QUARTER 2 (WEEK 1-2)

LESSON 1: THE HISTORICAL DEVELOPMENT OF THE CONCEPT OF LIFE

MOST ESSENTIAL LEARNING COMPETENCIES

• Explain the evolving concept of life based on emerging

pieces of evidence

CONCEPT OF LIFE
Life is believed to have existed on earth for billions of years now. Scien-
tists do not know exactly when did life begin on Earth. However, they are able to
trace how life developed and evolved using some pieces of evidence.
It is usually easy to recognize life, but it is often much harder to define it.

AND
All living things are made of cells. Some organisms are unicellular and consist of
only a single cell that carries out all life processes.
BACTERIA AMOEBA PARAMECIUM EUGLENA

THE DIFFERENT UNICELLULAR ORGANISMS

Other organisms are multicellular and are composed of many cells which
perform specialized and specific functions. All living entity, regardless of its
structure, size, or behavior is an organism that processes characteristics that
most biologist have agreed upon. These are locomotion, irritability, metabolism,
Prepared by: growth, reproduction, cellular organization, adjustment, integration, and coordi-
nation.
MARLOUN K. GASOC
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 EARLY FORMS OF LIFE

The first form of life is believed to have appeared some 3.5 billion years ago. The
first evidence of life is found in microfossils. Microfossils are fossils that contain the re-
mains of tiny plants and animals. They are very small and can be measured in millimeters,
and some could only be identified under a microscope. Some of the remains of organisms
do not have a nucleus so they were called prokaryotes. They are known to be the earliest
forms of life. They have survived the extreme conditions of the early environment. They
started to make their own food by utilizing the energy from the sun and the carbon diox-
ide in the atmosphere. These are the photosynthetic organisms. The process of photo-
synthesis produced more oxygen that changed the Earth’s early atmosphere. This change
in the atmosphere allowed oxygen-breathing organisms to exist. The cyanobacteria are
the first photosynthetic organisms to form. Their microfossils are among the easiest to
recognize. Their morphology remained the same and they left chemical fossils in the form
of broken products from pigments. The first microfossil that showed remains of organisms
with differences in structure from the simple form of life was seen in rocks about 1.5 bil-
lion years old. They are larger than bacteria and have internal membranes and thicker
THE ORIGIN OF LIFE wall. These findings marked the beginning of eukaryotic organisms on Earth.

There are many theories about the origin of life. Some believed that living organisms were How did multicellular organisms evolve?
put to Earth by some divine forces. Others say that life did not originate from Earth but from other
Multicellular organisms are believed to have evolved from unicellular eukaryotes.
planets. But among scientists, the most accepted theory is that life came from inanimate matter.
Some single eukaryotic cells, like unicellular algae, formed multicellular aggregates
THEORIES ON THE ORIGIN OF LIFE through association with another cell producing colonies. From colonial aggregates, the
1. SPECIAL CREATION THEORY– Believes that everything in this world was created by a Su- organisms evolved to form multicellular organisms through cell specializa-
preme Being (God). tion. Protozoans, sponges, and fungi came to being. The first fossilized animals which
were discovered 580 million years ago were soft-bodied. The continuous process of cell
2. SPONTANEOUS GENERATION THEORY– A hypothetical process by which living organisms
specialization brought the emergence of complex and diverse plants and animals, includ-
develop from nonliving matter.
ing human beings.
3. BIOGENETIC THEORY- The principle stating that life arises from pre-existing life, not from non
-living material. Evidence from fossil layers proved that different forms of life were present and
have evolved through time. According to Charles Darwin, organisms change over time as a
4. PRIMODIAL SOUP- proposed by Alexander Oparin and John Haldane, life started in
result of adaptation to their environment in order to survive.
a primordial soup of organic molecules. The first organisms were probably formed out of organic
chemicals and processes that were much simpler than those that exist today. The elements like,
C,N, H, O,N, and S, molecules were formed from which complex compounds developed. Then
proteins, carbohydrates, and other compounds developed into coarcervates converting the sea
into sort of “hot soup”, where cells formed. It is believed that the first living cells were not able
to make their own organic food.

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 LESSON 2: THE UNIFYING THEMES IN THE STUDY OF LIFE REPRODUCTION AND INHERITANCE

Reproduction ensures the survival of species.

