Science 11

EARTH AND LIFE SCIENCES

Quarter 2, Week 7

Name of Learner: _________________ Score: ________

Section: _________________________ Date: _________

Learning Competency:
1. Describe how an ecosystem’s biotic potential and environmental resistance can affect
population growth (S11/12LT-IVhj-29).
2. Recognize the relationship of human population growth to environmental problems.

LESSON 7
A
INTERACTION AND INTERDEPENDENCE

Principles of Ecosystem

Every organism on Earth interacts with other organisms and with its environment. This
interaction between organisms and their environment is studied in the branch of science called
ecology. Ecologists study not only how organisms interact with each other but also how they
adapt to their environments.

An ecosystem is a complex set of relationships of the living and nonliving components

of an area. Ecosystems on land are called terrestrial ecosystem. They include forests, deserts,
grasslands, or even a backyard. Ecosystems in water are called aquatic ecosystems, which
include rivers, ponds, lakes, oceans, and even aquariums. Every ecosystem on Earth is a
complex network of interacting species.

Ecosystem

An ecosystem is an ecological unit that includes all the interacting parts of an

environment in an area. A lake, grassland, and pond are all examples of ecosystem. It is a
self-sustaining collection of organisms and their physical environment.

The diversity of an ecosystem is a measure of the number of different species living

there and how common each species is in the place. All members of a species that live in the
same area and make up a breeding group comprise a population. Different species living in the
same area make up a community. All the animals, plants, fungi, and microorganisms that live
together in a forest, for example, are the forest community.

Speciation

Speciation involves the formation of new species. A species is a group of individuals

that can interbreed and produce offspring but cannot breed with any other group. For a new
species to arise, populations or segments of a population must become isolated.

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 Diversity

What determines diversity in an ecosystem? Two key factors: the size of the ecosystem
and the distance of the ecosystem from the equator. Ecosystems that occupy large areas
usually contain a wider variety of physical habitats than small ecosystems. Large ecosystems,
therefore, usually support more species than small ecosystems. Reducing the area of an
ecosystem decreases the variety of physical habitat it contains. Thus, the number of species
the ecosystem can support declines.

Latitude has a greater influence on ecosystems because both moisture and temperature
vary with distance from the equator. The tropics, the region closest to the equator, have the
highest species diversity due to the length of the growing season. The greater the amount of
food produced by plants and other producers, the more consumers an ecosystem can support.
In the tropics, with ample sunlight, warm temperature or arctic regions, weather can vary from
one year to the next and varies from season to season.

Habitat

A habitat is the physical area where an organism lives. It is shaped by the soil, water,
and air, and by the living organisms themselves. Some types of habitats are grassland,
wetlands, forests, deserts, and tundra where a vast diversity of species has adapted to their
particular habitat.

A drastic change in the abiotic and biotic factors of a habitat that affects one organism
can have an effect on the whole ecosystem. For instance, dumping chemicals into a pond
changes the water chemistry, which disturbs the biotic and abiotic interactions of plants and
animals in the pond.

Adaptation

Individual species adapt to the conditions of unique territories, watersheds, and

climates. Adaptation is a process by which a species becomes better suited to its environment.
Adaptation may also refer to any change that increases the likelihood of an organism to
survive or reproduce. Organisms learn to live in their habitats by adapting to their
surroundings. Much of the diversity of living things reflects adaptation to Earth’s varying
climate and geography. Individual species have survived the changing conditions of their
habitats by adapting physical features or behaviors. Adaptations unify the structures,
physiology, and behavior of all organisms throughout the biosphere.

Interdependence

No organism exists alone. Each organism is a part of an intricately-linked system of

living and nonliving elements. An organism’s survival and reproduction also depend on its
interactions with other living members of its ecosystem.

Other interactions of plants and animals illustrate interdependence. The

interdependence is not limited to food sources.

For example, plants rely on insects for pollination, while birds use trees for their nests. Thus,
interdependence is critical for the existence of both plants and animals

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 Evolution

The interactions of organisms in an ecosystem influence the evolution of a species. For

instance, many plant species have evolved to have tough leaves that protect against
herbivores. Herbivores have evolved too. Some developed flatter, larger teeth that are better
suited to grinding the tough leaves they eat, such as cows and horses.

LESSON 7
B POPULATION GROWTH

Population Growth

A population is a group of individuals of the same species that live in the same area. An
increase in a population is called population growth. The population growth rate is the change
in number of individuals in a population over time. Population growth is influenced by both
biotic potential and environmental resistance.

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.

Abiotic factors refer to all the non-living, i.e. chemical and physical factors present in
the atmosphere, hydrosphere, and lithosphere. Sunlight, air, precipitation, minerals, and soil
are some examples of abiotic factors. These factors have a significant impact on the survival
and reproduction of species in an ecosystem. For instance, without an adequate amount of
sunlight, autotrophic organisms may not be able to survive. When these organisms eventually
die, it will create a shortage of food for primary consumers. This effect cascades up the food
chain, affecting every organism. Consequently, it leads to an imbalance in the ecosystem.

Biotic Potential
The ability of a population of a particular species to propagate under ideal
environmental conditions- sufficient food supply, no diseases, and no predators, is called biotic
potential. There are primary factors that determine biotic potential: an organism’s rate of
reproduction and its litter size- the number of offspring produced at one birth. The biotic
potential among organisms varies from species to species. Similar to humans, many large
mammals produce one offspring per year or breeding season. On the other hand, insects
produce thousands of offspring per year. Therefore, large organisms have relatively lower
biotic potential than smaller organisms.

On the average, spiders are capable of producing hundreds of offspring at a time, cats
and dogs can produce four to eight offspring at a time, and humans can only produce one to
three offspring at a time. The different biotic potentials of organisms can be attributed to
several factors such as survival rate of their offspring, frequency of reproduction, and
reproductive lifespan.

In general, as a population increases, it begins to exhaust its resources. The number of

individuals grows rapidly at first. This type of growth is called exponential growth. Soon,
however, the rate of increase slows down as the death rate begins to rise. Eventually, there
are just as many individuals dying as there are being born. The early rapid phase of population
growth lasts only for a short period, usually when resources are abundant.

If all individuals in a population survive and reproduce at maximum capacity, this

population has reached its biotic potential. Biotic potential can be attained when the
environment of the organisms becomes suitable that all the offspring will survive. Another
factor is space, and absence of hazards such as disease and predators. For example, if one
housefly lives for one generation and produces 120 eggs in one year, assuming half of the

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eggs are female and each will produce 120 eggs, a total of 5 598 720 000 000 flies will exist on
the seventh generation.

However, populations rarely achieve their biotic potential because of factors such as food
shortage, lack of space, predation, and accumulation of wastes.

Environmental Resistance

The presence of predators, diseases, competition, and lack of food, water, and suitable
habitat prevent the increase of population. The sum of environmental factors that restrict biotic
potential is called environmental resistance. If a population has unlimited resources and limited
predators and diseases, it will grow at a constant rate. As the population grows, the number of
individuals that reproduce keeps increasing. This causes the population to grow faster and
faster. However, this does not last very long. Resources are used up, and the presence of
other environmental resistance may slow or stop population growth. The maximum population
size that an environment can support is its carrying capacity. The population can then survive
without depleting the resources.

Learner’s Reflection
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Parent’s / Guaradian’s Signiture over Printed Name Date

Reference:

Hoggang,C.M. The Beginning of Life. Learner’s Module in Earth and Life Science 11, Second Quarter.
DepEd CAR