WHOLE BRAIN LEARNING SYSTEM

OUTCOME-BASED EDUCATION

Science, Technology and Engineering (STE) Program GRADE

ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE 7

LEARNING QUARTER I

MODULE WEEK
1
 MODULE IN
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE
Science, Technology and Engineering (STE) Program

QUARTER I
WEEK 1

Biotic and Abiotic Factors and the Natural

Ecosystem

Development Team

Writer: Aubrey James D. Juan

Editors/Reviewers: Hamilton C. Remigio Flenie A. Galicinao

Illustrator: Aubrey James D. Juan

Management Team: Vilma D. Eda, CESO V

Joye D. Madalipay Lourdes B. Arucan

Juanito V. Labao Flenie A. Galicinao

WBLS-OBE MELC-Aligned Self-Learning Module Environmental Science (Grade 7) 1

 What I Need to Know

The world is full of wonders and beauty. It is made up of different parts which depend
on one another. This makes our environment a special kind of system. Environmental Science
is the study of the environment, the processes it undergoes, and the problems that arise
generally from the interaction of humans with the environment.

This module provides you understanding of the concept of the natural ecosystem and
its parts which are the biotic and the abiotic factors.

Most Essential Learning Competencies:

1. Describe an ecosystem;
2. Explain how ecosystem differs from biotic community and biosphere; and
3. Describe the different ecosystems as a part of a biome.

Learning Objectives:

1. Define ecosystem;
2. Identify the different types of ecosystems as part of a biome;
3. Identify and describe what makes up an ecosystem; and
4. Give examples of biotic and abiotic factors.

What I Know

Pre-Test
Directions: Read and understand the questions carefully and select the letter of the correct
answer.

1. It is the study of the environment, the processes it undergoes, and the problems that
arise generally from the interaction of humans with the environment.
A. Biology B. Chemistry
C. Ecosystem D. Environmental Science

2. It is the science that deals with the relationships between humans and other organisms
and with their environment.
A. Biology B. Chemistry
D. Ecosystem D. Environmental Science

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3. These are the part of the ecosystem which are describe as living components or also
known as organisms.
A. abiotic factors B. animals
C. biotic factors D. plants

4. These are the nonliving components in the environment.

A. abiotic factors B. animals
D. biotic factors D. plants

5. Which among the following is an example of abiotic factor?

A. earthworm B. mushroom C. moss D. sunlight

6. The following components are considered as biotic components, EXCEPT

A. cactus B. mosquito C. soil D. weed

7. These are ecosystems that have not intervened by humans.

A. artificial ecosystem B. natural ecosystem
C. parks D. rice field
D.
8. It is considered as a worldwide sum of all ecosystems or layer of the planet where life
exists.
A. biomes B. biosphere
C. ecosystem D. environment

9. Which of the following situations shows the importance of abiotic factors?

A. The boulder became the habitat of a type of bush.
B. Water is considered as the habitat of some fishes.
C. The soil holds the plant in place and provides nutrients to it.
D. All of the above.

10. Which of the following ecosystems will fall under the forest biome?
A. coastal B. cold
C. semi – arid D. tropical

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Lesson Biotic and Abiotic Factors and
1 the Natural Ecosystem

What’s In

Word Search

Directions: Loop the following terms related to Environmental Science.

Environmental Science Ecosystem Biome Biotic Abiotic

Biosphere Tundra Desert Forest Animals
Plants Environment

E N V I R O N M E N T A L S C I E N C E

A C H C A T B N M K L B R Y U R S C A S

N A O X G A H J K X B I O T I C I T D D

I G K S G U P L A N G O H J K L O A T T

M H Q S Y B B P L A N T S F T R F E R R

A O P A A S S I R X Z I X C N S I R E E

L A R D N U T T G H A C R E T I E S D S

S B I O S P H E R E E N V I S C I R S E

A B I O A B I O M E S C I E N C E A O D

R E E N V I R O N M E N T D E S E R A F

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 What’s New

Activity 1: Matching Type

Directions: Match Column A to Column B.

