Science 7

Science – Grade 7
Quarter 2 – Module 17: Biotic Factors of the Ecosystem
First Edition, 2020

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Published by the Department of Education Division of Pasig City

Development Team of the Self-Learning Module

Writer: Jocelyn S. Aquino
Editor: RubiAnn G. Salen
Reviewer: RubiAnn G. Salen
Illustrator: Edison P. Clet
Layout Artist: Mark Kihm G. Lara
Management Team: Ma. Evalou Concepcion A. Agustin
OIC-Schools Division Superintendent
Carolina T. Rivera, CESE
OIC-Assistant Schools Division Superintendent
Victor M. Javeña EdD
Chief, School Governance and Operations Division and
OIC-Chief, Curriculum Implementation Division

Education Program Supervisors

Librada L. Agon EdD (EPP/TLE/TVL/TVE)

Liza A. Alvarez (Science/STEM/SSP)
Bernard R. Balitao (AP/HUMSS)
Joselito E. Calios (English/SPFL/GAS)
Norlyn D. Conde EdD (MAPEH/SPA/SPS/HOPE/A&D/Sports)
Wilma Q. Del Rosario (LRMS/ADM)
Ma. Teresita E. Herrera EdD (Filipino/GAS/Piling Larang)
Perlita M. Ignacio PhD (EsP)
Dulce O. Santos PhD (Kindergarten/MTB-MLE)
Teresita P. Tagulao EdD (Mathematics/ABM)

Printed in the Philippines by Department of Education – Schools Division of

Pasig City
 Science 7
Quarter 2
Self-Learning Module 17
Biotic Factors of the Ecosystem
Introductory Message
For the facilitator:

Welcome to the Science 7 Self-Learning Module 17 on Biotic Factors of the

Ecosystem

This Self-Learning Module was collaboratively designed, developed and

reviewed by educators from the Schools Division Office of Pasig City headed by its
Officer-in-Charge Schools Division Superintendent, Ma. Evalou Concepcion A.
Agustin, in partnership with the City Government of Pasig through its mayor,
Honorable Victor Ma. Regis N. Sotto. The writers utilized the standards set by the K
to 12 Curriculum using the Most Essential Learning Competencies (MELC) in
developing this instructional resource.

This learning material hopes to engage the learners in guided and independent
learning activities at their own pace and time. Further, this also aims to help learners
acquire the needed 21st century skills especially the 5 Cs, namely: Communication,
Collaboration, Creativity, Critical Thinking, and Character while taking into
consideration their needs and circumstances.

In addition to the material in the main text, you will also see this box in the
body of the module:

Notes to the Teacher

This contains helpful tips or strategies that
will help you in guiding the learners.

As a facilitator you are expected to orient the learners on how to use this
module. You also need to keep track of the learners' progress while allowing them to
manage their own learning. Moreover, you are expected to encourage and assist the
learners as they do the tasks included in the module.
 For the Learner:

Welcome to the Science 7 Self-Learning Module 17 on Biotic Factors of the

Ecosystem

This module was designed to provide you with fun and meaningful
opportunities for guided and independent learning at your own pace and time. You
will be enabled to process the contents of the learning material while being an active
learner.

This module has the following parts and corresponding icons:

Expectations - This points to the set of knowledge and skills

that you will learn after completing the module.

Pretest - This measures your prior knowledge about the lesson

at hand.

Recap - This part of the module provides a review of concepts

and skills that you already know about a previous lesson.

Lesson - This section discusses the topic in the module.

Activities - This is a set of activities that you need to perform.

Wrap-Up - This section summarizes the concepts and

application of the lesson.

Valuing - This part integrates a desirable moral value in the

lesson.

Posttest – This measures how much you have learned from the
entire module.
 EXPECTATIONS

This module is designed and written to help you master the lesson on the
biotic components of an ecosystem and how these components interact with each
other and their environment to survive.

After going through this module, you are expected to:

1. Identify the biotic components and give their important role in the
ecosystem;
2. Differentiate the biotic from abiotic ecosystem using the Venn diagram;
3. Reflect on the importance of interaction between biotic and abiotic
components in maintaining balance in the ecosystem.

