Senior High School

Earth and Life

Science
Quarter 2 - Module 9
Introduction to Life Science
 What I Know

Pretest
Instruction: Read and answer the following questions. Encircle the correct answer.
1. All living organisms are able to___________.
A. use energy to work
B. grow and change
C. use their senses to their environment
D. all of the above

2. Science is basically based on_____________.

A. opinion
B. beliefs
C. consensus
D. evidences

3. A theory is________________.
A. an observation on something in the natural world
B. a testable hypothesis or prediction that is potentially falsifiable
C. an experimental procedure of many observations, facts and results
D. a belief shared with many scientists agreeing on the topic

4. The movement of material from a high concentration to lesser concentration is

called_______.
A. osmosis
B. photosynthesis
C. respiration
D. diffusion
5. The process by which cells reproduce is__________.
A. diffusion
B. osmosis
C. cell division
D. respiration

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6. The cell structures that break down food to produce energy are the____________.
A. vacuoles
B. chloroplasts
C. ribosomes
D. mitochondria
7. Animals have the following except_____________.
A. cell wall
B. ribosomes
C. mitochondria
D. cell membrane
8. Plants have the following except_____________________.
A. vacuoles
B. ribosomes
C. cell walls
D. mitochondria
9. Oxygen is carried throughout the body by________________.
A. red blood cells
B. white blood cells
C. plasma
D. guard cells

10. Which of the following works as the brain of the cell?

A. Lysosomes
B. Nucleolus
C. Nucleus
D. Mitochondria

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 Evidences and Processes of
Lesson Evolution
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What I Need to Know

How do we define life? We simply describe life as easy as it is recognized to be

but often much harder to define it. Animals and plants are organisms that we consider
to have life and what is common with these two is that both are made up of cells which
can be unicellular or multicellular depending to which descendant an organism
belongs. There are different characteristics of life and these are nutrition, reproduction,
excretion, growth, movement, respiration, and sensitivity. Several attempts have been
made from time to time to explain on the origin of the Earth and how life really began.
As a result, people have come up with different theories providing their own
explanation on the possible mechanism on the origin of life. This chapter is your
introduction to a slice through time. We begin with Earth’s formation and move on to
life’s chemical origins and the evolution of traits present in modern eukaryotes.

What’s New

Activity 1: My Own Origin of the Earth (PERFORMANCE TASK - 60% of your GRADE)

Make a simple diagram or sketch on how the universe and the earth was formed

based on your own understanding and prior knowledge. Write a short explanation of

your drawing on a separate piece of paper. Criteria is provided below.

Criteria:

Neatness- 15 points
Creativity- 30 points
Relevance - 15 points
Information- 20 points
Concept- 20 points

100 points

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 What Is It

 Origin of the Universe and Earth

There were many theories inferred by different scientists on the origin of the
universe. Few of these are the Theory of Special Creation, Theory of Spontaneous
Generation, Theory of Biogenesis, Theory of Biochemical Evolution, Theory of
Panspermia, and Deep-sea hydrothermal vent theory. These theories may have or
may have not scientific basis.
Some believed that organisms were put to Earth by some divine forces (Canoy,
2016) while others say that life did not originate from Earth but from other celestial
bodies. Among the scientists, the most accepted theory is that life came from lifeless
matter. According to the primordial soup theory proposed by Alexander Oparin and

John Haldane, that life started in a primordial soup of organic molecules. Some form
of energy from lightning combined with the chemicals in the atmosphere to make the
amino acids (the building block of proteins).
Studies of the modern universe allow astronomers and physicists to propose and
test ideas about its origin (Starr et al., 2015). According to the big bang theory the
universe began in a single instant, about 13 to 15 billion years ago. In that silent
expansion, all existing matter and energy suddenly appeared and exploded outward
from one point. Simple elements such as hydrogen and helium formed within minutes.
Then over millions of years, gravity drew the gases together and they condensed to
form giant stars. The explosions of the early stars scattered heavier elements which
formed into galaxies (Starr et al., 2010). Five billion years ago, a cloud of dust and
rocks (asteroids) orbited the star which is known as the sun. When the asteroids
collided with another asteroids, it merged into bigger asteroids. The heavier these
preplanetary object became, the more gravitational pull they exerted, and the more
material they gathered. About 4.6 billion years ago, this gradual build-up of materials
had formed Earth and other planets of our solar system.