Column A Column B

1. ecosystem A. These are components of an ecosystem

2. biotic factors which are considered as non-living things.
3. abiotic factors B. It is the interaction of living things and non-
4. biome living things in the environment.
5. biosphere C. It is the collection of different ecosystems.
6. population D. Group of individuals of the same species
7. community living in the same area.
8. organism E. A group of populations living in the same
9. desert area.
10. forest F. It is the worldwide sum of all
biomes/ecosystems or the sum of all the parts
where life exists.
G. It is a barren area of landscape which
receives minimal amount of precipitation
(rain).
H. An area which is dominated by large number
of trees and other woody plants.
I. An individual living thing.
J. These are components of an ecosystem
which are considered as living things.

What is It

What is Ecology?

Ecology came from the Greek words, oikos which means “house”, and logos which
means “study.” It is the science which studies the relationships between humans and other
organisms, and to their environment.

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Levels of Ecological Hierarchy

Biosphere

Biome

Ecosystem

Community

Population

Organism

Biosphere is the layer of the planet where life exists. A biome is a specific geographic
area notable for the species living there. A biome can be made up of many ecosystems.
An ecosystem is a geographic area where plants, animals, and other organisms, as well
as weather and landscape which interact together for the continuity of life. Ecosystem is
composed of living things (biotic factors) and nonliving things (abiotic factors). Community is
an interacting group made up of different groups of species or population living in the same
area. A population is a group of similar species or organisms living in the same area. An
organism is considered as an individual living thing.

Biomes VS Ecosystems

Biome and ecosystem are sometimes misunderstood as the same. Although they have
some similarities, a biome is different from an ecosystem.

Biome

A biome is a specific geographic area notable for the species living there. A biome can
be made up of many ecosystems. For example, an aquatic biome can contain ecosystems
such as coral reefs and kelp forests.

A biome can be simply classified as terrestrial (land) or aquatic (water). A biome can
also be classified as forest, desert, tundra, grassland, and aquatic.

A. Forest Biome

The word forest broadly describes an

area that has a large number of trees. There are
three general types of forest that exist:
temperate, tropical, and boreal. Experts
estimate that these forests cover approximately
one-third of Earth’s surface.
Image by bnwphotoexercise from unsplash.com

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 B. Desert Biome

The desert biome covers about one-fifth of

Earth’s surface. This biome has a layer of soil
that can either be sandy, gravelly, or stony,
depending on the type of desert. The four main
types of desert include hot and dry deserts,
semi-arid deserts, coastal deserts, and cold
deserts.
Image by Giorgio Parravicini from unsplash.com

C. Tundra Biome

Tundra is the coldest of all the biomes.

Tundra comes from the Finnish word tunturi,
meaning treeless plain. It is noted for its frost-
molded landscapes, extremely low
temperatures, little precipitation, poor nutrients,
and short growing seasons. Dead organic
material functions as a nutrient pool. The two
major nutrients are nitrogen and phosphorus.
Nitrogen is created by biological fixation, and
phosphorus is created by precipitation. There
are three types of tundra, Arctic tundra, Image by Harshil Gudka from unsplash.com

Antarctic tundra, and alpine tundra. In all of

these types, the dominant vegetation is
grasses, mosses, and lichens.

D. Grassland Biome

Grassland biomes are areas that are

continuously dominated and covered by
various grass species. This is usually the
result of the perfect amount of precipitation
that allows root plants like grasses to grow and
thrive while still not being enough for larger
plants like trees to dominate the area. There
are three general subdivisions of grasslands Image by Gary Along from unsplash.com
are savannas (tropical grasslands),
temperate grasslands and steppes. Each of
these are defined by their rainfall, location,
temperature and other defining
characteristics.

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 E. Aquatic Biome

Aquatic biomes are biomes found in water.