PRETEST

Choose the letter of the best answer. Write the chosen letter on a separate sheet of
paper.
1. Biotic factors of an ecosystem are:
A. Consumers C. Non-living things
B. Living things D. Producers

2. The place where living things naturally live is called

A. Community C. Habitat
B. Ecosystem D. Niche

3. What are the three categories of biotic factors?

A. Consumer, Water, and Producer
B. Decomposer, Consumer, and Rocks
C. Producer, Decomposer, and Consumer
D. Weather, Consumer, and Decomposer

4. Which of the following pairs has no abiotic and biotic components?

A. Cloud – fungus C. Soil – fern
B. Snakes – grass D. Water – bacteria

5. Lizards and cacti are biotic factors in a desert ecosystem that would rely on
which abiotic factors?
A. Insects and sun
B. Snakes and temperature
C. Water and insects
D. Water and soil
 RECAP
In the previous module you have learned abiotic components of the ecosystem.
Can you still remember the factors helping in sustaining ecological processes? Let’s
have practice exercise to refresh your mind.

Directions:
Fill up the blanks with letters to complete/ form the words. Use the questions
below as your clues.

1. __ __ __ O __ __ __
2. __ __ __ T __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __
3. __ __ __ M __ __ __ __
4. __ __ __ O __ __ __ __ __ __
5. __ __ __ D __

Questions:
1. These are all the non-living things in the environment.
2. It is called as the process on how plants response to sunlight.
3. Factors that include light, temperature, wind and water.
4. Santan, gumamela and rose examples of these type plants that need moderate
amount of water.
5. A soil type that cannot hold much water and nutrients

LESSON

Are you an outdoor person? Have you tried to climb mountains and explore
seas? Have you been curious and observing natural world? What’s in it? How natural
world works? Let’s get out and find out!

Figure 1&2: Natural environment

List down all things we observed (see, feel, hear, touch, taste) about our
natural world. How will you group these things?
 Yes you’re right! They can be grouped as living
things and non-living things. Early this week we already
discussed that non-living components of ecosystem are
the abiotic factors. How about the living components?
What are they called?

Biotic Components
Refer to all the living organisms found in the
environment. Living things naturally live at their
habitat. These living organisms are organized
ecologically into different levels.

Ecological Levels of Organization

Organisms Population Community Ecosystem Biome Biosphere

Populations of Group of
Simplest, all different ecosystems that
individual living organisms share the same
thing occupying the abiotic factors in
same area an area

Group of organisms Community

of one type interacting with one All of the Earth’s
occupying the same another and its non- ecosystem
area at the same living environment
time

TRY THIS!

Arrange the following examples of levels of organization from the

simplest to broadest level?

earthobservatory.nasa.gov
 Biotic factors affect each other and influence the health of the ecosystem. They
are participants in the food web and rely on each other for survival. These factors are
grouped into three distinct categories: producers, consumers and decomposers.

Producers or autotrophs are self-feeding or self-sustaining organisms. This

group of organisms uses sun’s energy (photosynthesis) – or more rarely inorganic
chemical reactions (chemosynthesis) – to manufacture food in the form of energy-
rich molecules such as glucose (carbohydrates). Through this process there is a
systematic transfer of energy throughout the ecosystem, ensuring that each member
has what it needs to grow, live and thrive. Plants and lichens are the primary
producers in terrestrial ecosystems while algae provide crucial nutrients for other
organisms in the aquatic ecosystem.

coloradoalgae.wordpress.com

Figure 3: Plant Variety Figure 4: Lichen Figure 5: Algae

Consumers cannot make their own food as

producers do, thus they are called heterotrophs.
Consumers have to rely on producers in order to stay
alive. Consumers are usually classified by the kind of
food they eat such as carnivores, herbivores and
omnivores.
Figure 6: Cow-Herbivore
▪ Herbivores are animals that feed only on plants. Herbivores can be further
grouped into folivores (leaf eaters), granivores (seed eaters), frugivores (fruit-
eaters), and nectivores (nectar feeders). Some examples are rabbit, giraffe and
butterfly.
▪ Carnivores are consumers that feed on other animals. The word carnivore is
derived from Latin and literally means “meat eater.” Some examples are
snakes, lion and eagle.
▪ Omnivores are animals that eat both plant- and animal-derived food. In Latin,
omnivore means to eat everything. Some examples are human, chicken and
pig.

