 656 feet. Plankton live near the surface
where there is light. Other marine organisms like squid, octo-
pus, whales, fish and other marine organisms feed on the
plankton.
Twilightzone—this is between 200 meters to 1000 meters, the
zone where it is dark and cold with little food available. Marine
organisms that live in this zone have adapted to this condition.
Midnight zone—marine organisms that grows and live here
are eyeless. Totally dark and no photosynthetic organisms can
live here.

QUICK CHECK!!!

What do land food

webs and marine
food webs have in
common?
 16

Energy Pyramid
- a model that shows how energy moves through a food chain.
- producers always make up the base of the pyramid.
- indicates reduction in the availability of energy between different trophic
levels. Greater amount energy by respiration increases progressively from lower to
higher trophic level.

Pyramid of Numbers
- it illustrates population density relationship within and between the
trophic levels.

Pyramid of Biomass
- it shows a decrease in the biomass from the higher trophic levels.

QUICK CHECK!!!

What would happen if

resources decreased
in a location?

NOTES:
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
 17

Lesson Review

Name: ________________________________________ Date: ________________

Year & Section: ______________________________ Score: _______________

THINK, TALK AND WRITE

Compare and Contrast: Make a Venn Diagram that shows how scaven-
gers differ from a decomposer.
Critical Thinking: Explain why a food web tells us more about an ecosys-
tem than a food chain.

EXPOSITORY WRITING
Research an issue that affects Earth’s ecosystem. Write and record a pub-
lic –service announcement to state your position on the issue.
 18

Lesson 3

EARTH’S CYCLE
WEEK 3
HOURS
Lesson Outcomes 3

At the end of this lesson, you will be able to:

1. Describe the different biogeochemical cy-
cles in the environment.
2. Describe water cycle, carbon cycle, nitro-
gen cycle, and phosphorous cycle.

Explore How does water recycle itself?

Make a prediction:
What will happen to a soil if it is moistened with Materials
water and then placed under the heat source?
Empty soda bottle cut in-
Test your prediction: to half with cap
1. Place about 4 inches of soil in the bottom half Soil
of the soda bottle.
Water spray bottle
2. Spray the soil with water so that it moist but
Lamp or window with
not wet.
sunlight
3. Secure the top half of the soda bottle over the
bottom half. Use tape if necessary.
4. Observe. Place the bottle under a lamp or in direct sunlight. Observe it eve-
ry 10 minutes for a class period. Write down your observation. Observe the
bottle again on the second day. Write down your observations.
5. Draw Conclusion: What did you see on the first day? What did you see the
second day?
6. What was the source of the water? What was the source of the energy that
cause the changes in the bottle?
7. Observe what happened to the water?
 19

Explore More
What happen if you added some small plants to the bottle? Some small
rocks? What might happen if you added more heat or placed the bottle in
the shade?

Read and Learn

Hydrological Cycle
- the continuous movement of water between Earth’s surface and the air.
- it works because water can change from a solid to a liquid to a gas and
back again.
- the energy from the sun powers the water cycle.
- when the sun heats the water from the ocean, lakes, rivers, and ponds
causes evaporation the process in which liquid changes into a gas. Condensation
is the process by which a gas exchange into a liquid. Droplets of condensed water
accumulates in the clouds. When the droplets became heavy, they fall to earth’s
surface in form of a precipitation, in a form of any water (snow, rain, sleet or hail).
When water hits the Earth’s surface it may soak into the ground and be stored as
groundwater in a process called collection. About 85% of the water that evaporates
on Earth comes from the ocean. Water evaporates from both freshwater and salt-
water but the precipitation that falls back into the Earth is fresh water. The salt is
left behind when salt water evaporates.
Figure 3: The Water Cy-
cle
Prof. Leila Farhadi –
Remote Sensing and
Computer Modelling: Un-
derstanding the Dynamic
Water . https://
www.scientia.global/
professor-leila-farhadi-
remote-sensing-computer-
modelling-understanding-
the-dynamic-water-
cycle/
 20

The Carbon Cycle

- carbon is one of the element that makes up living things.
- it is the process which carbon is recycled between the atmosphere and liv-
ing things.
- evidences shows that a build up of gases such as carbon dioxide, nitric
oxide and methane trap heat that normally would escape from Earth’s atmos-
phere which is known as greenhouse gases. This process leads to global warming.
- Scientists predicted that the continuous increase of temperature on Earth
will lead to many problems, such as melting of the polar ice caps which can cause
sea level rise up and flood.
Carbon and Life
- carbon is stored in molecules of living and dead organisms, in organic
matter in soil, in the air as Carbon dioxide and in fossil fuels. Dissolved carbon
dioxide can be found also in the ocean and in the shells of some marine organ-
isms.

Figure 4: The Carbon Cycle. TERC Earth Labs: Climate and the Carbon Cycle.
https://serc.carleton.edu/eslabs/carbon/index.html
 21

The Nitrogen Cycle

- it is the continuous trapping of nitrogen gas into compounds in the soil
and the returning of nitrogen gas to the air.
- the Earth’s atmosphere is 78% nitrogen. However, plants and animals
cannot use nitrogen in this form. Plants must get nitrogen from nitrogen com-
pound in the soil that have been made usable. Animals get nitrogen in the same
way they get energy—by eating plants and animals that consume nitrogen.
Uses of Nitrogen
- Lightning can change the nitrogen found in the atmosphere into a water
soluble compound that dissolves in rainwater to form nitric acid. Small amount of
nitrogen is absorbed into the soil this way.
- Rest of the nitrogen in soil comes from certain bacteria, Nitrogen-fixing
bacteria which live in the roots of beans, peas, and peanuts and can extract nitro-
gen from the air. Other bacteria converts the nitrogen into usable compounds like
nitrates and nitrites which is absorbed by the plants and used them to make pro-
teins. Proteins are passed along when animals eat plants and one another. When
plants and animals die, the nitrogen from their remains returns to the soil when
bacteria break it down into nitrogen gas. These bacteria return about the same
amount of nitrogen to the air as other bacteria take from the air, keeping the na-
ture balance.

Figure 5: The Nitrogen Cycle

ACS Distance Education https:/www.studyacs.com/blog-nitrogen-cycle-37.aspx
 22

QUICK CHECK!!!

Why do some people

uses manure, or raw
animal wastes, in
their gardens?

Phosphorus Cycle
- Rocks, water, soil, and sediments constitute the primary nonliving sources
of phosphorus, whereas plants and animals form the major living sources.
- there are five steps of phosphorus cycle, these are:
 Weathering. This is the first step of the phosphorus cycle where phos-
phates found in the sedimentary rocks as PO43-, are leached out of
the disintegrated rocks from its various environmental sources in the
form of inorganic phosphate ions. Other than weathering, volcanic
ash, aerosols, and mineral dust also serve as other significant phos-
phate sources.
 Mineralization by plants. Plants absorb organic phosphorus present
in soil and underground water and convert them to inorganic forms
for utilization is called mineralization. The aquatic plants absorb inor-
ganic phosphorus from lower layers of water bodies due to their low
solubility in water.
 Assimilation by animals. Herbivorous and carnivorous animals, in-
cluding humans, absorb phosphorus when they consume these
plants for their food, a process known as assimilation. Besides, ani-
mals obtain phosphorus directly from drinking water.
 Decomposition by microorganisms. Microorganisms such as bacteria
and fungi decompose organic phosphates back into the inorganic
form, which is then returned to the soil and water bodies. Phospho-
rus-containing compounds may also be carried in the surface runoff
to rivers, lakes, and oceans to form sediments.
 Geological uplift by tectonic movements. Over long periods, sedimen-
tary rocks containing phosphorus may be moved from the ocean to
the land by a process called geological uplift.
 23

Figure 6: Phosphorus Cycle

ScienceFacts.net https://www.sciencefacts.net/phosphorus-cycle.html

NOTES:
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
 24

Lesson Review

Name: ________________________________________ Date: ________________

Year & Section: ______________________________ Score: _______________

THINK, TALK AND WRITE

Critical Thinking:
 Explain why the cycles play an important role in the environment.
 What would happen if Earth become much warmer?
 Think of ways on how you could reduce the amount of phosphorus in the
environment.
EXPOSITORY WRITING
Research a local environmental problem that is related to water or air. How
does this problem results from human activities?
 25

MODULE REVIEW
SUMMARY
 Ecology, the study of the interactions among different types of organ-
isms, and between organisms and their physical environment.
 Ecosystems are areas where living things and non-living things interact
with each other.
 The environment is organized into five layers of organisms, these are the
individual species, population, community, ecosystem, and biosphere.
And this is sometimes alter due to ecological disturbances having a
wide effect to the biotic and abiotic factor.
 Food Chain is the transfer of energy from plants through a series of oth-
er organisms.
 Food Web are interconnected food chains that shows patterns of energy
flow.
 Trophic level shows how organisms obtained foods from plants by the
same number of stops which is represented by links of food chain in the
trophic level.
 Biogeochemical cycles shows how each materials transfer from the or-
ganisms to their environment and back to the organisms.