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 What Is It
The Common Ancestor of All Life

All living things are made up of cells. Some are unicellular and some are
multicellular. Unicellular organisms that are mostly known are paramecium, amoeba,
bacteria, and yeast. The multicellular cells include animal cells, plant cells, and the
human body and germ cells. Given what scientists know about relationships among
modern species. Most assume that this common ancestor was prokaryotic, meaning
it did not have a nucleus. There was a scarcity of oxygen during the early Earth’s
atmosphere so the ancestral cell must also have been anaerobic meaning capable of
living without oxygen.
What are the evidences to prove such statement? Looking for and finding signs
of early cells poses a challenge. Cells are microscopic and cannot be seen through
our naked eye and is difficult to fossilize. Furthermore, few ancient rocks that could
hold early fossils still exist. Tectonic plate movements have destroyed nearly all rocks
older than about 4 million years, most slightly younger rocks have been heated that
destroy traces of biological material. Structures formed by nonbiological mechanisms
sometimes resemble fossils. To avoid mistakes on accepting materials like genuine
fossils, scientists repeatedly analyze purported (not definitely true or real) fossil finds
and they often question one another’s conclusion.

The Oldest Fossil Cells

The divergence that separated the two prokaryotic domains, Bacteria and
Archaea, occurred rarely in the history of life, and no fossils from before this
divergence have been discovered.
It has been studied that the first form of life is believed to have appeared 3.5
billion years ago. Paleontologists are the
scientists who study fossils found microscopic
living cells known as microfossils in rocks that
formed 3.5 billion years ago after Earth cooled
and solidified using radioisotope dating (which
uses radioactive materials such as the radioactive
components of potassium-argon). The
Figure 1. Example of microfossils of sulphur-
microfossils’ filaments found in Western Australia metabolizing cells in 3.4-billion-year-old rocks of
Western Australia
resemble chains of modern photosynthetic bacteria

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and the rocks in which they occur are thought to be remains of ancient stromatolites
which are mounded, layered structure that forms in shallow sunlit water when a mat
of photosynthetic bacteria traps minerals and sediment (Figure 1). These stromatolites
increase in size over time as new layers form over the old. These organisms have
been so abundant 1.25 billion years ago and were common worldwide.
Many types of bacteria carry out photosynthesis, but only one group,
cyanobacteria, do so by an oxygen-producing pathway. The microfossils of
cyanobacteria were among the easiest to recognize. The forms of these organisms
were remained the same and left chemical fossils in the form of broken products from
pigments. The first microfossil that showed remains of organisms with differences in
structure and characteristics was seen 1.5 billion years ago on the rocks. They are
bigger compared to bacteria and have internal membranes and thicker wall. These
findings marked the beginning of eukaryotic organisms on Earth. The evolution of
oxygen-producing photosynthesis in cyanobacteria had started on early life. About 2.5
billion years ago, oxygen released by these bacteria had begun to accumulate in
Earth’s air and creating a new, global selection pressure. Other species considered
oxygen as toxic thus evolved gradually in its absence.
How did multicellular organisms evolve? Multicellular organisms are believed
to have evolved from unicellular eukaryotes and until now it is the concept that we
believe. Single eukaryotic cells, just like unicellular algae, formed multicellular
aggregates through association with another cell producing colonies. From colonial
aggregates, the organisms evolved in order to form multicellular organisms through
cell specialization. Organisms like protozoans, sponges, and fungi came to being. The
soft-bodied animals were the first fossilized animals which were discovered 580 million
years. The continuous process of cell specialization brought the emergence of diverse
plants and animals, including human beings and including the complex ones. Charles
Darwin said that organisms change over time as a result of adaptation to their
environment in order to survive.

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Rise of the Eukaryotes
Nucleus is not often preserved during fossilization but other traits provide
evidence that a fossilized cell was eukaryotic. These eukaryotic cells are generally
larger than the prokaryotic cells. A cell wall with complex patterns, spines, or spikes
probably belonged to a eukaryote. Researchers and scientists also look for biomarkers
(substance that occurs only or predominantly in cells of a specific type) for each
eukaryote just like the steroids found present only to eukaryotes (Figure 2).
Table 1. Difference between Prokaryotes and Eukaryotes
Prokaryotic Cell Eukaryotic Cell
‘pro’= pre, ‘karyon’=nucleus ‘eu’ = true , ‘karyon’= nucleus
Originated about 3.5 billion years ago Originated about 1.2 billion years ago
Primitive forms Advanced
Unicellular Multicellular
Developing nucleus True nucleus present
Small in size Larger in Size
Non-bounded membrane Membrane-bounded

Figure 2. A diagram of a Eukaryotic and Prokaryotic Cell.

Origin and evolution eukaryotes

Table 2. Origin of Some Organelles

Organelle Origin
 Nucleus - The DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) of the prokaryotes lies
on unenclosed in the cell’s cytoplasm while the DNA of
the eukaryotes are enclosed with an endomembrane
(group of members and organelles). The nucleus and
endomembrane system evolve when plasma membrane
of an ancestral prokaryote folded inward (See Fig.3)
 Mitochondria - Mitochondria and chloroplasts resemble bacteria in their
and Chloroplast size and shape, and they replicate independently of the
cell that holds them. Bacteria have their own DNA in the
form of a singular chromosome and have at least two
outer membranes and innermost membrane similar to
bacterial plasma membrane.
- Chloroplast is the site of photosynthesis.