When animals get to feed what happens

with their left-overs? What happens with
the sacrificed organisms only for the
survival of others? Which cleans up the
ecosystem?
 Decomposers are organisms that break down waste
and dead organisms while returning the raw materials
back to the ecosystem. Hence, decomposers are
considered as Earth's major recyclers. They clean and
pack up the ecosystem!

Figure 7: Fungi-Mushroom
Detrivores are macrodecomposers that contribute to the breakdown of all of
the dead and decaying material (detritus) in any ecosystem therefore play a vital role
in cycling nutrients. Some samples of detrivores are centipedes, dung flies,
earthworms and slugs.
Decomposers like fungi, bacteria and protists also referred to as saprophytes,
perform true decomposition, using special enzymes to convert material excreted by
the detritivores into further simpler substances.

Interactions within Ecosystem

Look how tall the coconut trees and the
way green grasses are. Are you able to feel how
happy and healthy these cows are? How one
organism survives and interacts with its
environment? What does one think might
happen if the area suffers from drought or too
many grazers in the area?
Figure 8: Ecosystem

An ecosystem needs abiotic factors to survive, but balanced biotic factors

make it thrive. The web of life is made by relationships not only between living things,
but also between living and non-living things. While abiotic factors are essential to
sustain life, biotic factors interact with and might more easily create changes within
the environment.

ACTIVITIES

Activity 1: Traba-hula

Identify which biotic factor (Producer, Consumer, Decomposer) has the following
roles in ecosystem. Write your answer before the number.

_______________ 1. They are the base of food chain.

_______________ 2. Receives energy from dead plants and animals.
_______________ 3. Members that cannot make their own food.
_______________ 4. They are fed on the remains of plants and animals.
_______________ 5. Depend on plants for food.
_______________ 6. Convert solar energy into useful chemical energy.
_______________ 7. Breakdown organic matter to maintain balance in the ecosystem
_______________ 8. Provides food and nourishment for others.
_______________ 9. They are the Earth’s major recyclers.
______________ 10. They are also called autothrophs.

Activity 2: Ecosystem: Venn Diagram

1. What is biotic factor?

__________________________________________________________________________
2. What is abiotic factor?
__________________________________________________________________________

Enter the items from the following list into Venn diagram. In the center, place
what contains both biotic and abiotic factors.

Clouds Grass Rainbow Rocks Mold

Mud Gold Trees Sand Heat
Fire Worms Humidity Shrubs Air
Coral Bacteria Carbon dioxide Planktons Sponge

ABIOTIC FACTORS BIOTIC FACTORS

BOTH FACTORS

Activity 3: Biotic Vs. Abiotic Factors

All abiotic and biotic factors are interrelated. In nature

you will find that if one factor is changed or removed, it impacts
the availability of other resources within the system. Knowing
this, give example of what might happen on the given
situation.
In the area with open space place either A – abiotic or B
– biotic to identify what the object is.

1. A hectare of trees (____) is removed/cut from the forest. How will this affect
the other organisms (____), the amount of water (____) and amount of oxygen
(____) in the area?
 2. All of the rocks (____) are removed from a desert ecosystem, what would
happen to the population of rock dwelling lizards (____) and in turn the
animals that eat them?
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________

3. Philippines is the center of biodiversity (____).Through the years coastal

infrastructure developments have greatly damaged coral reefs (____),
mangroves (____), and sea grasses. Coastal areas have been converted into
beach resorts, commercial strips, residential areas, and even industrial zones.
Destructive fishing habits [e.g. use of dynamite (____)] have also contributed
to the diminishing fish stocks.
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________

WRAP-UP

Concept Map: Use the following words to complete the concept map.

Producers Abiotic Animals Detrivore Fungi Worms

Consumers Light Biotic Carnivore Chicken Air
Snakes Omnivore Insects Decomposers Herbivore Plants

Components of
Ecosystem

Divided into:

Are grouped into 3 categories:

Ex. Ex. Ex.

3sub-categories: Are macrodecomposers

Ex. Ex. Ex. Ex.

 VALUING
Later in August 2020, the House of Representatives
approved House Bill No. 6930 or the Family Tree Planting Act
and House Bill No. 8728 or the Graduation Legacy for the
Environment Act in 2019. The bills seek to require parents as
well as graduating senior high school and college students to
plant trees. Are you in favor of the bill? Are the trees that
important in the community? Why? What a number of trees
can do to your community?