REFERENCES
Miller, Tyler G, Scott, Spoolman. Introduction to Environmental Science. Cen-
cage Learning: Singapore. 2009
Catchillar, Gerry C. Fundamentals of Environmental Science. National
Bookstore: Mandaluyong City. 2008
Miller, Tyler G. Environmental Science. Thomson Learning: Singapore. 2006
Tayo, Gilma T, Gascon, Cecilla N. et.al. Fundamentals of Environmental Sci-
ence. Trinitas Pub. Inc., Meycauayan, Bulacan. 2004
Botking, Daniel B., Keller, Edward A. Environmental Science 4th Ed. John
Wiley & Sons Inc., New York. 2003
_______________. Environmental Science: A Study of Relationships. 7th Ed.
2000
 26

MODULE REVIEW

Name: ________________________________________ Date: ________________

Year & Section: ______________________________ Score: _______________

TEST PRACTICE: Modified True or False (45 minutes)

A. Indicate whether the statement is true or false. If false, change the
identified word or phrase to make the statement true.
1. What is ecology? - The study of interactions between organisms and
their environment.
2. A habitat is the abiotic part of an ecosystem.
3. At a party. You eat a scrumptious meal of beef, green beans, ham and
cake. Beef is where the most energy efficient.
4. In the ground is where most of the phosphorous stored in an ecosys-
tem.
5. Temperature, light, air, water, soil, and climate are all abiotic parts of
the environment.
6. A species is a way of describing all the living parts of the ecosystem.
7. Ecosystem is the relationship among the biotic parts of the environ-
ment.
8. When populations share their environment and interact with popula-
tions of other species, it is called community.
9. Niche is a space where an organisms lives and the role an organisms
plays within its ecosystem.
10. Carnivore is an organism that creates its own food.
11. Consumer is an organism that does not need food to survive.
12.The following two organisms: plants and phytoplankton are produc-
ers.
 27

MODULE REVIEW

TEST PRACTICE: continuation….

13. A food web is more realistic than a food chain for showing the feeding
relationships in ecosystem because it shows that producers are usually eat-
en by many different consumers and consumers are usually eaten by more
than one predator.
14. Decomposer is NOT an abiotic factor.
15. Plants or animals facing imminent extinction is said to be threatened.

B. Draw an energy flow in the ecosystem.

 28

ENRICHMENT ACTIVITY
BUILD A TERRARIUM
Objective: To create a model ecosystem.
Materials:
 Glass Container (clear not colored glass).
Contents:
Living Things:
 Plants. Small and can thrive inside the room.
 Animals: At least two different animals that have relationship when
it comes to food chain. Can be observed and live inside the con-
tainer for weeks.
Non-Living Things:
 Soil: Loam to sandy loam. Moist
 Rocks and Pebbles. Small. Different Colors.
 Water. Permanent source of clean water for the animal
 Artificial Source of Light
Arrangement and Lay-out Designs
 Plan. Approved lay-out plan with justification for placement of item.
 There should be permanent source of water, food and fresh air.
 Resemblance to actual ecosystem.
Assessment
Points Allotted: The completed products will be given a total of 100 points
using rubric.
 29

PERFORMANCE ASSESSMENT
RUBRIC

Level 1: Be- Level 2: Mas- Level 3: Ex-

Criteria Score
ginner ter pert

Transparent
and made out
Transparent of recycled
With correct and with cor- materials, in
Appropriate- design but not rect design any shaped
ness of con- transparent and dimen- using re-
tainer incorrect di- sion but not quired dimen-
mension from recycled sions, with
materials design at the
base and cov-
er only

Use small
Use small
plants and at
Appropriate- plants and
Use only least two
ness of the small animals
small plants small animals
chosen living but with no
or animals with symbi-
things symbiotic re-
otic relation-
lationship
ship

Use loam or Use loam to

Completeness Use other type sandy loam sandy loam
of the non- of soil and no soil with peb- soil with peb-
living things water bles and no bles and wa-
water ter

Layout and Lay-out and

Layout and
design resem- design are
design do not
Visual Appeal ble an ecosys- attractive like
resemble an
tem with min- real ecosys-
ecosystem
imal flaws tem

Submitted Submitted Submitted on

Promptness of
two days after one day after or before the
submission
the deadline the deadline deadline

Scoring guide:
Level 3 = 25 Level 2 = 15 Level 1 = 10
 30

MODULE 2 2
PEOPLE AND THE EARTH Weeks

Introduction
Humans became the most numerous vertebrae species on earth and widely
distributed and have the biggest environmental impact than any other species.
Now a days it become the biggest cause of resources depletion and environmental
degradation. And this fears leads world leaders to come up with programs which
to reduce fertility rates and eventually stabilize the total number of humans.
Whether human populations continues to grow, the biggest question now is
the implications of this growth for environmental quality and human life.
This module consists of two lessons namely:
Lesson 1: Population distribution and growth
Lesson 2: Human population challenges and issues
You are expected to be in class as scheduled to discuss answers to practic-
es set, assigned topics for readings and discussions and activities.
For every activity always follow the steps of the scientific process.
For the exploratory activities, you are required to make a visual display or
presentation and clear verbal presentation. Make sure your presentation:
 Has a logical and coherent introduction, body and conclusion.
 Completed within the allocated time.

Module Objectives
At the end of this module, you will be able to:
1. Understand the role of the people in the development of the environ-
ment.
2. Discuss the impact of the people to the environment.
 31

Lesson 1
POPULATION DISTRIBUTION & GROWTH

WEEK 3
HOURS
Lesson Outcomes 4

At the end of this lesson, you will be able to:

1. Discuss the carrying capacity, characteris-
tics and population age distribution.
2. Discuss and understand what is overpopu-
lation and its impact to the environment.

Explore
Investigate our Environment
1. Research about the current number of people in your community. Gather
the pertinent information such as age structure, etc.
2. Create a population pyramid that shows a country with the largest number
of COVID 19 Death.

Read and Learn

Carrying capacity
- the number of individuals of a species that can survive in that area over
time.
- four broad categories of factors that determine the carrying capacity for a
population:
1. Availability of raw materials.
2. Availability of energy.
3. Accumulation of waste products and mean of disposal.
4. Interactions among organisms.
 32

Population Characteristics
Population
- a group of individuals of the same species inhabiting an area.
- characteristic of a population are:
1. Natality
2. Mortality
3. Sex ratio
4. Age distribution
5. Growth rates
6. Special distribution

Natality or Birth rate

- refers to the number of individuals added to the population through repro-
duction. It is the number of individuals born per one thousand individuals in the
population per year.
- it is expressed in this equation:

Where: B = natality rate

Nn/t = number of new individual added to population time
Mortality or Death rate
- the number of deaths per year. It is usually discussed in terms of the
number of individuals who die per one thousand individuals in the population per
year.

Population Age Distribution

- the individuals of different age groups in a population.
- Bodenhelmer (1938) recognizes three ecological ages as:
Pre reproductive
Reproductive
Post reproductive
 33

Figure 7: Age Structure in Different Types of Population

Age structures can reveal a population’s health. Type I, with most individuals be-
low reproductive age, often indicates a growing population. Type II, with roughly
equal proportions of the population at each age level, indicates a stable popula-
tion. Type III, with more individuals at (or above!) reproductive age than young,
describes a declining population. (CK-12 Age-Sex structure of populations. Advanced
https://www.ck12.org/book/ck-12-biology-advanced-concepts/section/18.27/)

Biotic Potential
- the maximum reproductive power.
Sex Ratio
- the number of males relative to the number of females in the population.

QUICK CHECK!!!

What do you under-

stand by the popula-
tion growth and pop-
ulation explosion?
Explain.
 34

Lesson Review

Name: ________________________________________ Date: ________________

Year & Section: ______________________________ Score: _______________

THINK, TALK AND WRITE

Critical Thinking:
 What two things can always be said about populations?
 Explain how the percentage of each functional age class found in a pop-
ulation determines the health of most populations.

EXPOSITORY WRITING
Choose the statement below that you believes is most accurate. Write a
paragraph giving a compelling argument to support your choice.
Statement 1: Predators control prey populations
Statement 2: Prey populations controls predators
 35

Lesson 2
HUMAN POPULATION ISSUES

WEEK 3
HOURS
Lesson Outcomes 5

At the end of this lesson, you will be able to:

1. Discuss the birth rate and death rate.
2. Differentiate immigration and emigration.
3. Determine the importance of population
organization.

Explore
Investigate our Environment
1. Express your own view regarding population.
2. Determine how the population affects the resources.

Read and Learn

Human Population Issues
Population Growth Curve
- Sex ratios and age distribution directly affect the rate of reproduction
within a population. Each species has the ability to produce an offspring or
the biotic potential.
- Population growth follows a particular pattern, consisting of a lag phase, ex-
ponential growth phase and stable equilibrium phase.
- A typical population growth curve
S-shaped growth curve
- when a species is introduced into a new habitat, population grows
exponentially until the individuals become numerous.
 36

Sigmoid curve is the further increase in their number by the environmental

resistance factors that the population growth declines until zero population
growth is reached.
J-shaped growth curve
- population increases whenever there is an increase in birth rate over
death rate.
Factors that form instability on population growth
1. Growth rate decreases as density increases. This is self limiting or inverse
density-dependent type.
2. Growth rate is high until density become high and factors from outside of
the population become limiting. This is density independent type.
3. Growth rate is highest at intermediate density.
Causes of Population Growth
- Biological reason
The study of populations, their characteristics and what happens to
them is called demography. Demographers predict the future growth of a popula-
tion by looking at biological indicators like the birth rate and the death rate. The
most important determinant of the rate at which human populations grow is the
number of women in the population who are having children and the number of
which they will have. The total fertility rate is based on the number of children
born per woman per lifetime. A total fertility rate of 2.1 is known as the replace-
ment fertility because if the total fertility rate is 2.1, population growth is stabi-
lize. If the population is not growing and the number and the number of births is
equal to the number of death then it is zero population growth. The age structure
of a population has something to do with the rate of population growth. If the pop-
ulation has a large number of young people who are in the process of raising fam-
ilies or who will be raising families in the future, the population will continue to
increase even if the families will limit themselves to have only two children.
Factors Controlling Population Growth
1. Poverty in a country or state that lead to destruction.
2. Natural calamities that lead to the death of thousands of people.
3. Pandemic, Epidemic, Endemic diseases that can wipe a big number of
populations.
4. Wars causing many casualties.
5. Unnatural accidents like transportation accidents, fires etc.
 37