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 Table 3: Functions of Other Cell Organelles

Cell Organelles Function

 Ribosomes - Makes protein
 Golgi Apparatus - Does the packaging and processing of proteins
 Lysosomes - Contain enzymes to help break the food down
 Endoplasmic - Transports items around the cell
Reticulum
 Vacuole - For water or food storage
 Chloroplasts - Present in plants only; uses sunlight to make food
through photosynthesis
 Cell wall - Rigid; supports the cell

Figure 3. Steps in the Evolution of eukaryotic organelles.

What’s More
Activity 1: Answer the Riddle
Given the concept of the evolution of prokaryotes and the organelles. Find the
secret message by answering the questions below. Choose your answer from the table then
write the corresponding letter in the space to answer of the riddle: Did you hear the one
about a chemist who was reading a book about helium?

Nucleus Cell Lysosomes Chloroplast Endoplasmic Ribosomes Mitochondria

Membrane Reticulum
P C D L N U O
Vacuole Animal Chromosomes Cytoplasm Golgi Nucleolus Cell Wall
Cell Apparatus
U T T H I E T
Unicellular Eukaryotic Prokaryotic Multicellular
D W N O

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_______ 1) It is a jelly-like fluid structure inside the cell that provides an area of movement for all
dissolved molecules that keep the cell working.
_______ 2) A structure found in the nucleus that helps produce ribosomes.
_______ 3) It is a thin layer around the cell but not a rigid one. It has openings to allow
transportation and exchange of materials.
_______ 4) When a cell needs energy, it brings in nutrients and break it down and supply energy
to the cell.
_______ 5) Its role is for storage.
_______ 6) It helps produce food for plants and absorbs light energy from the sun and use it to
convert C02 and H20 into sugar and oxygen.

_______ 7) It is the digestive system in an animal cell because it contains enzymes that break
down wastes and other materials.
_______ 8) These build proteins in the cell and can be found in several places in the cells which
includes in the cytosol and on the endoplasmic reticulum.
_______ 9) They do the DNA synthesis and direct the genetic information of the cell. These are
made of DNA and found in the nucleus and usually in pairs.
_______ 10) It is also known as the brain of the cell.
_______ 11) An organelle that serves as the transport system.
_______ 12) It is only found in the plant cells that support the plat which is also made of specialized
sugar called cellulose.
_______ 13) It gathers molecules and make them more complex. It also stores them or send them
into the cytosol or out of the cell. This organelle also processes the proteins produced
by the endoplasmic reticulum and ribosomes.
_______ 14) It does not contain cell wall.
_______ 15) An organism made up of one cell.
_______ 16) Organism composed of many cells.
_______ 17) An organism that lacks nucleus.
_______ 18) An organism with true nucleus.

What is It

Biology is the study of life. Life does not only involve the living things itself only
but also includes its deepest characteristics. There are many characteristics of life and
some of these will be discussed below.
This is an important introduction on how you define a living and a non-living for
you to simply know how important life is.

7 Basic Characteristics of Life

1. Nutrition
2. Reproduction
3. Excretion
4. Growth
5. Movement
6. Respiration
7. Sensitivity

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Table 4: Characteristics of Life
Life Definition/Example
Characteristic
Sensitivity Living things are able to respond to the environment through a stimulus.
Irritability is an example. Another example is a living thing’s response to light
by facing the sun and sweating as our body response to heat which is also
connected to excretion.
Reproduction Unicellular organisms reproduce by DNA replication and dividing equally as
the new cell prepares to form two new cells while multicellular organisms
often reproduce using its gametes in order to form new individuals. When
there is reproduction, genes with DNA will passed from generation to
generation to make sure that the offspring belong to the same species
having similar characteristics.

Growth and Organisms grow and develop according to its genes that gives instruction
Development that will direct the cellular growth and development ensure that the offspring
will grow up and manifest many of the same characteristics from the parents.
Mitosis and meiosis play an important role in this matter.
Nutrition Living things take in minerals and food from the environment in order to
survive and grow. It is the process of which organism obtain energy and raw
materials from nutrients such as fats, carbohydrates and proteins.
Respiration It is the process in which the energy from the food eaten is being released
in al living cells. Organisms break down the food within their cells with a
specific process to carry out the following processes.
Movement All living things move. Animals move from one place to another. Plants also
move but not as usually observable than animals. Plants move in different
ways in order to grow and their movement may be so slow that people
cannot even recognize. A Makahiya leaf being touched is an example of
movement through thigmotrophism
Excretion All living things also excrete but in different ways. Excretion is the result of
many chemical reactions happening in cells which they have to remove the
waste products which might poison the cells. Excretion is the removal of
toxic minerals in excess from the organism.

