CHAPTER 1

PEOPLE AND
EARTH’S
ECOSYSTEM
CHAPTER 1
 COURSE DESCRIPTION
This is a comprehensive introduction to ecology. Ecology is the study
of how organisms interact with each other and their environment
at the population, community and ecosystem levels. The goal of
this course is familiarize you with ecological theory and its
applications. Students will be introduced to the types of questions
asked by ecologists, the principal concepts and theories that guide
ecological questions. Particular emphasis will be paid to
population, community and ecosystem level processes. Both
terrestrial and aquatic systems will be considered.
 WHAT TO KNOW:

CLASSROOM HOW YOU

RULES AND WILL BE COVERAGE OTHER
REGULATION GRADED EVERY TERM REMINDERS
S (assessment)
CLASSROOM RULES AND REGULATIONS
DURING ONLINE CLASSES
Attend the class on time
Open your cameras if needed
Put off your mic if there are no questions.
Click the raise hand button if there are
questions, clarifications regarding the topics
presented
Respect the learning pace of your
classmates.
CLASSROOM RULES AND REGULATIONS
ATTENDANCE IS STILL THE PRIORITY, NO
EXCUSE LETTER, NO EXEMPTION.

NO USAGE OF CELLULAR PHONES

WHILE THE DISCUSSION IS ONGOING.

ASK QUESTIONS
 GRADING SYSTEM:
Lecture Grading System
Preliminary grade:
 
PG = AQ+CS+TT
3

Midterm grade:
 
MG = AQ+CS+TT CMG = PG+2(MG)
3 3

Semi – final grade:

 
SFG = AQ+CS+TT CSFG = MG+2(SFG)
3 3 Where:
PG – Preliminary Grade
AQ – Average Quiz
CS – Class Standing
Final grade: TT – Term Test
CTTP = [TTP x 0.70] + [CEP x 0.30] MG – Midterm Grade
CMG – Cumulative Midterm Grade
  SFG – Semi – Final Grade
FG = AQ+CS+CTTP CFG = SFG+2(FG) CSFG – Cumulative Semi – Final Grade
CTTP – Cumulative Term Test Percentage
3 3 TTP – Term Test Percentage
CEP – Comprehensive Examination Percentage
FG – Final Grade
CFG – Cumulative Final Grade
 COVERAGE EVERY TERM
PRELIMS
Chapter 1: What are they and how do they work?
LESSON 1 What keeps us and other organism alive?
LESSON 2 What are the major components of an
ecosystems?
LESSON 3 What happens to an energy in an ecosystem?
LESSON 4 How do scientist study ecosystem?n

Chapter 2: Sustaining Terrestrial Biodiversity: The

Ecosystem Approach
LESSON 1What are the major threats to forest ecosystem?
LESSON 2 How should we manage and sustain forest?
LESSON 3 How should we manage and sustain park and
natures?
LESSON 4 What is the ecosystem approach?
 COVERAGE EVERY TERM
MIDTERMS
Chapter 3: Aquatic Biodiversity
LESSON 1 What is the general nature of aquatic ecosystems?
LESSON 2 Why is marine aquatic ecosystem important?
LESSON 3 How have human activities affected marine
ecosystem?
LESSON 4 Why is fresh water fecosystem important?
LESSON 5 How have human activities affected fresh water
ecosystem?

Chapter 4: Sustaining Biodiversity: The Sustaining Approach

LESSON 1 What roles do human play in the extinction of the
species?
LESSON 2 Why should we care about the rising rate of species
extinction?
LESSON 3 How do we protect wild species from extinction?
 
 COVERAGE EVERY TERM
SEMI FINALS
Chapter 5: Biodiversity Species, Interaction and
Population
LESSON 1 How do species interact?
LESSON 2 What limits the growth of population?
LESSON 3 How do communities and ecosystem respond to
changing environmental conditions?