Factors that Help Population Growth

1. High production of food and better technologies.
2. Better medical facilities provided during birth and under five years age by
immunization.
Factors are grouped into three:
1. Geographic factors: Climate, soil, water, mineral resources, transporta-
tion etc.
2. Demographic factors: Birth rate (natality), death rate (mortality), sex ratio
3. Socio-economic factors: marriage, job availability, resources, etc.
In developed countries, population has started declining because of:
a. Better medical and family planning facilities
b. Low death and high birth rate
c. Educated people know the abuses of over population and
prefer to have a smaller size of family.
- Population and Standard of Living
It is the concept of identifying the cultures having different attitudes
and feelings about what is good and desirable. Like for example if the country is
modernized and highly developed compared to a less developed country. Standard
of living seems to be identified by the consumption of energy.
- Population Explosion-Family Welfare Program
Growth of Human Population
 Emigration—the number of individuals going out from a population to join an-
other population in a new community resulting in decrease of the original pop-
ulation.
 Immigration—the addition of new individuals to the population from other lo-
calities.
 Density dependent factors—an increase in population leading to competition
since individuals have identical requirements for food and space. Increase of
population will lead to food scarcity which lead to death due to starvation.
 Density independent factor—the interaction between population in a given area
which can lead to mutual benefits, to competition for resources or dependence
o one on the other.
 38

Consequences of population explosion:

 It can lead to the depletion of resources.
 Severe competition for food and shelter.
 Increase in psychological stress.
 Rapid pollution of environment.
 Large scale unemployment.
Measures to Control Over Population
 Educate the people about the abuses of overpopulation
 Provide free family planning aids.
 Motivate people to undergo birth control.
 Imposed legal restrictions or laws
Population Trends in the Philippines
Philippines is a Southeast Asian country situated in the western Pacific
Ocean with a total of 108.1 million population as stated in the 2019 data of World
Bank. As stated by the Philippines Statistic Authority population projection statis-
tics, the Philippine population would continue to grow, increasing from 76.5 mil-
lion, as of the latest population census conducted in May 2000, to 141.7 million
in 2040, according to the Medium Series of the 2000 Census-based population
projections. This means that 65 million people would be added to the nation's
population between 2000 and 2040, which is a span of 40 years, even if the aver-
age annual growth rate is projected to drastically decline from 2.34 percent during
the 1990-2000 period to around 1.0 percent during the 2030-2040 period. The
population is projected to grow by 1.95 percent in the 2005-2010 period, from
85.3 million in 2005 to 94.0 million in 2010. The nation's population would also
become older as it is projected that child-bearing rate by women in the country
will continue to decline and the survival rates of all age groups will improve. In
2005, the age group 0-14 accounted for 35.0 percent of the nation's total popula-
tion. By 2010, this age group would comprise 33.0 percent and by 2040, 23.1 per-
cent. Meanwhile, 4.3 percent of the Filipinos would be 65 and over by year 2010,
and by year 2040, 9.7 percent of them would be in the same age group.
 39

Lesson Review

Name: ________________________________________ Date: ________________

Year & Section: ______________________________ Score: _______________

THINK, TALK AND WRITE

Critical Thinking:
 Determine how population affects the resources.
 Explain how the percentage of each functional age class found in a pop-
ulation determines the health of most population.

EXPOSITORY WRITING
What is the relation between the environment and human health?
What is the role of technology in environment and human health and how it
helps in control of population?
 40

MODULE REVIEW
SUMMARY
 Carrying capacity is the number of individuals of a species that can sur-
vive in that area over time.
 Population are group of individuals of the same species inhabiting an ar-
ea.
 Natality or Birth rate refers to the number of individuals added to the
population through reproduction.
 Mortality or Death rate are the number of deaths per year. It is usually
discussed in terms of the number of individuals who die per one thou-
sand individuals in the population per year.
 Population Growth Curve are the sex ratios and age distribution directly
affect the rate of reproduction within a population.
 Philippines have a population with a total of 108.1 million population as
stated in the 2019 data of World Bank.

REFERENCES
Miller, Tyler G, Scott, Spoolman. Introduction to Environmental Science. Cen-
cage Learning: Singapore. 2009
Catchillar, Gerry C. Fundamentals of Environmental Science. National
Bookstore: Mandaluyong City. 2008
Miller, Tyler G. Environmental Science. Thomson Learning: Singapore. 2006
Tayo, Gilma T, Gascon, Cecilla N. et.al. Fundamentals of Environmental Sci-
ence. Trinitas Pub. Inc., Meycauayan, Bulacan. 2004
Botking, Daniel B., Keller, Edward A. Environmental Science 4th Ed. John
Wiley & Sons Inc., New York. 2003
_______________. Environmental Science: A Study of Relationships. 7th Ed.
2000
Philippine Statistic Authority. www.psa.gov.ph
 41

MODULE REVIEW

Name: ________________________________________ Date: ________________

Year & Section: ______________________________ Score: _______________

TEST PRACTICE: (45 minutes)

A. Use the following information to answer the question. Encircle the
correct answer.
Sheryll got a two cubic foot aquarium for her birthday. With the help of a
pet store, Sheryll set up the aquarium complete with 4 female guppies, 1
male guppy, and 10 snails. She provided plenty of food and kept the
aquarium contained clean and supplied with air. After 6 months,
Sheryll’s aquarium contained 50 guppies and 150 snails.

1. Snail population density in the aquarium at the end of 6 months.

2. The population growth rate for snails during the 6 months.
3. In the 7th month, Sheryll noticed that 40 guppies were born and 30
died. What is guppy population size at the end of the 7th month?
4. When will Sheryll know that her guppy population has reached the
carrying capacity of her tank?
5. The snails my start getting sick and some may die. Disease is an ex-
ample of a/an ____________________ population control.

B. In a population of 100,000 there are 900 deaths and 2,000 births in

one year. Calculate the natality and mortality in this population. What is
the intrinsic rate of growth in this population?
 42

ENRICHMENT ACTIVITY
 43

MODULE 3 3
BIOMES Weeks

Introduction
Major biomes are includes the dessert, forests, grasslands, tundra, and
several types of aquatic ecosystem. Each biomes are consists of many ecosystem.
All living things are closely related to their environment. Any changes or altera-
tion happens in any part of the environment causes a big effect in human and
other organisms.
This module consists of two lessons namely:
Lesson 1: Terrestrial Biomes
Lesson 2: Aquatic Ecosystem
You are expected to be in class as scheduled to discuss answers to practic-
es set, assigned topics for readings and discussions and activities.
For every activity always follow the steps of the scientific process.
For the exploratory activities, you are required to make a visual display or
presentation and clear verbal presentation. Make sure your presentation:
 Has a logical and coherent introduction, body and conclusion.
 Completed within the allocated time.

Module Objectives

At the end of this module, you will be able to:

1. Discuss the different terrestrial biomes and their geographical areas.
2. Discuss the importance and impacts of people to water ecosystem.
3. Describe the characteristics of each biomes.
 44

Lesson 1
TERRESTRIAL BIOMES

WEEK 6
6&7 HOURS

Lesson Outcomes
At the end of this lesson, you will be able to:
1. Discuss the different temperate and tropi-
cal biomes around the world.
2. Identify the organisms living in each bi-
omes and their defense mechanisms to
protect themselves from their physical en-
vironment.

Explore

Investigate our Environment

1. What do you think a biome is?
2. Identify some environmental spots in Abra, describe what you have ob-
serve in those areas.
3. What can be possible threats to the identified environmental spots in
Abra?
 45

Read and Learn

BIOMES
Biomes
 Short for of biological home
 Defined as large natural eco-system wherein we study the total as-
semblage of plant and animal communities
 Large geographic region characterized by a certain type of ecosystem
 Life zone, environments with similar climatic, topographic and soil
conditions and roughly comparable biological communities.
 Temperature and precipitation are among the most importance de-
terminant in biome distribution
 Biome distribution is also influenced by the local landforms
(mountains, oceans, lakes)
 Often it is the relationship between precipitation and temperature
that controls the biome distribution (Climagraphs are graphical dis-
plays of climate)

Factors in Determining a Biome

 Latitude
 Altitude
 Soil
 Temperature
 Precipitation
 Sunlight
 Plants
 Animals
 46

Types of Biomes

Terrestrial (Desert, Grassland, Deciduous Forest, Tundra, Tropical Rain For-

est, Taiga)

Terrestrial Biomes

Terrestrial Biomes are determined by climate which, in turn, determines the

flora of the biome. Plant species can be characterized by their need for
water:
 xeriphyte - plant adapted for survival in very dry habitats
 hydrophyte - plant adapted for survival in very wet habitats
 mesophyte - plant adapted for survival in moderate (not too wet,
not too dry) habitats

a. Desert
 Extremely arid (dry) in hot desert
 High nutrient levels in the soil due to very little rainfall (it doesn’t
wash away)
 Hot and dry deserts are near the TROPIC of CANCER or the TROP-
IC of CAPRICORN (lie at 23.5 degrees latitude)
 Cold desert is near the Arctic part of the world
 Five largest Deserts
 Sahara Desert (Northern Africa)
 Arabian Desert (South-West Asia)
 Gobi Desert (Central Asia)
 Patagonian Desert (Argentina/Chile)
 Great Basin Desert (US)

Location: found along coastlines and also within continents

 Flora
 Hot and dry Desert
 Vegetation is very rare
 Plants are replete (packed with nutrients)
 Plants are almost all ground hugging shrubs and short woody
trees
 Examples: Turpentine Bush, Prickly Pears and Brittle Bush
 Adaptations: the ability to store water for long periods of time
in their roots, leaves, stem, or fruits. Plants called succu-
lents store water in their leaves or stems. The roots grow deep
enough in the ground to reach the water. Small spiny leaves
prevent evaporation helping them to retain moisture. Some
are glossy leaves that will reflect sun’s rays that help them
also retain water.
 47