MOST ESSENTIAL LEARNING COMPETENCIES
• Describe how unifying themes (e.g., structure and function, evolution,
and ecosystems) show the connections among living things and how
they interact with each other and with their environment.
Ecology is the branch of biology that deals with the study of living organisms
and their relationships with each other and their environment. The unifying themes of
life give us an idea of how each of these themes contributes to the connection and in-
teraction of living organisms and their environment.
BIOLOGICAL SYSTEMS
All living organisms reproduce either through asexual
or sexual reproduction. In asexual reproduction, the
offspring inherits the genes from a single parent. How-
ever in sexual reproduction, the offspring inherit the
genes from two individual parents. Some examples of
animals that undergo asexual reproduction include
earthworms, hydra, planaria, and bacteria. Animals
that undergo sexual reproduction include some rep-
tiles, fishes, insects, and mammals.

A system consists of related parts that interact with each other to form a
whole. It has different parts, but each plays a significant role for the whole to function ENERGY AND LIFE
as one. Without the help from each other, it cannot fully perform its function. Your
body, like any organism, is a living system. Living organisms obtain energy from the food they eat. Plants undergo photo-
synthesis where they convert the energy from the sun into sugar. Since most of
LEVELS OF ORGANIZATION
the animals cannot produce their own energy, they get the energy from the con-
The cells are considered as the basic unit of life. All living organisms are sumption and assimilation of the biomass of plants and other animals.
made up of cells. When cells come together, they form the tissues. A group of tissues
that perform the same functions form the organs. A group of organs that works to- THERMAL REGULATION
gether form the different organ systems. An organism consists of many organ sys- The ability of an organism to regu-
tems but functions as one individual. late their internal conditions is
FORMS AND FUNCTIONS called homeostasis. Humans have to main-
The function of an organ-
tain a body temperature of 37 ∘C. When the
ism or a part of an organism temperature outside our bodies becomes
greatly depends on its form and hot, the skin cools down by perspiration,
structure. It is related to how it maintaining the normal body temperature.
works. An example of this is the Humans have to maintain a body tempera-
webbed foot of a duck which ture of 37 ∘C. When the temperature outside our bodies becomes hot, the skin
helps the duck swim and search cools down by perspiration, maintaining the normal body temperature.
for their food under water. Others
birds have different structures of
feet used for perching and grasp-
ing food.

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ADAPTATION AND EVOLUTION
In a world that is continuously changing, life itself evolves. Evolution is the
change in the physical and heritable traits of organisms over successive generations. Or-
ganisms change over time to acclimate to their environment in order to survive. If they fail
to adapt to the changes, they usually become extinct. The Baiji white dolphin, for example,
became extinct due to diminished food supply and in addition to that, the pollution caused
by human activities. Evolution takes time, usually decades. However, there are times when
change happens very rapidly. One example is the blue moon butterfly that managed to
undergo a mutation which allows the males to survive an infection of a parasite. Adapta-
tion is an inherited trait that helps the organisms ability to survive and reproduce in its
particular environment. It is a change in the species over generations in order to better
survive in the environment.
Activity 1. Concept Map
Direction: Define life by filling up the concept map. Use a separate paper
for your answer.
LIFE
QUARTER 2 (WEEK 3)
LESSON 3: PLANTS AND ANIMAL REPRODUCTION
MOST ESSENTIAL LEARNING COMPETENCIES
• Describe the different ways of how representative ani-
mals reproduce.
Angiosperms, also called flowering plants, have seeds that are
enclosed within an ovary (usually a fruit), while Gymnosperms have no
flowers or fruits, and have unenclosed or “naked” seeds on the surface of
scales or leaves.
Reproduction in Angiosperms
Flowers are the sexual reproductive organs in angiosperms. They
consist of the androecium (male reproductive structure)
and gynoecium (female reproductive structure).
Male Reproductive Parts of the Flower
Androecium is the male reproductive structure of the plant that
consists of a whorl of stamens. The stamen is comprised of the filament
and the anther. The filament is a long, slender stalk that holds the anther
while the anther produces the pollen grains (male reproductive cells).

Activity 2. Timeline
Direction: Make a timeline of the major events of life.
Activity 3.
Your mother bought some meat from the market one day. She placed the meat in
a pan but forgot to place it in the freezer. After some time, maggots were seen
crawling from the meat. What can you say about these outcomes?

