SHS

Earth and Life

Science
Module 2: Connections and Interactions Unifying
Themes of Life
Earth and Life Science
Grade 11/12 Week 2: Module 2: Connections and Interactions Unifying
Themes of Life
First Edition, 2020

Copyright © 2020
La Union Schools Division
Region I

All rights reserved. No part of this module may be reproduced in any form
without written permission from the copyright owners.

Development Team of the Module

Author: GRACE L. BEJAR, T-I

Editor: SDO La Union, Learning Resource Quality Assurance Team

Cover Art Illustrator: Ernesto F. Ramos Jr., P II

Illustrator: Robin Ace De Guzman

Management Team:

Atty. Donato D. Balderas, Jr.

Schools Division Superintendent

Vivian Luz S. Pagatpatan, PhD

Assistant Schools Division Superintendent

German E. Flora, PhD, CID Chief

Virgilio C. Boado, PhD, EPS in Charge of LRMS

Rominel S. Sobremonte, Ed.D., EPS in Charge of Science

Michael Jason D. Morales, PDO II

Claire P. Toluyen, Librarian II

 11

Earth and Life Science

Week 2 - Module 2
Connections and Interactions
Unifying Themes of Life
 Target

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.
This module 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. (S11/12LT-IIa-3)
 Connections and Interactions
Unifying Themes of Life

Jumpstart

Activity 1: Look At Us!

Study and analyze the picture. Using your own words, write five (5)
descriptions that pertain to characteristics and properties of life based on
what you notice on the picture. Use a separate sheet of paper for your answer.

1. ___________________________________________________________________________
2. ___________________________________________________________________________
3. ___________________________________________________________________________
4. ___________________________________________________________________________
5. ___________________________________________________________________________
 Discover

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.

❖ 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 environments.
 Explore

Enrichment Activity 1: Time To Connect!

Analyze the pictures below. Each picture is associated to a certain unifying
theme of life. Select the correct answer in the word bank. Use a separate sheet
of paper for your answer.

1. ___________________________ 2. ___________________________

3. ___________________________ 4. ___________________________
 (seahorse camouflaging itself) (rabbit’s ears opening wide, showing
blood vessels as temperature rises)

5. ___________________________ 6. ___________________________

7. ___________________________ 8. ___________________________
Word Bank

High degree of organization Evolutionary adaptation

Regulation and Homeostasis Acquisition and use of energy

Growth and Development Ability to respond to stimuli

Reproduction Diversity and Unity

Enrichment Activity 2: Complete Me!

Fill the following boxes with correct level of biological hierarchy from lowest
to highest degree. Write your answer on a separate sheet of paper.

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

B.

12. 11. 10. 9. 8. 7.

An organism is composed of different body systems. List down five (5) essential ways
to maintain the body’s optimal functioning.

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Enrichment Activity 3: My To-Do List

A balanced ecosystem requires a sustainable interdependence of all beings,
humans, plants, animals, and other organisms with non-living factors in the
environment. As part of the younger generation, how will you value the
community of living and non-living things? What can you do to preserve
ecological balance? Write your answer on a separate sheet of paper.
 My To-Do List
1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Deepen

Concept Map

Directions: Create a concept map that show the interrelationship of the three (3)
units: the organism, the unifying themes, and the environment. Each
gear will be represented by specific unit. On a separate sheet of paper,
make a concept map using the illustrations below. Use additional shapes,
details, and arrows to show connection. You may rearrange the gears
according to your preference. Answer the guide questions.

Organism

Unifying
Environment
Themes

Guide Questions:

1. Explain your created concept map.

___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
 2. Among the unifying themes in the study of life, which do you consider the
most important of all? Why?
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________

Gauge

Directions: Read carefully each item. Use a separate sheet of paper for your answers.
Write only the letter of the best answer for each test item.

1. What is the process by which the sun's energy is trapped as the source of
energy and is converted into chemical energy?
A. Adaptation C. Homeostasis
B. Evolution D. Photosynthesis

2. Which statement is correct about the interaction of an organism to its physical

environment?
A. A plant takes up water and minerals from the soil through its roots, and its
roots help form soil by breaking up rocks.
B. A human body consists of trillions of microscopic cells, such as muscle
cells and nerve cells.
C. The hummingbird utilizes sugar from nectars to power its flight.
D. The webbed foot of a duck which helps the duck swim.