 Fauna
 Adaptations: Animals are nocturnal carnivores. Other animals
burrow during the day to avoid harsh condition during the day.
Some animals get waters as they eat insects and plants. Desert
animals don’t have sweat glands to retain moisture and not need
to drink. Some rodents have specialized kidneys that return their
water to their bloodstream instead of losing it.
 Examples: Borrowers, Camels, Lizards, Kangaroo rats, Mourning
wheatears (Hot and Dry Desert)
Antelope, Jack Rabbit (Cold Desert)

b. Grassland

 Three Categories of Grasslands

 Prairies
 Steppe
 Savanna

 Location: found in the middle latitude. Found in every continents ex-

cept Antarctica

 Seasons:
 Growing season
 Dormant season

 Flora Adaptations:
 Plants have deep, spreading root system
 Most plants have long narrow leaves that don’t need as much wa-
ter.
 The softer stem allows the plants to bend rather than break in the
grassland wind
 Two main types of plants
 Grasses
 Shrubs
 Fauna Adaptations
 Grasslands animals are very fast help them escape predators.
 Others are camouflage in their outer layer which protects them
from their prey
 Many grassland animals are nocturnal
b.1 Prairie (Temperate Grassland)
 Large, rolling terrains of grasses, flowers and herbs
 Region where the average annual precipitation is great enough to
support grasses and in some areas a few trees
 Found in the middle latitude
 Distinct seasonal changes, moderate rainfall, extremely rich, or-
ganic soil.
 48

Types of Grassland (Prairie)

Tall grass, humid and very wet
Short grass, dry, hotter summer and colder winters

Climate
Winter, -40OF
Summer, 70OF
Two Seasons
Growing season – no frost and plants can grow that last for 100
to 175 days. It usually starts growing when the daily temper-
ature reached 50OF
Dormant or not growing season – nothing can grow because it’s
too cold.
Precipitation
10 to 30 in rainfall per year
Flora
Buffalo grass, sunflower, asters, blazing stars
Fauna
Animals hibernate in winter
Coyotes, Eagles, Bobcats, Prairie Chicken

b.2 Savanna (Tropical Grassland)

 Distinct seasonal changes, highly seasonal rainfall (harsh dry sea-
son), rich, organic soil
 Rolling grassland scattered with shrubs and isolated trees found
between tropical rainforests and desert biome
 Plants and animals depend on each other to keep the environment
in balance
 Fire is a major abiotic component of this biome, and most plant
species have evolved to withstand periodic fires
 Climate
 Have warm temperature year round
 Two different seasons
 Long dry season (winter)
 Very wet season (summer)
 Precipitation
 Summer – lots of rain with an average of 15 to 25 in
 Winter – about 4 in of rainfalls
 Types of Savannas
 Tropical and Subtropical Savannas
 Temperate Savannas
 Mediterranean Savannas
 Flooded Savannas
 Montane Savannas
 49

 Flora
 Can grow of long period of drought
 Have long tap roots that can reach deep water table
 The grasses have adaptations that discourage animals from
grazing on them (grasses are too sharp or bitter tasting)
 Plants have storage organs like bulbs and corms to making it
though the dry season
 Trees are generally very drought tolerant and have high cano-
pies due to herbivory by large animals such as elephants and
giraffes.

 Fauna
 Have long legs or wings to be able to go on long migrations
 Others burrow underground to avoid the heat or raise their
young
 Animals don’t sweat to lose body heat; they lose it through
panting or through large areas of exposed skin or areas.
 Typical vertebrates: grazing hoofed mammals (gazelles, ante-
lopes, etc.), lions, leopards, cheetahs, elephants, giraffes, true
buffalo (Water Buffalo, Cape Buffalo), rhino, hippopotamus,
etc.

c. Tundra
 World’s youngest biome
 Comes from the Finnish word “tunturia” means a barren land or
treeless plain.
 Formed 10,000 years ago.
 Covers about 20% of the Earth’s surface, circumnavigating the North
pole
 Known as “the land of the midnight sun”
 Vegetation: lichens, mosses, sedges, perennial forbs, rosette, and
dwarfed shrubs.
 Types of tundra
 Arctic Tundra
 Alpine Tundra
 Location: Arctic Tundra located in the Northern Hemisphere near the
North Pole. Alpine Tundra is located in alpine mountains.
 Weather:
 Precipitation is 15 to 25 cm or 6 to 10 in annually
 Temperature is 4 degrees Celsius (wind tends to blow most of
the time)
 Seasons: Summer is very hot and cool lasting only about 6 to 1o
weeks
 Winter is very long and very cold and minimal daylight
 50

 Flora Adaptation
 Plants have wax type of fuzzy, hair coating in them which
shield them from the cold and wind. This coating helps them
retain heat and moisture.
 Most of the plants are perennials, they have long life cycle to
help with the short growing seasons.

 Fauna
Some animals have grown thick fur which turns white in the
winter. Others find a place to hibernate during the winter
months. Other animals will burrow.
c.1 Arctic Tundra
 Located between the North Pole and the coniferous forests or taiga re-
gion.
 Extremely cold temperatures and land that remains frozen year-
round.
 Climate & Precipitation
 Low amounts of precipitation and extremely cold temperatures
for most of the year
 Receives less than 10 inches of precipitation per year (mostly in
the form of snow)
 Temperatures averaging below -30 degrees Fahrenheit in win-
ter.
 In summer, the sun remains in the sky during the day and
night. Summer temperatures average between 35-55 degrees
Fahrenheit.
 Flora
 Due to dry conditions, poor soil quality, extremely cold temper-
atures, and frozen ground, vegetation in arctic tundra regions
is limited
 Plants experience brief periods of growth in the summer when
temperatures are warm enough for vegetation to grow.
 The vegetation consists of short shrubs and grasses.
 The frozen ground prevents plants with deep roots, like trees,
from growing
c.2 Alpine Tundra
 Found in high elevations anywhere in the world, even in tropic re-
gions.
 The land is not frozen year-round as in arctic tundra regions, these
lands are typically covered in snow for most of the year.
 Climate & Precipitation
 Cold climate region with temperatures averaging below freezing
at night
 More precipitation throughout the year than the arctic tundra.
The average annual precipitation is around 20 inches
 A very windy area. Strong winds blow at speeds exceeding 100
miles per hour.
 51

 Flora
 Plants growing in the alpine climate and at a higher elevation
(above the tree line) are called alpine plants.
 The prominent plants include varieties of mosses, lichens, sedg-
es, perennial grasses, and cushion plants. Caribou moss
(reindeer moss) is seen growing abundantly in the alpine tundra

d. Taiga
 Largest land biome
 Known as the Northern Coniferous or Boreal Forest
 Mostly evergreen/ conifers which contain needles.
 Location: Taiga is found in Canada, Europe and Asia
 Largest Taiga forest covers much of Northern Russia and Siberia and
the next largest covers much of Northern Canada and Alaska. The
smallest Taiga forest is found in Scandinavia.
 Weather:
 Precipitation: in the form of snow about 254 cm or 100 in
 Temperature: below -60 degrees Celsius
 Seasons: Winter, Summer, Spring, Fall
 Flora Adaptation
 Conifer trees contain needles that retain moisture and shed snow.
The waxy coating on the tree needles prevents evaporation. The
darkness of the needles helps to attract more sun.
 Roots grow downwards to protect the trees from the winds that
can be harsh at times in the Taiga’s winter.
 Examples: Pine, Maple, Elm, Oak Tree, Lichens
 Fauna Adaptation
 Birds will migrate to avoid the cold winter.
 Other animal burrow underground.
 Other adapts by changing color according to the reason to protect
itself from predators.
 Other animals store extra layers of fat and fur to help keep them
warm over the cold winters.
 Many animals developed large feet or hooves to help them move in
the often deep and abundant winter snow.
 Examples: Snowshoe hare, Wolves, Eagles, Insects (mosquitoes),
 52

e. Deciduous Forest
 Also called Temperate Forest
 Deciduous means “tend to fall of”
 Location: found in the Eastern half of North America and the Middle
of Europe
 Weather:
 Precipitation: 75-150 cm or 30 to 60 in
 Temperature: Summers are mild, 21 degrees Celsius
 Winter is below freezing
 Seasons: Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter. In the fall, leaves will
change color and as fall changes to winter, trees will shed their
leaves.
 Flora Adaptation:
 Trees have thick bark to protect them in the cold winter.
 Trees drop their prior to the winter which enables them to
store winter/moisture and survive in their winter.
 Trees have very broad leaves to capture sun’s rays.
 In the fall, trees will cut off supplies of moisture to the leaves
which causes the leaves to fall of .
 Examples: Five different zones
 Tree stratum zone – large deciduous trees that ranges be-
tween 60 feet to 100 feet
 Small tree and sapling zone – zone has young and short
trees
 Shrub zone – shrubs like azaleas, mountain laurel, huckle-
berries
 Herb zone – contains short plants like herbal plants
 Ground zone – contains lichen, mosses

 Animal Adaptation
 Migration
 Hibernation
 Food storage
 Reducing activities to lessen the need for energy
 Having sharp hooves like deer to dig for food and run quickly
to escape their predators.
 Examples: Groundhogs, Black bears, Beavers, Gray squirrel,
Wild Boar
 53

f. Tropical Rain Forest

 Known as the Jungle
 It has more species of trees (it cover about 6% of the Earth)
 The most threatened biome
 Contains most species of plant and animal life
 Location: Found near the equator in over 40 countries. The largest rain-
forest areas are found in Central Africa, Southeast Asia, Central and
South America.
 Weather:
 Precipitation: 125 to 660 cm or 50 to 260 in
 Seasons: Winter and Summer
 Flora Adaptation:
 Bark of rainforest trees is thin which prevents other plants from
growing on them and supports evaporation from the excess hu-
midity.
 Leaves have drip tips which help plants shed the excess moisture
from the rainfall.
 Leaves are very large to help them absorb as much of the sun-
light.
 Some plants are carnivorous
 Some flowering plants are epiphytes (they grow on trees in able to
get sunlight)
 Examples: Orchids, Ferns, Rubber trees, Bamboo
 Fauna Adaptation:
 Animals come in various colors which act as camouflage to pro-
tect them from predators.
 Some animals are nocturnal.
 Many birds have larger and stronger beaks.
 Some animals are poisonous.
 Some animals only eat one type of plant or insects
 Examples: Insects, Monkey, Parrots, Frogs, Anacondas

NOTES:
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
 54

Lesson Review

Name: ________________________________________ Date: ________________

Year & Section: ______________________________ Score: _______________

THINK, TALK AND WRITE

Critical Thinking:
 Determine how population affects the resources.
 Explain how the percentage of each functional age class found in a pop-
ulation determines the health of most population.