Chapter 6: Climate and Biodiversity

LESSON 1 What factors influence climate?
LESSON 2 How does climate affect the nature and Location of
biomes?
LESSON 3 How have we affected with the world’s terrestrial
ecosystem?
 COVERAGE EVERY TERM
FINAL
Chapter 7: The Human Population and Its Impact
LESSON 1 How many people can the earth support?
LESSON 2 What factors influence the size of the human
population?
LESSON 3 How can we slow human population growth?
 

Chapter 8: Sustaining Natural Resources

LESSON 1 What is food security and why is it difficult to attain?
LESSON 2 What environmental problems arise from food
production?
LESSON 3 How can we protect crops from pests more sustainably?
LESSON 4How can we produce food more sustainably?
 
 
LESSON 1
What keeps us and
other organisms
alive?
LESSON 1
 Learning Objectives:
At the end of the lesson, the learners should be
able to:

Define ecosystem;

Differentiate Abiotic and Biotic factors;

Explain the reasons that keep us and other

organism alive;
Ecologist study Interactions in Nature

Ecology is the science that focuses on how organisms interact with one another and with their non-living environment of matter and energy.
 Ecologist study Interactions in Nature

Ecology is the science that focuses

on how organisms interact with one
another and with their non-living
environment of matter and energy.
 COMMUNITIES

POPULATIONS ECOSYSTEMS

ORGANISM 5 LEVELS OF BIOSPHERE

INTERACTIONS
Atom – smallest unit of a chemical element that
exhibits its chemical properties

Molecule - chemical combination of two or more

atoms of the same or different elements

Cell – the fundamental structure and functional unit of

life

Organism – an individual living being

Population – a group of individuals of the same

species living in a particular place

Community – Populations of different species living in

a particular place and potentially interacting with each
other

Ecosystem - a community of different species

interacting with one another and with their nonliving
environment of matter and energy

Biosphere – Parts of the earth’s air, water, and soil

where life is found
Organisms have basic needs just like humans, they need air,
water, light, and nutrients. These factors sustain life.
Organisms can survive only in the environments in which their
needs can be met. There are several abiotic environmental
factors that influence the survival of organisms in their
ecosystem.

BIOTIC
COMPONENT ABIOTIC
S COMPONENTS
-Non-living things
-Living things
 WATER is the most essential factors that helps most
living organisms to survive. Water is the lifeblood of
Earth.

 TEMPERATURE is the heat and cold equilibrium in

relation with the many environment factors that
governs several physiological and biological processes
of the earth. Temperature varies from time to time
depending on the percentage of greenhouse gases
present in the atmosphere.

 LIGHT is the main source of energy of all plants.

 ATMOSPHERIC PRESSURE is due to the

gravitational force of the earth in which the
atmospheric gases are pulled towards the surface,
which produces air pressure.

 CHEMICAL COMPONENTS such as carbon, oxygen,

hydrogen and nitrogen are essential elements to
sustain life.
Earth’s life-support system has four major components
Earth’s life-support system has four major components
Atmosphere
is a thin spherical envelope
of gases surrounding the
earth’s surface
Geosphere
consist of the earth’s intensely
hot core, a thick mantle
composed mostly of rocks,
and a thin outer crust.
Hydrosphere
consist of all the water on
or near the earth’s surface.
Biosphere
consist of the parts of the atmosphere,
hydrosphere, and geosphere where life
is found. If the earth was an apple, the
biosphere would be no thicker than the
apple’s skin.
Three Factors that sustain the Earth’s
Life
from the sun through the living things in
one- way flow of their feeding interactions, into the
high-quality energy environment as low-quality space as heat

the atoms, ions, and molecules

3 factors cycling of
nutrients
needed for survival by living
organisms) through the parts of the
biosphere

which allows the planet to hold onto

its atmosphere and helps to enable
Gravity the movement and cycling of the
chemicals through air, water, soil
and organisms.
What Happens to Solar Energy Reaching
the Earth?
 ADAPTATION FOR SURVIVAL
Adaptation for
Structural
Unfavorable
Adaptation Conditions

refers to the physical characteristics of Some animals transfer from one

an organism to survive in their place to another in order for them to
ecosystem. Animals and plants have survive. Animals move to another
protective covering to refrain water in place to hunt food and to escape
their body. extreme weather conditions.