3. Which of the following is a correct order, going from smallest to largest?

A. biosphere, community, population, ecosystem, cell
B. biosphere, ecosystem, community, population,
C. cell, organ, organ system, tissue, organism,
D. cell, tissue, organ system, organism

4. Which of the following is the best example of the acquisition and use of energy?
A. A plant takes up water and minerals from the soil through its roots, and its
roots help form soil by breaking up rocks.
B. A human body consists of trillions of microscopic cells, such as muscle
cells and nerve cells.
C. The hummingbird utilizes sugar from nectars to power its flight.
D. The webbed foot of a duck which helps the duck swim.
5. Which of the following statements best distinguishes eukaryotic cell from
prokaryotic cell?
A. Eukaryotic cells lack organelles, while the prokaryotic cells contain
membrane-bound organelles and nucleus.
B. Eukaryotic cells contains membrane-bound organelles and nucleus, while
prokaryotic cells lack organelles.
C. Eukaryotic cells are much simpler and generally smaller than prokaryotic
cells.
D. Eukaryotic cells and prokaryotic cells have the same internal membranes.

6. Turtle is a reptile with a body encased in a bony shell that serves as a

protection from predators. What theme in the study of life is exemplified by
turtle’s bony shell?
A. Ability to respond to environment/stimuli
B. Energy processing and use of energy
C. Growth and development
D. Structure and function

7. In 1996, Dolly the Sheep became the first successfully cloned mammal. What
theme is exemplified by the cloning of a sheep from a mammary cell?
A. Evolutionary adaptation C. Regulation and Homeostasis
B. High degree of organization D. Reproduction and inheritance

8. All organisms in your school make up ________. In reference to the level of

biological organization, which of the following is the correct answer?
A. a community C. an ecosystem
B. a population D. an experimental group

9. Which of the following is a correct sequence of levels of organization,

proceeding downward from an individual animal?
A. nervous system, brain, nervous tissue, nerve cell
B. brain, organ system, nerve cell, nerve tissue
C. organism, organ system, tissue, cell, organ
D. nervous tissue, organ system, brain

10. Which refers to the process by which changes occur in the characteristics of
species of organisms over time?
A. Adaptation C. Metabolism
B. Evolution D. Regulation

11. Which statement is NOT true about living organisms?

A. Living things have different parts that depend on the structure for their
functions.
B. Living things adapt and evolve in order to survive.
C. Living things are made of organic elements only.
D. Living things are made up of cells.
12. Which refers to the maintenance of internal conditions of an organism within
a certain range?
A. Adaptation C. Metabolism
B. Homeostasis D. Reproduction

13. Which of the following is NOT an example of homeostasis?

A. The capillaries underneath your skin get constricted to take the blood away
from the surface of the skin to warm the body up.
B. If there is too much glucose in the blood, insulin converts some of it to
glycogen.
C. Energy is captured by plants to convert light energy into chemical energy.
D. Sweating cools the body down when temperature rises

14. Which of the following statements are true about the principle of “structure
follows function”?
I. The biconcave shape of red blood cells provides greater surface area
which allow both red blood cells and oxygen to exchange through the
capillaries.
II. The thin, flat shape of the leaf maximizes the amount of sunlight that
can be captured by its chloroplasts.
III. The thick and heavy bones of birds allow them to stay longer in the air.
IV. The fins of a fish help it to propel itself through the water.

A. I and IV C. I, II, and IV

B. I, II, and III D. II, III, and IV

15. What is the harmful outcome of human interactions with the environment?
A. Global climate change C. Malnutrition
B. Low quality of living D. Threats to national security
Gauge
1. D 6. D 11. C
2. A 7. D 12. B
3. D 8. B 13. C
4. C 1. A 14. B
5. B 2. B 15. A
Enrichment Activity 2
1. Atom 7. Organ system
2. Molecule 8. Organism
3. Organelle 9. Population
4. Cell 10. Community
5. Tissue 11. Ecosystem
6. Organ 12. Biosphere
Enrichment Activity 1
1. Reproduction 5. Evolutionary adaptation
2. Ability to respond to stimuli 6. Regulation and Homeostasis
3. Acquisition and use of energy 7. Growth and Development
4. High degree of organization 8. Diversity and Unity
Answer Key
References

Printed Materials:

Commission on Higher Education. (2016). Lesson 25: Introduction to Life Science,

Earth and Life Teaching Guide for Senior High School (pp. 167-173). Quezon
City, Philippines

Petersen, James F. et al. (2016). Earth and Life Sciences. Manila, Philippines: Rex
Book Store, Inc.

Online and Electronic Resources

https://study.com/academy/lesson/themes-in-biology-diversity-interdependence-
evolution.html

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

https://www.masteringbiology.com/Chapter1-ThemesintheStudyofLife/

https://www.quipper.com/ph/