EXPOSITORY WRITING
What is the relation between the environment and human health?
What is the role of technology in environment and human health and how it
helps in control of population?
 55

Lesson 2
AQUATIC ECOSYSTEM

WEEK 3
8 HOURS

Lesson Outcomes
At the end of this lesson, you will be able to:
1. Discuss the different aquatic ecosystem
around the world.
2. Identify the flora and fauna found in the
aquatic ecosystem and the defense mech-
anisms they use for protection.

Explore

Investigate our Environment

Explore the richness of the aquatic diversity of the Tubbataha Reefs National
Park in this link:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uq3fJY3evNY
How many different aquatic/marine ecosystems can you name?
 56

Read and Learn

Aquatic Ecosystem
a. Marine Ecosystem
 The biggest biome in the world.
 It covers 70% of the Earth.
 It is usually very salty ( about 1 cup of salt per gallon of water in the
ocean)
 The deep sea comprises 80% of all habitats on earth which makes it the
largest habitat on the planet.
 The deepest point in the ocean, the Mariana Trench (about 36,200 feet
deep)
 It includes five oceans:
 Pacific
 Atlantic
 Indian
 Arctic
 Southern

Maps of Continents and Oceans.

https://www.pinterest.ph/pin/6122149480279669/
 It is divided in three vertical zones:
 Euphotic zone – top layer, the area where light can penetrate
 Disphotic zone – the next layer, the lights here looks like the twi-
light on land
 Aphotic zone – the deepest part, the water is very cold and com-
pletely dark and low in nutritional content.
 Weather
 Temperature: average temperature is 39 degrees Fahrenheit
 Flora
 Over 1 million species of plants and animals are in the oceans, 9
million species haven’t found yet.
 57

 Marine plants and Algae provide much of the worlds oxygen sup-
ply and take in huge amounts of CO2. Absorption of CO2 may be
useful in reducing the severity of climate change.
 Examples: Kelp (marine algae, serves as a shelter and food for a
lot of sea creatures), Phytoplankton (serves as food to many of the
ocean creatures from the smallest fish to large whales)
 Fauna
 Most marine mammals have blubber to survive in the cold water,
but sea otters are unique because they don’t have blubber. In-
stead, they have fur more dense than any other mammal, with up
to 1 million hairs per square inch.
 Examples: Mollusks, fish, whales, crustaceans, bacteria, fungi,
sea anemones and many other animals

b. Coastal Regions: Estuaries

 Estuary is partially enclosed coastal body of water, part sea, part water-
way, and part land. A place of transition from salt water to fresh water,
from tidal to non-tidal and from wet to dry.
 Often called bays, lakes, lagoons, harbors, rivers, or inlets.
 Examples of Plants: Mangroves and Pickle weed
 Flora and Fauna
 Adaptation of plants and animals includes necessary tolerance to
freshwater environments due to flood events, or high salinity dur-
ing periods of drought at any location in an estuary.
 Habitat types found in and around estuaries
 Mangroves and salt marshes
 Sea grasses and open waters
 Intertidal mud flats and mud basins
 Sandy shoals and beaches
 Rocky shores and reefs
 Freshwater wetlands and floodplains

c. Freshwater Ecosystem

 Include lakes, ponds, rivers, and streams.

 Lakes are large bodies of freshwater surrounded by land, while ponds
are smaller bodies of water surrounded by land.
 The biggest lake on Earth is Lake Baikal in Central Asia (maximum
depth of 5,315 feet)
 Rivers and Streams are moving bodies of water, usually orihinate in
mountains and come from melting ice or ground water and eventually
flow in the ocean.
 Estuary is a place where salt-water and freshwater meet
 Ecotone is place where two habitats come together
 58

 Flora and Fauna

 Freshwater plants have strong roots that keep them from being carried
away by the water, some have stems that bend easily with the movement
of the water.
 For freshwater animals, they have to hold onto rocks and the bottom
may have suction-cup like structures on their bodies. Other thrives in
still water environments, like lakes.

NOTES:
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
 59

Lesson Review

Name: ________________________________________ Date: ________________

Year & Section: ______________________________ Score: _______________

Questions:
What kind of microorganisms live in pond water?
Do ponds in different areas have different types of organisms?
What is the connection between human activity and the biodiversity of
ponds?
Materials and Methods
Collect two pond water samples from areas near your community. Each
sample should be labeled with its location. Your task is to collect data on
both pond samples using the equipment provided and record data.
1. Initial Observations
From the outside of the jar, describe the condition of the water, and any
organisms you can see. Check to see if the water has an odor. Record this
initial qualitative data on your pond samples.
2. Testing the Waters
Use available equipment to gather quantitative data about the sample,
such as temperature, pH, and presence of nitrates. Water test kits may
be available.
3. Identifying Organisms
Using magnifying glasses, stereoscopes and microscopes, identify as
many organisms as you can in the two samples you are studying. This
includes both plants, animals, and microorganisms.
4. Organize Data
Create a chart to organize the data you have taken on the two samples,
your chart may look something like the one shown below, though you
may need to add fields for additional information.
 60

MODULE REVIEW
SUMMARY
 Short for of biological home
 Defined as large natural eco-system wherein we study the total assem-
blage of plant and animal communities
 Large geographic region characterized by a certain type of ecosystem .
 Terrestrial (Desert, Grassland, Deciduous Forest, Tundra, Tropical Rain
Forest, Taiga).
 Marine Ecosystem

 The biggest biome in the world which covers 70% of the Earth.
 It is usually very salty ( about 1 cup of salt per gallon of water in the
ocean)
 With three vertical zones: Euphotic zone, Disphotic zone, Aphotic zone.

REFERENCES
Miller, Tyler G, Scott, Spoolman. Introduction to Environmental Science. Cen-
cage Learning: Singapore. 2009
Catchillar, Gerry C. Fundamentals of Environmental Science. National
Bookstore: Mandaluyong City. 2008
Miller, Tyler G. Environmental Science. Thomson Learning: Singapore. 2006
Tayo, Gilma T, Gascon, Cecilla N. et.al. Fundamentals of Environmental Sci-
ence. Trinitas Pub. Inc., Meycauayan, Bulacan. 2004
Botking, Daniel B., Keller, Edward A. Environmental Science 4th Ed. John
Wiley & Sons Inc., New York. 2003
_______________. Environmental Science: A Study of Relationships. 7th Ed.
2000
Philippine Statistic Authority. www.psa.gov.ph
 61

ENRICHMENT ACTIVITY
Biome Presentation:
 Prepare an 8-minute presentation for the class where you act as a
tour guide for a group of tourists going to your biome.
 Choose one of the following biomes: Desert, Temperate Grassland,
Tundra, Temperate Rainforest, Tropical Rainforest, Temperate Decidu-
ous Forest, Tropical Dry Forest, Savanna, Boreal Forest, and Chapar-
ral.
 You must research the location, soil type and aspects of their particu-
lar biome (below is the grading criteria) and give an informative
presentation to the rest of the class. A visual aid is required and can
be either powerpoint presentation, multimedia presentation or a post-
er.
Presentation Grading Criteria
Presentation Points
The student acted as a tour guide, taking us through this bi- 0 1 2
ome
The location of the biome is shown on a map 0 1 2
The type of soil is discussed 0 1 2
The mean monthly precipitation is provided on a climato- 0 1 2
graph; any variation between different seasons is mentioned
The mean monthly temperature is provided on a climato- 0 1 2
graph; any variation between day and night and different sea-
sons is mentioned
A thorough list of clothing for tourist might expect to see is 0 1 2
discussed
A listing of animals tourists might expect to see is discussed 0 1 2
A listing of plants tourists might expect to see is discussed 0 1 2
A food web showing at least 3 plants and 7 animals is shown 0 1 2
A special or unusual trait of the biome are discussed 0 1 2
A visual aid is included (Powerpoint, Multimedia Presentation 0 10 20
or Poster).
TOTAL

Scoring Guide: 0 = Absent from presentation,

1 = Present, but poor quality
2 = Outstanding quality
 62

MODULE 4 5
BIODIVERSITY AT LOCAL AND NATIONAL Weeks

Introduction
Major biomes are includes the dessert, forests, grasslands, tundra, and
several types of aquatic ecosystem. Each biomes are consists of many ecosystem.
All living things are closely related to their environment. Any changes or altera-
tion happens in any part of the environment causes a big effect in human and
other organisms.
This module consists of two lessons namely:
Lesson 1: Biodiversity and Conservation
Lesson 2: Philippine Biodiversity
You are expected to be in class as scheduled to discuss answers to practic-
es set, assigned topics for readings and discussions and activities.
For every activity always follow the steps of the scientific process.
For the exploratory activities, you are required to make a visual display or
presentation and clear verbal presentation. Make sure your presentation:
 Has a logical and coherent introduction, body and conclusion.
 Completed within the allocated time.