What’s More

Activity 2: Case Analysis

With the given concept above, answer the following situations with the characteristics
of life. Write your answer on the second table.

Statement Characteristic of Life

Jannine married Frank after dating for four
years. After 2 months, Jannine thought she
Reproduction
just had difficulty having menstruation then
she found out she was pregnant.

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You throw a piece of seed into your
backyard. After a few weeks, there was a
seedling started to grow.
Stomata are small openings present on plant
leaves. On a hot dry day, the stomata
openings remain closed to reduce the loss of
water. Which characteristic of living things is
described here?
Puppies have inherited genes from both
parents and share many of the same
characteristics.

Eggs—tadpoles—adult frogs

Snakes shed their skin.

Mary was running fast because she was late

in her Biology class. When she entered the
classroom, she was sweating a lot.

pollen carried from flower to flower

A triathlon ate plenty of fruits and vegetable

as a preparation for his competition next
week.

Guttation in plants gradually happen.

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 What Have I Learned

Activity 6: Synthesizing your Learning

Answer the following questions based on your learning. Be brief and concise.

1. Based from your opinion, why do we need to study the beginning of the universe?
Give at least five (2) reasons.
a.

b.

2. From the seven characteristics of life, choose top three which you consider as
important characteristics of life. Explain why to each of the characteristic below.

a.

b.

c.

What Can I Do
(PERFORMANCE TASK 60% of your GRADE)
We learned that bacteria are unicellular and can be either be benefited by humans or
endanger humans. Your activity is to fill in “the hands” some ways to keep yourself
away from being infected by some bacteria or viruses especially during the pandemic.
Color “the hand”. At the center of the hand, make your own slogan about the
importance of hygiene and hand washing.

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Summary

 There are different theories proposed on how the universe was formed such as
Theory of Special Creation, Theory of Spontaneous Generation, Theory of
Biogenesis, Theory of Biochemical Evolution, Theory of Panspermia, and
Deeps-sea Hydrothermal Vent Theory.

 Big Bang Theory is the theory that is widely accepted and states that the
universe was formed 13 to 15 billion years ago.

 The age of the earth was proven and studied with the use of fossils (remains of
the past).

 Paleontologists discovered microfossils in rocks that formed 3.5 billion years

ago using radioisotope dating.

 All living organisms are made up of cells.

 Multicellular organisms evolved from unicellular eukaryotes with a process.

 Nucleus is not often preserved during fossilization but other traits that a
fossilized cell was eukaryotic.

 Prokaryotic cells are unicellular.

 Eukaryotic cells are multicellular.

 There are different characteristics of life namely, Sensitivity, Reproduction,

Growth and Development, Nutrition, Respiration, Movement, and Excretion.

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Post-Assessment
Instruction: Read and answer the following questions. Encircle the letter of your
choice.

1. According to the big bang theory, ________________.

a. the universe expanded out from a single point
b. earth and our sun formed simultaneously
c. C and O were the first elements to form
d. all of the above

2. The first eukaryotes were ___________.

a. fungi
b. plants
c. protists
d. animals

3. Evidence that Mars ____ suggests that It may have supported or still supports
life.
A. has an ozone layer
B. has water
C. is about the same size as Earth
D. all of the above

4. The evolution of _______ resulted in the increase in the levels of atmospheric

oxygen.
a. DNA-based genomes
b. aerobic respiration
c. sexual reproduction
d. photosynthesis that releases oxygen

5. Bacteria that cause the disease typhus are close relatives of bacteria evolved
into ______.
a. protists
b. protocells
c. chloroplasts
d. mitochondria

6. An RNA that functions as an enzyme is a ___________.

a. protein
b. protocell
c. ribosome
d. ribozyme

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7. A stromatolite is a structure ____________.
a. produced by endosymbiosis
b. that formed only on the early Earth
c. consisting of layered bacteria and sediment
d. that expels hot water from deep in the Earth

8. _________ refers to the sum of chemical reactions of an organism.

a. Photosynthesis
b. Respiration
c. Metabolism
d. Homeostasis

9. It is the ability of living things to produce new individuals closely resembles

them.
a. Excretion
b. Reproduction
c. Respiration
d. Creation

10. It is a theory stating that the beginning of the universe was due to a supreme
being creating the planets, galaxies, asteroids and other heavenly bodies.

a. Theory of Special Creation

b. Theory of Spontaneous Generation
c. Theory of Biogenesis
d. Theory of Biochemical Evolution

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