Water covers 70 percent of Earth’s surface, so
aquatic biomes are a major component of the
biosphere. However, they have less total
biomass than terrestrial biomes. Aquatic
biomes can occur in either salt water (marine
biome) or freshwater biome.
Image by Alice Triquet from unsplash.com

Ecosystem

An ecosystem is the interaction of living and nonliving things in an environment.

Ecosystems contain biotic or living, parts, as well as abiotic factors, or nonliving parts. Biotic
factors include man, plants, animals, and other organisms. Abiotic factors include rocks,
water, soil, sunlight, temperature, and humidity.

An ecosystem can be as large as the ocean or as tiny as a water droplet from a pond.
It is made up of living things and nonliving things interacting with one another.

There are different ways on how to classify ecosystem. It can be according to the
environment, according to the degree of human intervention, and according to size.

According to Environment

A. Aquatic Ecosystem

They are made up of plants and animals that live in the water. Some examples
are Wetland, mangrove, coral reef.

B. Terrestrial Ecosystem

They are those zones or regions where organisms (animals, plants, etc.) live
and develop in the soil and in the air that surrounds a certain terrestrial space.
Some examples are tropical forests, temperate forests, swamp, hot and dry
deserts, tropical grasslands, mountains, and rice fields.

C. Air Ecosystem

This type of ecosystem has the particularity of being of transition. No living

being dwells permanently, but have to descend to the land for rest, feeding or
procreation, so it is not self-sufficient. Because of this, some place it within the
terrestrial ecosystem.

According to the Degree of Human Intervention

A. Natural Ecosystem
Man has not intervened in their formation, such as forests, lakes, deserts.

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 B. Artificial Ecosystem (Man – made)
Man actively participates in its formation, such as dams, parks, gardens.

According to Size

A. Micro – ecosystems
It can be as tiny as a drop of water, a vase with water, a pot, etc.

B. Macro – ecosystems
It can be as big as the Paoay Lake, the West Philippine Sea, the mountain
range of the Cordilleras, etc.

Abiotic and Biotic Factors

Abiotic Factors (Nonliving Things)

Abiotic factors are the non-living parts of an environment. These include things such
as sunlight, temperature, wind, water, soil and naturally occurring events such as storms,
fires and volcanic eruptions.

Abiotic factors can be climatic, related to weather, or edaphic, related to soil.

Climatic factors include air temperature, wind and rain. Edaphic factors include geography
such as topography and mineral content, as well as soil temperature, texture, moisture
level, pH level and aeration.

Abiotic factors have great impact to the environment and to the organisms present.
For example, soil is a necessity for plants for the plants grow in it and takes nutrients from
it. Water is essential to all organisms. Changes in abiotic factors present can also affect the
living things in the environment.

Biotic Factors (Living Things)

Biotic factors are the living parts of the environment. They are also called as living
things or organisms.

Biotic factors relate to all the living things in the ecosystem. Their presence and their
biological by-products affect the composition of an ecosystem. Biotic factors refer to all
living organisms from animals and humans, to plants, fungi, and bacteria. The interactions
between various biotic factors are necessary for the reproduction of each species and to
fulfil essential requirements like food, etc.

The examples of biotic resources include all the living components present in an
ecosystem. Biotic factors include all producers, consumers, and decomposers that are
involved in the transformation and transport of energy through the food cycle. Producers
are group of organisms that can make their own food through processes like
photosynthesis. Consumers are organisms that feed on producers, and they are classified
as primary consumer, secondary consumer, and tertiary consumer. Consumers can also

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be classified as herbivore, carnivore or detritivore. Decomposers are organisms that feed
on decaying organic materials and greatly contribute to decomposition which turns back
organic material to the soil or to the environment.

What’s More

Activity 1. Abiotic VS Biotic Factors

Directions: Identify whether the following factors/components is abiotic or biotic.

1. Mushroom - ___________________ 6. Cow - _______________

2. Ararusep (seaweed) - __________ 7. Sunlight - ____________

3. Rainwater - ___________________ 8. Wind - ____________

4. Rocks - ___________________ 9. Temperature - ________

5. Rice Plant - ___________________ 10. Cactus - ____________

Activity 2. Types of Biomes

Directions: Identify the different types of biomes. Write your answer on a separate sheet of
paper.