Module Objectives

At the end of this module, you will be able to:

1. Discuss the different terrestrial biomes and their geographical areas.
2. Discuss the importance and impacts of people to water ecosystem.
3. Describe the characteristics of each biomes.
 63

Lesson 1
BIODIVERSITY AND CONSERVATION

WEEK 6
9 & 11 HOURS

Lesson Outcomes
At the end of this lesson, you will be able to:
1. Discuss the importance of biodiversity.
2. Identify the threat to biodiversity.

Explore

 List down at least 10 Endangered, and 10 Endemic or Rare species of flo-

ra and fauna that can be found in your community or municipality.
 Write a short notes on how diverse your community in 100 words.
 64

Read and Learn

Definition and Significance of Biodiversity
 Biodiversity includes diversity within species, between species and of eco-
systems. It can be partitioned, so that we can talk of the biodiversity of a
country, of an area, or an ecosystem, of a group of organisms, or within a
single species.

Biological Diversity or Biodiversity

 Coined by Walter G. Rosen (1985)
 It represents the foundation of human existence.
 Similarly additions to biodiversity include addition of new elements of life
by mutation, by artificial breeding, by biotechnology or by ecological ma-
nipulation.

Uses of Biodiversity
Humans derive many direct and indirect benefits from the living world. Bi-
odiversity is the source of food, medicines, pharmaceutical drugs, fibres, rubber
and timber. The biological resources contain potentially useful resources as well.
The diversity of organisms also provides many ecological services free of charge
that are responsible for maintaining ecosystem health.
 Source of Food and Improved Varieties
Biodiversity is of use to modern agriculture in three ways:
(i) as a source of new crops,
(ii) as a source material for breeding improved varieties, and
(iii) as a source of new biodegradable pesticides.
Of the several thousand species of edible plants, less than 20 plant species
are cultivated to produce about 85% of the world's food. Wheat, corn and rice,
the three major carbohydrate crops, yield nearly two-third of the food sus-
taining the human population. Fats, oils, fibres, etc. are other uses for which
more and more new species need to be investigated. The commercial, domes-
ticated species are crossbred with their wild relatives to improve their traits.
Genes of wild species are used to confer new properties such as disease re-
sistance or improved yield in domesticated species. For example, rice grown
in Asia is protected from the four main diseases by genes received from a sin-
gle wild rice species (Oryza nivara) from India.
 65

Drugs and Medicines

 Biodiversity is a rich source of substances with therapeutic properties.
Several important pharmaceuticals have originated as plant-based sub-
stances. Examples of plant-derived 9 substances developed into valuable
drugs are: Morphine (Papaver somniferum), used as an analgesic; Qui-
nine (Chinchona ledgeriana) used for the treatment of malaria; and Taxol,
an anticancer drug obtained from the bark of the yew tree (Taxus brevifo-
lia, T. baccata). Currently, 25% of the drugs in the Pharmacy are derived
from a mere 120 species of plants. But, throughout the world, traditional
medicines make use of thousands of plant species. Plants can also be
used for the manufacture of innumerable synthetic products, called bota-
nochemicals.
Aesthetic and Cultural Benefits
 Biodiversity has also great aesthetic value. Examples of aesthetic rewards
include ecotourism, bird watching, wildlife, pet keeping, gardening, etc.
Throughout human history, people have related biodiversity to the very
existence of human race through cultural and religious beliefs. In a ma-
jority of Indian villages and towns, plants like Ocimum sanctum (Tulsi),
Ficus religiosa ( Pipal), and Prosopis cineraria ( Khejri) and various other
trees are planted , which are considered sacred and worshipped by the
people. Several birds, and even snake, have been considered sacred. To-
day, we continue to recognize plants and animals as symbols of national
pride and cultural heritage.
Ecosystem Services
 Biodiversity is essential for the maintenance and sustainable utilization of
goods and services from ecological systems as well as from the individual
species. These services include maintenance of gaseous composition of
the atmosphere, climate control by forests and oceanic systems, natural
pest control, pollination of plants by insects and birds, formation and
protection of soil, conservation and purification of water, and 10 nutrient
cycling, etc. These ecosystem services have been valued in the range of 16
to 54 trillion (1012) US dollars per year.

Loss of Biodiversity

 Natural Causes
 Human-caused extinction
 Direct and Indirect Impact of Humans on Biological Resources
 66

Direct impact Indirect impact

Hunting and food Gathering Habitat destruction
Fishing Exotic species Introductions
Trade in Animal Products Diseases
Harvesting wild plants Pollution
Pet and scientific trade Genetic assimilation
Predator and pest control

Measuring Biodiversity
 Alpha diversity – it indicates the number of species in a single community
 Beta diversity – it indicates the degree to which species composition chang-
es along an environmental gradient.
 Gamma diversity – it indicates the rate at which additional species are en-
countered as geographical replacements within a habitat type in different
localities.

Threats to Biodiversity

 Extractive Industries

 Increased Population Density and Urban Sprawl

 Conflicting Policies

NOTES:
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
 67

Lesson Review

Name: ________________________________________ Date: ________________

Year & Section: ______________________________ Score: _______________

THINK, TALK AND WRITE

Critical Thinking:
 Why are biologists uncertain about how many species are living on
Earth today?
 What are the two main benefits of protecting entire ecosystems rather
than individual species of plants or animals?
 Explain how exotic species threaten ecosystems.
 Explain the difference between an endangered species and a threat-
ened species.
 List and describe the three levels of biodiversity that are observed in
nature and studied worldwide.

EXPOSITORY WRITING
Briefly explain three ways to save individual species.
 68

Lesson 2
PHILIPPINE BIODIVERSITY

WEEK 6
12 & 13 HOURS

Lesson Outcomes
At the end of this lesson, you will be able to:
1. Discuss the importance of biodiversity in
the Philippines.
2. Identify the biodiversity hotspots in the
Philippines.

Explore

 List down at least 10 Endangered, and 10 Endemic or Rare species of flo-

ra and fauna that can be found in your community or municipality.
 Write a short notes on how diverse your community in 100 words.
 69

Read and Learn

Philippine Diversity
 Biological diversity deals with the degree of nature’s variety in the bio-
sphere.
 Philippines is one of the world’s 18 “megadiversity” countries, which to-
gether account for between 60 to 70% of global diversity.
 Philippines is also identified by the International Union for Conservation of
Nature (UCN) as a biodiversity hotspot – a country where biodiversity is ex-
tremely threatened by deforestation, conversion fragmentation of natural
habitats, unregulated trade and overall low environmental quality.

Biodiversity Hotspot in the Philippines

 Sierra Madre Corridor
Has land area of about 1.8 million hectares in 10 provinces: Batanes, Caga-
yan, Isabela, Nueva Viscaya, Quirino, Nueva Ecija, Aurora, Bulacan, Rizal
and Quezon (Region 2,3,and 4)
Also, home to many indigenous peoples: Agtas/Dumagtas, Isneg, Ibanags,
Ikalahans, Gaddangs, Ifugao, Ilonggots, and the Bugkalots or Negritos
Contains the greatest number of protected ares- 68 national parks, watershed
forest reserves, natural monuments, marine reserves, protected landscapes
and seascapes in all.
 Palawan Corridor
Geologically part of the Sunda shelf (which includes Borneo, Sumatra, Malay
Peninsula and Java)
It is the 5th largest island in the Philippine archipelago
Several land formations in Palawan are of botanical importance: Balabac is-
lands, Ultrabasic formation in the mountain peaks of Mt. Matalinghangan,
Victoria/Anapahan, and Mt. Bloomfield; primary forest of Mt. Puyos
(Cleopatra’s Needles); Karst formation of the rugged limestone terrain in the
northern and northwest portion of the mainland (including El Nido) and the
Calamianes group.
 70

It was declared by UNESCO in 1990 the entire area as Biosphere Re-

serve.
It is also declared as Mangrove reserve
The northern part of the island is home to the endemic plants genus
Adonidia (Palmae)
Regions that was Proclaimed Conservation Areas:
Coron Islands (7,580 hectares)
El Nido Marine Reserve (89,140 hectares)
Malampaya Sound (90,000 hectare)
St Paul Subterranean River National Park.
Eastern Mindanao Corridor
Its northern boundary is Siargao Island, and it extends south to where
Mt. Hamiguitan rises. To the west, portions of the Agusan Marsh de-
lineate the area.
Agusan Marsh has been declared as a Wildlife Sanctuary and one of the
10 priority protected areas in the Integrated Protected Areas System.
SIargao Island, Bucas Grande, and other smaller adjacent islands and
islets were declared as a unit having Protected Landscape and Sea-
scape status.

