Earth and Life Science PDF

Earth and Life Science Connections and Interactions Unifying Themes of Life Life on Earth is amazing, mystifying and diverse. Biologists know a great deal about life on Earth, but still, many mysteries remain. Raising questions about the living world as well as seeking evidence-based and science...

Earth and Life Science Connections and Interactions Unifying Themes of Life Life on Earth is amazing, mystifying and diverse. Biologists know a great deal about life on Earth, but still, many mysteries remain. Raising questions about the living world as well as seeking evidence-based and science-based answers are the main activities in Biology -- the scientific study of life. In this lesson we will focus on the connections and interactions of living organisms with non-living factor in the environment. It will provide you with information and activities that will help you understand the unifying themes in the study of life. After going through this module, you are expected to: 1\. describe how unifying themes (e.g. structure and function, evolution, and ecosystems) in the study of life show connections among living things and how they interact with each other and with their environment. All various forms of life on earth would not exist if not for the complex and dynamic interactions between organisms. To develop a clear and coherent view about life, a better approach is to take a more active role by connecting the many things you will learn especially the following unifying themes in the study of life. A. Biological Systems A system consists of related parts that interact with each other to form a whole. It has different parts, but each part plays a significant role for the whole to function as one. Without the help from each other, it cannot fully perform its function. The study of life covers the microscopic scale of the molecules and cells that make up organisms, encompassing the global scale of the entire living planet. This enormous range is divided into different levels of biological organization: The biosphere consists of all life on Earth and all the places where life exists Examples of these places include most bodies of water, most regions of land, the atmosphere to an altitude of several kilometers, and even sediments far below the ocean floor and rocks many kilometers below Earth's surface. An ecosystem includes all the living things in a particular area, along with all the nonliving factors of the environment with which life interacts, such as light, soil, water, and atmospheric gases. All of Earth's ecosystems combined make up the biosphere. A system consists of related parts that interact with each other to form a whole. The entire array of organisms living in a particular ecosystem is called a community or biological community. Community is a set of populations that inhabit a particular area. A population consists of all the individuals of a species living within the bounds of a specified area. Individual living things are called organisms. The structural hierarchy of life continues to unfold as we explore the architecture of the more complex organisms. The organs of humans, other complex animals, and plants are organized into organ systems, each a team of organs that cooperate in a larger function. An organ is a group of tissues that perform the same functions. The next scale change requires the use of microscope. Each tissue is made up of a group of cells that work together. Each tissue has a distinct cellular structure. The cell is life's fundamental unit of structure and function. It has organelles. An organelle is referred to as the functional component present in cells. The last scale change will lead to a view of life at a molecular level. Each organelle contains millions of molecules. A molecule is a chemical structure consisting of two or more small chemical units called atoms. An atom is the smallest unit of matter. B. The Cellular Basis of Life All organisms are made up of cells. The cell is the lowest level of organization that can perform all activities required for life. Cells are either prokaryotic or eukaryotic. Eukaryotic cells contain membrane-enclosed organelles, including a DNA-containing nucleus. Prokaryotic cells lack such organelles. C. Structure and Function This theme is a guide to the anatomy of life at all its structural levels. Analyzing a biological structure gives us clues about what it functions and how it works. Conversely, the function of an organism or a part of an organism greatly depends on its form and structure. For example, the webbed foot of a duck helps the duck swim and search for their food under water. D. Regulation and Homeostasis The ability of an organism to regulate their internal conditions is called homeostasis. Humans have to maintain a body temperature of 37ºC. When the temperature outside our bodies becomes hot, the skin cools down by perspiration, maintaining the normal body temperature. The most common form of regulation in living systems is negative feedback, in which accumulation of an end product of a process slows that process. Many biological processes are also regulated by positive feedback, in which an end product speeds up its own production. E. Energy Processing This is also known as the acquisition of and use of energy. The input of energy from the sun makes life possible: a fundamental characteristic of living organisms is their use of energy to carry out life's activities. Moving, growing, reproducing, and the other activities of life are work, and work requires energy. Organisms often transform one form of energy to another. An animal's muscle cells use sugar as fuel to power movements, converting chemical energy to kinetic energy. F. Response to the Environment The ability to respond to the stimuli. In an ecosystem, each organism interacts continuously with its environment, which includes both other organisms and physical factors. The leaves of a tree, for example, absorb light from the sun, take in carbon dioxide from the air, and release oxygen to the air. Both the organism and the environment are affected by the interactions between them. G. Reproduction and Inheritance Living organisms reproduce their own kind. Reproduction ensures the survival of species. All living organisms reproduce either through asexual or sexual reproduction. Inherited information carried by genes controls the pattern of growth and development of organisms. I. Evolutionary Adaptation / Adaptation and Evolution Life has been evolving on Earth for billions of years, resulting in a vast diversity of past and present organisms. An organism's adaptations to its environment are the result of evolution -- the process of change that has transformed life on Earth from its earliest beginnings to the diversity of organisms living today. Such adaptations evolve over many generations by the reproductive success of those individuals with heritable traits that are best suited to their environment