Forest Biome Tundra Biome

1. _________________ 1. _________________
2. _________________ 2. _________________
3. _________________ 3. _________________
Grassland Biome Aquatic Biome
1. _________________ 1. _________________
2. _________________ 2. _________________
3. _________________

Desert Biome
1. _________________
2. _________________
3. _________________
4. _________________

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 What I Have Learned

Directions: Fill in the table to generalize the concepts that you have learned from this module.

Three things that I didn’t know before. 1.

2.
3.
Two things that surprised me about this topic 1.
2.
One thing that I want to start doing with what I 1
have learned.

What I Can Do

Directions: Answer the following question briefly.

Why is it important to take good care of our ecosystems? As a student, what can you
do to preserve and conserve our ecosystems?

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 Assessment

Directions: Answer the following questions and select the letter of the correct answer.
1. It is a group of populations interacting in the same area.
A. biome B. community C. ecosystem D. organism

2. All of the following ecosystems are artificial ecosystem, EXCEPT _____.

A. Baguio Botanical Garden B. Paoay Lake
C. Rizal Park D. Vintar Dam

3. Which of the following is considered as an ecosystem?

A. distilled water B. mango leaf C. rusted nail D. water from a pond

4. What is the correct arrangement of the levels of ecological hierarchy from the lowest
level to the highest level?
A. Biosphere  Biome  Ecosystem  Community  Population  Organism
B. Organism  Community  Population  Ecosystem  Biome  Biosphere
C. Organism  Population  Community  Ecosystem  Biome  Biosphere
D. Population  Organism  Community  Biosphere  Ecosystem  Biome

5. All of the following objects are biotic factors, EXCEPT _____.

A. bacteria B. pokpoklo (seaweed) C. soil D. yeast

6. Which of the following is INCORRECTLY matched?

A. Forest – Boreal Forest B. Desert – Coastal Desert
C. Tundra – Arctic Tundra D. Grassland – Hot and Dry Grassland

7. You noticed that there is a white chemical leaking from a nearby factory going to the
river, what will you do?
A. Ignore the situation.
B. Report it to authorities.
C. Clean the chemical by yourself.
D. Go directly to the factory management and bring out your complaint.

8. All of the following are classification of ecosystem according to environment, except

A. air B. aquatic C. micro D. terrestrial

9. The following components are considered as biotic components, except _____.

A. cactus B. grass C. mosquito D. rock

10. Which of the following situations shows the importance of abiotic factors?
A. The soil holds the plant in place and provides nutrients to it.
B. Water is considered as the habitat of some fishes.
C. The boulder became the habitat of a type of bush.
D. All of the above.

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 Answer Key

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WBLS-OBE MELC-Aligned Self-Learning Module Environmental Science (Grade 7) 14
References
Andaya, C.V. (2008). Understanding the Earth Through Environmental Science, Quezon City
Philippines: C & E Publishing, Inc.

https://askabiologist.asu.edu/explore/biomes

https://byjus.com/biology/biotic-and-abiotic

https://sciencing.com/definition-abiotic-biotic-factors-8259629.html

https://sciencing.com/grassland-biome-6304879.html

https://ucmp.berkeley.edu/exhibits/biomes/tundra.php#:~:text=Tundra

https://www.nationalgeographic.org/encyclopedia/biome/

https://www.nationalgeographic.org/encyclopedia/ecosystem/

https://www.nationalgeographic.org/encyclopedia/desert-biome/

https://www.nationalgeographic.org/encyclopedia/forest-biome/

https://www.nationalgeographic.org/encyclopedia/grassland-biome/

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 For inquiries or feedback, please write or call:

Department of Education – Schools Division of Laoag City

Curriculum Implementation Division
Brgy. 23 San Matias, Laoag City, 2900
Contact Number: (077)-771-3678
Email Address: laoag.city@deped.gov.ph

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