 Threats Facing Philippine Forests

The causes of endangerment are complex, but some of the primary reasons
are:
 A very dense population of humans (over 90 million citizens),
many of whom are subsistence farmers
 Extremely poor management of logging and agricultural practices
 Extensive mining of steep mountain slopes

NOTES:
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
 71

Lesson Review

Name: ________________________________________ Date: ________________

Year & Section: ______________________________ Score: _______________

Essential Questions:
 What are some cultural uses of plants found in your community?
At a Glance:
 Learners write a (fictional or actual) story about the ethnobotanical us-
es of a plant.
 72

MODULE REVIEW
SUMMARY
 Biodiversity includes diversity within species, between species and of eco-
systems.
 Similarly additions to biodiversity include addition of new elements of life
by mutation, by artificial breeding, by biotechnology or by ecological ma-
nipulation.
 Philippines is one of the world’s 18 “megadiversity” countries, which to-
gether account for between 60 to 70% of global diversity.
 Biodiverdsity hotspots in the Philippines: Sierra Madre Corridor, Palawan
Corridor, Eastern Mindanao Corridor
 Threats Facing Philippine Forests: A very dense population of humans
(over 90 million citizens), many of whom are subsistence farmers. Ex-
tremely poor management of logging and agricultural practices. Extensive
mining of steep mountain slopes

REFERENCES
Miller, Tyler G, Scott, Spoolman. Introduction to Environmental Science. Cen-
cage Learning: Singapore. 2009
Catchillar, Gerry C. Fundamentals of Environmental Science. National
Bookstore: Mandaluyong City. 2008
Miller, Tyler G. Environmental Science. Thomson Learning: Singapore. 2006
Tayo, Gilma T, Gascon, Cecilla N. et.al. Fundamentals of Environmental Sci-
ence. Trinitas Pub. Inc., Meycauayan, Bulacan. 2004
Botking, Daniel B., Keller, Edward A. Environmental Science 4th Ed. John
Wiley & Sons Inc., New York. 2003
_______________. Environmental Science: A Study of Relationships. 7th Ed.
2000
Philippine Statistic Authority. www.psa.gov.ph
 73

ENRICHMENT ACTIVITY
Medicinal Plant Scavenger Hunt Ailments
Bruises
Bronco Betty has been suffering from bruises on her arms since the last
rodeo. Determine what plants can be used to treat her ailment which can
be found in your community.
1.______________________________________________________________
2.______________________________________________________________
3. _____________________________________________________________
Cuts and Scrapes
After playing too hard on the gym, Mary and John have cuts and scrapes
on their elbows and knees. Determine what plants are good to use for
skin ailments found in your community.
1. _______________________________________________________________
2. _______________________________________________________________
3. _______________________________________________________________
Skin Rash
Willie has developed a skin rash after weeding his garden. What plants
can be used to bring him relief.
1. _______________________________________________________________
2. _______________________________________________________________
3. _______________________________________________________________
Diarrhea After returning from her travels abroad, Maria has a case of di-
arrhea. What plants can be used to treat her ailments.
1. _______________________________________________________________
2. _______________________________________________________________
3. _______________________________________________________________
 74

ENRICHMENT ACTIVITY
Medicinal Plant Scavenger Hunt Ailments continuation:
Constipation
Your cousin Danny is complaining of problems associated with constipa-
tion. Determine what plants can be used to help him feel better.
1. _______________________________________________________________
2. _______________________________________________________________
3. _______________________________________________________________
Stomach Ache
Samuel ate too much in the tofu dog eating contest. Although he won, he
would like to find something to make him feel better. Determine some
plants that can be used.
1. _______________________________________________________________
2. _______________________________________________________________
3. _______________________________________________________________
Cough
Connie has a persistent cough that is keeping her awake. Determine
what plants she can use to stop coughing and fall asleep.
1. _______________________________________________________________
2. _______________________________________________________________
3. _______________________________________________________________
 75

MODULE 5 5
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE: SOCIAL ISSUES Weeks

Introduction
The sustainable development has been defined as “meeting the need of the
present generation without compromising the needs of future generation”. The
concept precisely emphasizes upon using the earth resources continuously and
compensating for it in some sense e.g. if cut few trees to support our lives, we
should also implant some new ones at some site. This would result in maintain-
ing the earths fine balance between resource consumption and resource genera-
tion.
This module consists of three lessons namely:
Lesson 1: Sustainable Development
Lesson 2: Environmental Ethics
Lesson 3: Environmental Laws and Policies
You are expected to be in class as scheduled to discuss answers to practic-
es set, assigned topics for readings and discussions and activities.
For every activity always follow the steps of the scientific process.
For the exploratory activities, you are required to make a visual display or
presentation and clear verbal presentation. Make sure your presentation:
 Has a logical and coherent introduction, body and conclusion.

Module Objectives

At the end of this module, you will be able to:

1. Discuss sustainable development and its impact to the society.
2. Discuss environmental ethics.
3. Understand the laws and policies on environmental protection in the
Philippines.
 76

Lesson 1
SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

WEEK 3
14 HOURS

Lesson Outcomes
At the end of this lesson, you will be able to:
1. Discuss sustainable development.
2. Identify environmental problems in the
Philippines.

Explore

Identify at least five environmental issues your municipality and make a pos-
sible solutions to mitigate the problem.
 77

Read and Learn

Sustainable

 The literal meaning of sustainability is “that can be maintained” or “keep

goal continuously”.

 In ecology it refers to “conservation of ecological balance by avoiding deple-

tion of natural resources”.

Development

 The literal meaning of development is “the act or instance of growth/

advancement”. So the growth can be of many types viz., growth of educa-
tion, growth of industry, growth of population, growth of forests and many
other. In ecology we are addressing to one of the most sensitive issue of
growing concern ‘about improving the well-being of human beings. This
could be achieved only through compromising with some of our comforts
and luxuries. The generation of comforts and luxuries brings environment
under great pressure. The Nations economic growth should not stand upon
the fragile foundation of earth’s resources.

Problems Related to Energy

 Electricity. Electricity from various sources is a major requirement of ex-

panding cities, towns and villages. Each and every activity of mans life is
now someway related to electricity consumption

 Fossil fuels (petroleum, natural gas and coal). Fossil fuels have always been
under a great threat from times immemorial. In the absence of technological
advancements these have served mankind for several years. In this quest
for energy the coal reserves have suffered a lot. With rise in technical know
how man started generating power from nuclear sources, hydroelectric pow-
er, wind power etc. But still these contribute a little.

 Petrol and Diesel: Transport and communication has brought the

petroleum reserves of the world under a great threat. The rise in
number of vehicle per year is immense.

 Natural Gas: The common usage of natural gas is in the form of Liq-
uid Petroleum Gas (LPG). There is a terrific rise in the usage of LPG
driven household commodities with the expanding population.

 Coal: The world population has extracted and used coal reserves
thinking as if it is a never-ending commodity/resource
 78

 Fuel wood. Fuel wood being used for the ignition of fire is chiefly re-
sponsible for the destruction of impoverished forestlands. Though
fuel wood collection to support family daily chores is allowed in cer-
tain parts of the forest generally the outskirts but the greed and
dearth compels women to penetrate deep into the forest

Water Conservation

 We could save as much as half of the water we now use for domestic pur-
poses without great sacrifice or serious changes in our lifestyles.

 Watershed Management. It was suggested that, rather than allowing resi-

dential, commercial, or industrial development on flood plains, these areas
should be reserved for water storage, aquifer recharge, wildlife habitat, and
agriculture. Sound farming and forestry practices can reduce runoff. Re-
taining crop residue on fields reduces flooding, and minimizing. Ploughing
and forest cutting on steep slopes protects watersheds. Wetlands conserva-
tion preserves natural water storage capacity and aquifer recharge zones. A
river fed by marshes and wet meadows tend to run consistently clear and
steady rather than in violent floods.

NOTES:
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
 79

Lesson Review

Name: ________________________________________ Date: ________________

Year & Section: ______________________________ Score: _______________

 Spread the word about what we all can do to reduce or eliminate the
single-use plastic products in our lives by creating an advertisement to
be posted in your facebook account.
 Points will depend on the number of heart, like, or share button for 1
week.
 80

Lesson 2
ENVIRONMENTAL ETHICS

WEEK 6
15 & 16 HOURS

Lesson Outcomes
At the end of this lesson, you will be able to:
1. Discuss environmental ethics in the Phil-
ippines.
2. Discuss the cause and effects of climate
change and global warming.

Explore

 Climate change is one of the most challenging issues facing the world to-
day, in 200 words discuss how climate change threatens fundamental val-
ues, and how action to address it raises serious concerns of fairness and
responsibility.
 81

Read and Learn

Environmental Ethics
 Ethics is the study of how we decide what is right and wrong or what is
morally good and what is morally bad.
 Environmental ethics is a field of study that considers philosophical argu-
ments for extending our ethical duties to the environment.
 Three dominant views of environmental ethics:
 Biocentric Ethics – gives intrinsic value to the individuals in nature.
“All living beings are of equal inherent value”.
 Ecocentric Ethics – gives intrinsic value to the entirely of the ecosys-
tem. It focuses on the preservation of the biosphere as a totality: in-
cluding species, populations, land, and ecosystems.
 Anthropocentric Ethics – human centered in that either they assign a
significantly greater amount of intrinsic value to human beings than
to any non-human things

 Ethical issues dealing with the environment are no different from other
kinds of problems. The concept of an environmental ethics could encom-
pass differing principles and beliefs.

 Ethics is one branch of philosophy, which fundamentally attempts to de-

fine what is right, and what is wrong, regardless of cultural differences.

 Environmental ethics are formulated on the basis that human beings are
also a part of nature and nature has many interdependent components. In
any natural ecosystem, the well being of the individual and of each species
is linked to the well being of the entire community.

Three types of the ethics

(a) the development ethic,

(b) the preservation ethic, and

(c) the conservation ethic

Development Ethics

 strengthened the idea that, “if it can be done, it should be done”.

 it is based on actions
 82

Preservation Ethics

 ethic considers nature special in itself.

 Some preservationists have an almost religious outlook regarding nature.

They believe that nature is beautiful place to live in and it should be main-
tained for feeding, breeding, enjoyment and peace.

 On the other hand scientific outlook argue that the human species depends
on and has much to learn from nature. Rare and endangered species and
ecosystems, as well as the more common ones, must be preserved because
of their known or assumed long-range, practical utility.

Conservation Ethic

 It recognizes the desirability of decent living standards, but it works to-

wards a balance of resource use and resource availability.

 Economic growth and resource exploitation are attitudes shared by develop-

ing societies. As a society, we continue to consume natural resources as if
the supplies were never ending. All of this is reflected in our increasingly
unstable relationship with the environment, which grows out of our tenden-
cy to take from the “common good” without regard for the future.