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 Learn about it!
Female Reproductive Parts of the Flower If the received pollen is of the right type, the pistil recognizes and accepts the pollen to promote
post-pollination events that lead to fertilization.
Gynoecium is the female reproductive struc- Fertilization
ture of a flower. It may consist of a single pistil
Fertilization takes place when the sperm (germinated pollen) unites with the egg (ovule) forming
(monocarpellary) or may have several pistils a fertilized egg called a zygote.
(multicarpellary).
Process of Fertilization
The pistil is made up of the stigma, the style,
1. The pollen grain attaches to the stigma.
and the ovary. The style is a slender stalk that sup- 2. Each pollen grain becomes a part of the pollen tube, which grows down the neck of the style
ports the stigma while the stigma is the sticky part and reaches the ovary.
3. Sperm cells are discharged into the embryo sac, fertilizing the egg cell.
that receives the pollen. The ovary is the basal sac
that contains the ovules (female reproductive cells). Double Fertilization
During double fertilization, the pollen grain enters the ovary and releases two
sperm cells. One sperm cell unites
with the egg cell forming a diploid cell
Both the male and female gametes of the or zygote. The other sperm cell bonds
flowers are non-motile. They are with two polar nuclei forming a trip-
brought together by pollination. loid endosperm nucleus.

Pollination unites the male and female

reproductive cells or gametes. It takes
place when the pollen grains from the Agents of Pollination Post-fertilization
male anther are transferred to the fe-
Abiotic agents are nonliving things that During post-fertilization,
male stigma.
aid in the transfer of pollen grains from the zygote develops into
Types of Pollination the anther to the stigma. They include an embryo while the endosperm nu-
cleus develops into the endosperm.
Autogamy is a type of pollination where wind and water.
Also, the ovule, which contains the
pollen grains are transferred to the stig- Biotic agents are living things that embryo and endosperm, matures into
ma of the same flower. Geitonogamy is aid in pollination. They include a seed while the ovary forms
a type of pollination where pollen grains animals and even humans. the pericarp of the fruit. The seed is
are transferred to the stigma Example: A bee, which sips nectar from flowers, the beginning of the next generation.
of another flower of the transfers the pollen grains from one flower to anoth- It grows into a seedling and then into
same plant. Xenogamy, also er. It is an example of a biotic agent. In pollination, a mature plant. The mature plant then
the pollen grains are transferred to the female re-
called cross-pollination, is a type of produces flowers that contain the reproductive
productive structures of a flowering plant. However,
pollination where pollen grains it does not guarantee the transfer of the correct type
cells.
are transferred to the stigma of of pollen to another flower since the pollen grains
a different plant. are of the same species as the stigma where it came
from. It is the pistil of the flower that recognizes
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whether the pollen is the correct type or not.
Reproduction in Gymnosperms Activity 1.

Unlike angiosperms, gymnosperms do not have Direction: Differentiate the Reproduction of Angiosperm and Gym-
flowers and fruits. Their ovules, which become nosperm
seeds, are on the surface of a scale or modified
leaf. Examples of gymnosperms include cycads ANGIOSPERMS GYMNOSPERMS
and conifers. Most gymnosperms have reproduc-
tive parts called cones. They produce two kinds
of cones: the male and the female cones.
The male cones produce the pollen while
the female cones contain at least one ovule.

Pollination- In gymnosperms, the main pollinat-

ing agent is wind. Wind carries the pollen from Activity 2.
the male cones to the female cones. A sticky substance secreted by the ovule col- Direction: Label the parts of the Angiosperms below.
lects the pollen. Fertilization- After pollination, the ovule closes and seals in the
pollen. One sperm cell fertilizes the egg cell forming a zygote. Post-Fertilization
- The fertilized egg develops into an embryo, and the other parts of the ovule ma-
ture into the seed coat and food store.