POSTTEST

1. All living organisms that inhabit an environment are called?

A. Abiotic C. Community
B. Biotic D. Dead
2. Does a bird depend on the sun?
A. No, the bird eats fruits and worm.
B. No, the forest does not have sunlight.
C. Yes, the sun supplies the energy of all food chain.
D. Yes, the bird is a producer.
3. You see a grasshopper on a leaf. What could you say about how the
grasshopper gets its energy?
A. It gets energy from the air.
B. It gets energy from the leaf.
C. It gets energy from soil.
D. It gets energy from water.
4. Slugs are decomposers. How do they get the energy they need?
A. Slugs are predator that search for prey.
B. Slugs eat leaves growing on rainforest plants.
C. Slugs feed on dead leaves and waste on the forest floor.
D. Slugs take in sunlight and water to make their own food.
5. Which of the following describes an interaction between a biotic factor and
an abiotic factor?
A. A camel drinks up water in a waterhole
B. A pair of birds build a nest in a tree
C. A squirrel gathers nuts to store for winter
D. A vulture eats the remains of a wild pig
 KEY TO CORRECTION

PRE – TEST
1. B 2. C 3. C 4. B 5. D

RECAP
1. ABIOTIC
2. PHOTOPERIODISM
3. CLIMATIC
4. MESOPHYTES
5. SANDY

TRY THIS!

ACTIVITY 1
1. Producer 6. Producer
2. Consumer 7. Decomposer
3. Decomposer 8. Producer
4. Producer 9. Decomposer
5. Decomposer 10. Producer

ACTIVITY 2
1. Bioitc – are the living factors of the ecosystem
2. Abiotic – are the non-living components of the ecosystem

ABIOTIC FACTORS BIOTIC FACTORS

Clouds, Both are part of Grass,

rainbow, the ecosystem mold, trees,
rocks, mud, that interact, worms,
gold, sand, with each other shrubs,
heat, glacier, coral,
humidity, Biotic factors bacteria,
typhoon, rely to abiotic planktons,
carbon dioxide factors to sponge
survive

BOTH FACTORS

ACTIVITY 3
1. A hectare of trees (B) is removed/cut from the forest. How will this affect the other organisms
(B), the amount of water (A) and amount of oxygen (A) in the area?
__________________________Answers may vary____________________________
2. All of the rocks (A) are removed from a desert ecosystem, what would happen to the population
of rock dwelling lizards (B) and in turn the animals that eat them?
__________________________Answers may vary____________________________
3. Philippines is the center of biodiversity (B). Through the years coastal infrastructure
developments have greatly damaged coral reefs (B), mangroves (B), and sea grasses. Coastal
areas have been converted into beach resorts, commercial strips, residential areas, and even
industrial zones. Destructive fishing habits [e.g. use of dynamite (A)] have also contributed to
the diminishing fish stocks.
__________________________Answers may vary____________________________
VALUING
Answers may vary
POST – TEST
1. B 2. C 3. B 4. C 5. B

References
A. Books
Madriaga, E. A, et.al. 2017. Science Links 7 Revised Edition. Manila. Rex Bookstore,
Inc.
Groiler International Inc. 2006. Popular Science. Volume 3. Scholastic Library
Publishing, Inc.

B. Online and Electronic Sources

https://sciencing.com/biotic-factors-ecosystems-5135640.html Accessed August
12, 2020.
https://www.aplustopper.com/biotic-components-environment/ . Accessed August
12, 2020.
http://energyrolesinanecosystem.weebly.com/ Accessed August 13, 2020.
https://courses.lumenlearning.com/ Accessed August 13, 2020.
https://biologydictionary.net/ Accessed August 13, 2020.
https://ecosystems.psu.edu/ Accessed August 13, 2020
https://www.nps.gov/ Accessed August 13, 2020
Biosphere photo
earthobservatory.nasa.gov. Accessed August 12, 2020.
Photo of algae
https://coloradoalgae.wordpress.com Accessed August 12, 2020.
Illegal logging photoskythewolf.wordpress.com/state-of-the-philippine-environment/
Accessed August 09, 2020.
https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1327507/house-oks-bills-requiring-parents-
graduating-high-school-and-college-students-to-plant-trees Accessed Sept 12,
2020.
https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/05/15/19/plant-before-diploma-house-oks-bill-
requiring-tree-planting-before-graduation Accessed September 12, 2020.