Industrial Environmental Ethics

 Industries are harmful to the health of environment and hence at large are
considered as nuisance. When raw materials are processed, some waste is
inevitable e.g. paper industry leads to a lot of wastage and pollution of wa-
ter. It is usually not possible to completely control the dispersal of all by-
products of a manufacturing process. Also, some of the waste material may
simply be useless. Ethics are involved, however, when an industrialist com-
promise upon the quality of a product or waste disposal to maximize profit.
It is cheaper to dump wastes into a river than to install a wastewater treat-
ment facility.

Environmental Ethics at Individual level

 As human populations and economic activity continue to grow, we are fac-

ing a number of environmental problems that threaten not only human
health and the productivity of ecosystems, but in some cases the very habit-
ability of the globe. We have to recognize that each of us is individually re-
sponsible for the quality of the environment we live in and that our personal
actions affect environmental quality, for better or worse. Our environmental
ethics must begin to express itself not only in national laws, but also in
subtle but profound changes in the ways we all live our daily lives.
 83

Global Environmental Ethics

 This new sense of urgency and common cause about the environment is
leading to unprecedented cooperation in some areas. Ecological degrada-
tion in any nation almost inevitably impinges on the quality of life in oth-
ers.

 Greenhouse Effect, when atmospheric constituents such as water vapour, car-

bon dioxide, methane, nitrogen oxides and chlorofluorocarbons trap heat in
the form of infra-red radiation near the Earth’s surface.

 Effects of Global Warming

 Polar ice caps will melt causing a rise in ocean and flooding in
coastal areas.

 If the sea level rises by 3 meters, some Islands in other countries

will disappear completely beneath the waves.

 Rise in temperature will bring about a fall in agricultural produc-

tion.

 Changes in the distribution of solar energy can bring about

changes in habitat.

 In the Polar regions temperature rises caused by global warming

would have disastrous effect. Vast quantities of methane are
trapped beneath the frozen soil of Alaska. When it melts, methane
will be released and it will accumulate global warming.

NOTES:
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
 84

Lesson Review

Name: ________________________________________ Date: ________________

Year & Section: ______________________________ Score: _______________

 Choose one of the following environmental issues in the Philippines

and write an essay regarding this problems.
 Climate Change, Global Warming, Greenhouse Effect
 Decline of natural resources and biodiversity
 Alarming waste problem in the Philippines
 85

Lesson 3
ENVIRONMENTAL LAWS AND POLICIES

WEEK 6
17 & 18 HOURS

Lesson Outcomes

At the end of this lesson, you will be able to:

1. Familiarize with the environmental laws
and policies in the Philippines.

Explore

 List down at least 10 Endangered, and 10 Endemic or Rare species of flo-

ra and fauna that can be found in your community or municipality.
 Write a short notes on how diverse your community in 100 words.
 86

Read and Learn

Environmental Laws and Policies

 REPUBLIC ACT 9003 ECOLOGICAL SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT ACT OF

2000

 In partnership with stakeholders, the law aims to adopt a systemat-

ic, comprehensive and ecological solid waste management program
that shall ensure the protection of public health and environment.
The law ensures proper segregation, collection, storage, treatment
and disposal of solid waste through the formulation and adaptation
of best eco-waste products.

 REPUBLIC ACT 9275 PHILIPPINE CLEAN WATER ACT OF 2004

 The law aims to protect the country's water bodies from pollution
from land-based sources (industries and commercial establish-
ments, agriculture and community/household activities). It provides
for comprehensive and integrated strategy to prevent and minimize
pollution through a multi-sectoral and participatory approach in-
volving all the stakeholders.

 REPUBLIC ACT 8749 PHILIPPINE CLEAN AIR ACT OF 1999

 The law aims to achieve and maintain clean air that meets the Na-
tional Air Quality guideline values for criteria pollutants, throughout
the Philippines, while minimizing the possible associated impacts to
the economy.

 REPUBLIC ACT 6969 TOXIC SUBSTANCES, HAZARDOUS AND NUCLEAR

WASTE CONTROL ACT OF 1990

 The law aims to regulate restrict or prohibit the importation, manu-

facture, processing, sale, distribution, use and disposal of chemical
substances and mixtures the present unreasonable risk to human
health. It likewise prohibits the entry, even in transit, of hazardous
and nuclear wastes and their disposal into the Philippine territorial
limits for whatever purpose; and to provide advancement and facili-
tate research and studies on toxic chemicals.
 87

 PRESIDENTIAL DECREE 1586 ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENT

(EIS) STATEMENT OF 1978

 The Environment Impact Assessment System was formally estab-

lished in 1978 with the enactment of Presidential Decree no. 1586 to
facilitate the attainment and maintenance of rational and orderly
balance between socio-economic development and environmental
protection. EIA is a planning and management tool that will help gov-
ernment, decision makers, the proponents and the affected commu-
nity address the negative consequences or risks on the environment.
The process assures implementation of environment-friendly pro-
jects.

NOTES:
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
 88

Lesson Review

Name: ________________________________________ Date: ________________

Year & Section: ______________________________ Score: _______________

Proposed a law about environmental issues in the Philippines. Focus only

on one environmental issue and answer the following questions
 Is there already a law related to your concern? Is it ade-
quate?
 What would be the positive effects of your proposed law?
 What negative effects might it have?
 Who would be affected by your law?
 Which people would support your law?
 Which people or group would oppose it?
 How could your law be enforced? Would enforcement be cost-
ly?
 What would be the punishment for breaking your law?
 What government department would most likely be interested
in a law like the one you propose?
 Are there ways other than laws for accomplishing what you
propose?
 89

MODULE REVIEW

SUMMARY
 Sustainable is the literal meaning of sustainability is “that can be
maintained” or “keep goal continuously”.
 In ecology it refers to “conservation of ecological balance by avoiding
depletion of natural resources”.
 Development is the literal meaning of development is “the act or in-
stance of growth/advancement”.
 Ethics is the study of how we decide what is right and wrong or what
is morally good and what is morally bad.
 Environmental ethics is a field of study that considers philosophical
arguments for extending our ethical duties to the environment.
 Environmental Issues in the Philippines
 Climate Change, Global Warming, Greenhouse Effect
 Decline of natural resources and biodiversity
 Alarming waste problem in the Philippines
 Environmental Laws and Policies in the Philippines
 Philippine Environmental Impact Statement System (PD
1586)
 Clean Air Act of 1999 (RA 8749)
 Philippine Clean Water Act of 2004 (RA 9275)
 Philippine Toxic Substance and Hazardous and Nuclear
Waste Act (RA 6969)
 Philippine Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000
(PESWMA)
 Climate Change Act of 2009 (RA 9729)
 Environmental Awareness and Education Act of 2008 (RA
9512)
 90

REFERENCES
Miller, Tyler G, Scott, Spoolman. Introduction to Environmental Science.
Cencage Learning: Singapore. 2009
Catchillar, Gerry C. Fundamentals of Environmental Science. National
Bookstore: Mandaluyong City. 2008
Miller, Tyler G. Environmental Science. Thomson Learning: Singapore.
2006
Tayo, Gilma T, Gascon, Cecilla N. et.al. Fundamentals of Environmental
Science. Trinitas Pub. Inc., Meycauayan, Bulacan. 2004
Botking, Daniel B., Keller, Edward A. Environmental Science 4th Ed. John
Wiley & Sons Inc., New York. 2003
_______________. Environmental Science: A Study of Relationships. 7th Ed.
2000
Santiago, Florendo I, Dorado, Salvacion L. et.al. Environmental Science: A
Shared Responsibility Towards the Earth. Rex Bookstore: Manila. 1996
Kratz, Rene., Biology. John Wiley & Sons – New Jersey. 2017
Biology: The Unity and Diversity of Life 14th Edition. Cencage Learning –
Australia. 2016
Shukla, Arvind., Industrial Biorpocess Technology 1st Edition., Discovery
Pub House – New Delhi. 2013
Morano, Lourdes N., Lopez, Crisanto S. Jr., Fundamentals of Biology 1.
Lorimar Pub. Quezon City. 2011
Penrcilla, Formacon et.al., Basic Concepts of Biology. Trinitas Pub. Inc.,
Meycauayan Bulacan. 2003
Raven, Petsr H. et.al., Bioilogy 6th Edition., McGraw Hill- New York. 2002
Department of Environment and Natural Resources. http://
ecac.emb.gov.ph/?page_id=51
 91

ENRICHMENT ACTIVITY
Problem:
When we look around, we do not typically see ‘air’ so it is easy to assume
that our air is clean. In reality, our atmosphere is made up of mostly in-
visible gases. Additionally, most air pollutants are invisible as well. Some
particles are so small that we do not usually see them floating by while
others are gases without color. Given this, how do we know if the air we
breathe is clean or polluted? Scientists use complex sensors to detect the
presence and quantity of specific gases in the air. In this experiment, we
will make a sensor to detect particulate matter in our air – any objects
floating through on the wind.
Materials:
 A piece of white or clear plastic (salad plate size)
 Petroleum jelly
 Duct tape
 A wood block or brick
 Blank white paper
Experimental Procedure:
Coat the top of the white or clear plastic with petroleum jelly.
Secure the plastic to a wood block, brick, or other weighted object using
duct tape.
Identify an outdoor location that is mostly open with decent air circula-
tion (on a fence is preferable to on the ground). (Tip: Take a photograph
to include in your presentation.)
Let the plastic/block sit for at least 24 hours (weather permitting).
At the end of your experimental time, collect the plastic/block and bring
it inside. If you are using a clear piece of plastic, place it on a white piece
of paper or light-colored surface.
Examine the top of the plastic for any particles collected. (Take a photo-
graph to include in your presentation.) Make a list of these particles.