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 QUARTER 2 (WEEK 4)
LESSON 4: HOW GENES WORK AND HOW GEETIC
ENGINEERING IS USED TO PRODUCE NOVEL PRODUCTS
MOST ESSENTIAL LEARNING COMPETENCIES
• Describe the process of genetic engineering;
• Evaluate the benefits and risks of using GMOs.
Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology
Genetic engineering means modifying genes in a living organism to produce
genetically modified organisms (GMOs) also known as transgenic organisms.
It is a modern type of genetic modification. In this process, the gene of inter-
est is physically removed and placed in an organism to be modified. This meth-
od is more rapid and specific than the traditional plant breeding because a
gene coding for a specific trait could be transferred to an organism. Genetic
engineering is an application of biotechnology which uses biological systems,
processes, or organisms to create products intended to improve the quality of
human life.
How is genetic engineering done?
As shown in the illustration above, copies of the recombinant plas-
mid— a circular, double-stranded DNA molecule, will be isolated and
transferred to other organisms. Depending on the gene of interest, ge-
netic engineering has various applications in the field of medicine, envi-
ronment, and agriculture.
To help you describe the processes involved in genetic engineering, let
us use Bt corn, a genetically modified pest resistant plant as an example.
This plant was grown in the Philippines
against Asian corn borer, a major pest in corn.
DNA Isolation (isolating plasmid and gene
of interest)
The first step in creating a pest-resistant plant
is isolating the plasmid of Agrobacterium and
pest- resistant gene from a bacteria, Bacillus
thuringiensis (Bt).
• Agrobacterium tumefaciens, a gram-
negative soil bacteria cause crown gall disease
in plants but its tumor-inducing plasmid is
usually used in genetic engineering because of
its ability to integrate its DNA into a plant’s genome.
The resistant gene would be obtained in the DNA of Bacillus thurin-
giensis. This bacterium produces a protein known as Cry1Ab toxin that is
lethal to the larval stage of lepidopterans (moth family).
Ligation (gene insertion to the plasmid)
When the resistant gene is inserted into the isolated
plasmid, they are cleaved using the same restriction
enzyme before they are combined using DNA ligas-
es. Restriction enzymes are also called restriction
endonucleases. Once they recognize a specific nucleo-
tide sequence, they cleave the strands.
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Transformation (plasmid is placed back into
bacterial cell).
The recombinant plasmid would then be placed
back to the bacterium in a process
called transformation.
Selection (identification of the desired
clone)
The nutrient media with X-gal (special
galactose sugar) are used to select the
transformed bacteria containing the re-
combinant plasmid with the gene of in-
terest. The selected bacteria would then
infect the cell of corn and integrate the
gene into the plant’s DNA. When the plant
cell divides, each daughter cell receives
the new gene. The transformed corn
plant is now pest-resistant. The inserted
gene producing the toxin in the genetical-
ly modified crop is only lethal to specific
target pests.
Current Uses of GMOs
The genes of bacteria, plants, and animals
are being modified to improve the quality
of human life. Depending on the gene of
interest, GMOs have many uses in agricul-
ture, medicine, and the environment.
Uses of Genetically Modified Bacteria
• Escherichia coli creates a synthetic
human insulin.
Cyanobacteria is used to yield polyhy-
droxybutyrate to produce bioplastic.
Uses of Genetically Modified Plants
• Bt corn is a pest-resistant plant against
corn-infesting larvae.
• Banana vaccine is an edible vaccine
against hepatitis virus.
Golden rice is a genetically modified rice
that produces beta-carotene.
Uses of Genetically Modified Animals
• Bioluminescent animals are used to
identify different types of cells to detect
diseases.
• Some bioluminescent animals such as
glofish became novelty pets to humans.
Fast-growing salmon are genetically mod-
ified salmon to continually produce growth
hormones.
Advantages of GMOs
The GMOs offer many benefits to man-
kind such as:
• Increased productivity. This enables
farmers to have higher crop yields and re-
duced pesticide use. (e.g. Bt corn)
• Reduced pesticide use. Since GM
crops are modified for a specific pest, the
use of pesticide against that pest is reduced
or removed.
• Improved nutrition like the high
beta carotene content of Golden
Rice. GM crops such as Golden Rice with
improved nutrition (high in beta carotene)
reduces eye-related problems like blind-
ness due to malnutrition.
Aided disease detection. Diseases can be
identified because of protein trackers in
bioluminescent animals.
Disadvantages of GMOs
GMOs also raised concerns from people
because of its possible harm to the environ-
ment and mankind such as:
• Reduced biodiversity of non-
damaging insects. Pest resistant crops
(e.g. Bt corn) lead to unintended harm to
non-crop damaging insects such as larvae
of Monarch butterflies when affected by
pollen of Bt corn.
• Decreased pesticide effectivity. Pest
resistant crops seem to reduce the need for
pesticide at first but it would increase later
on.
• Produced allergic reactions. Some
people develop an allergic response to GM
crops when exposed to them.
• Led to a higher cost for GM
seeds. Farmers buy new seeds every year.
Farmers using second generation seeds
would lead them to Supreme Court with a
charge of patent infringement.
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Activity No. 1: FRAYER MODEL

Direction: Complete the Frayers model graphic organizer for each term . Write a
definition, list characteristics that are true for the term, and list examples and
non-examples.

TITTLE OF THE TOPIC

Activity 2. Direction: Write a reflective learning about what you have learned about
the common rock-forming minerals, by answering the question inside the box. You
may express your answers in a more critical and creative presentation of your great
learning. Happy working!

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What learning have I What examples can I
TITTLE found from this lesson? explore and think more?

What learning I can share What good character I What is my conclusion on

with my family and have developed from this the lesson?
peers? lesson?

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