QUEZON CITY SCIENCE HIGH SCHOOL

Regional Science High School for NCR

Golden Acres Road, Bago Bantay Quezon City
Environmental Science

CN_____Name: Section: ___________

Handouts No.4
SEVEN ENVIRONMENTAL PRINCIPLES
Everything is governed by ecological concepts that will help understand the interaction
and relationship among the different components of the earth.
You have learned from the previous lesson that ecosystem is an interaction of living and nonliving things. In
addition, these living things are considered the biotic components of an ecosystem while the non-living
things are the non-biotic components. The variety of life on Earth, is commonly referred to as biodiversity.
Biodiversity boosts ecosystem productivity where each species, no matter how small, all have an important
role to play. And for life to exist, earth must constantly receive energy from the sun that maintains all the
life processes in the earth ecosystem. Energy pyramid shows the amount of energy at each trophic or
feeding level. These trophic levels are composed of producers, various level of consumers and decomposers.
Energy begins at the sun and works its way through the plants whichgive 10% of their energy to the
carnivores who eat the plants. A pyramid shape is used because energy is lost at each trophic level when an
organism uses it up.

There are seven environmental principles. They are:

1. NATURE KNOWS BEST – this principle is the most basic and encompasses all the others.
Humans have to understand nature is created by God and have to abide by the rules
that nature dictates. One must not go against the natural processes if one would like to ensure
a continuous and steady supply of resources.
2. ALL FORMS OF LIFE ARE IMPORTANT – each organism plays a fundamental role in nature
known as niche. It is apparent that all living things must be considered as invaluable
in the maintenance of homeostasis in the ecosystem.
3. EVERYTHING IS CONNECTED TO EVERYTHING ELSE. In an ecosystem, all biotic and abiotic
components interact with each other to ensure that the system is perpetuated.
Any outside interference may result in an imbalance and the deterioration of the
system.
4. EVERYTHING CHANGES – the environment is constantly changing. In an ecosystem, the
only permanent thing is change. Organisms advance through time. However, the
modern technology we have today affected the natural changes that these changes
now cause problematic events to us.
5. EVERYTHING MUST GO SOMEWHERE. Everything ends up elsewhere. Any solid or
liquid thrown anywhere doesn’t just disappear. They disappear from sight but
does not cease to exist. It ends up elsewhere. Be a responsible person, throw your
waste in a proper place.
6. OURS IS A FINITE EARTH – the earth’s resources can be classified as either renewable
or non-renewable. Renewable resources are those that can easily be replenished
by natural cycles while non-renewable resources are those that cannot be
replenished through natural cycles. To ensure that these resources will be
continually replenished, it is essential to know how much of a resource can be
consumed at a given time to balance the rate of exploitation with the rate of
replenishment.
7. NATURE IS BEAUTIFUL AND WE ARE STEWARDS OF GOD’S CREATION – Among all
creatures,
humans are the only ones made in God’s image and have been given the right to have dominion over all His
creations. Humans cannot exist without nature. They are conatural with the environment they live in.

ECO SYMBOLS - eco-friendly symbol is one that suggests the product is environmentally friendly. It is a
general information symbol aimed at informing the potential customer of the products environmental
credentials (indicates positive, or at least not harmful, effects on living things)

Identify the meaning of the following environmental symbols:

1. _______________ 2. _______________ 3. _____________ 4. ______________

5. _______________ 6. _____________ 7. _______________ 8. _______________

FACTORS AFFECTING THE BIODIVERSITY
Examine carefully the images below. Identify the factors that affect Biodiversity.
To find the correct answer, arrange the letters to form the words that are described by
each statement below.

1. ___________________ 2. __________________________ 3. _______________________

4. ________________________ 5. _______________________

A long-term change in the average weather

E M A L I C pattern of the earth.
G E A N C H

The act of using or over harvesting resources

C E R S O U R E for economic growth.
E P X L O T I A N A T I

The destruction or degradation of the natural

T I H A B A T habitat of any species.
S S L O

The illegal hunting, killing and capturing of

C A H O P C N I G animals for their parts.

Organisms that cause ecological or economic

E V I S A V N I harm in a new environment.
S I E C P E S
LESSON 1: ECOLOGICAL CONCEPTS AND PRINCIPLES EXPECTATIONS

Directions: Read each question carefully.

Choose the letter with the correct answer in a separate sheet of paper.
1. What is the study of the interactions between living organisms and their environment called?
a) Biology c) Chemistry
b) Ecology d) Geology

2. What term describes a group of individuals of the same species living in the same area?
a) Community c) Population
b) Ecosystem d) Habitat

3. Which of the following is an abiotic factor in an ecosystem?

a) Plants c) Sunlight
b) Animals d) Bacteria

4. What is the primary source of energy for most ecosystems?

a) Wind c) Sunlight
b) Water d) Geothermal Heat

5. What is the term for the process by which green plants and some other organisms use sunlight to
synthesize foods with the help of chlorophyll, carbon dioxide, and water?
a) Respiration c) Fermentation
b) Photosynthesis d) Digestion

6. Which of the following is a decomposer in an ecosystem?

a) Owl c) Mushroom
b) Snake d) Rabbit

7. What is the term for the variety of life in a particular habitat or ecosystem?
a) Biodiversity c) Adaptation
b) Conservation d) Endangered

8. What is the process by which a community changes over time, especially following a disturbance?
a) Evolution c) Adaptation
b) Succession d) Natural Selection

9. Which gas do plants absorb during photosynthesis?

a) Carbon Dioxide c) Nitrogen
b) Oxygen d) Hydrogen

10. What is the term for the maximum population size that the environment can sustain indefinitely?
a) Carrying capacity c) Growth Rate
b) Population Density d) Limiting Factor

11. The table lists four groups of factors found in a particular ecosystem. Which group
consists of organisms that make their own food together with some abiotic factor?
a. Group1 c. Group 3
b. Group d. Group 4
12. Using the given table, the group that includes only the
organisms that rely on other
organisms for energy is____________
a. Group1 c. Group 3
b. Group 2 d. Group 4

13. The trophic levels in the figure illustrates

a. the relative amount of energy passed on from one trophic level to the next
b. the amount of living organic matter found in the trophic level
c. the producers outnumbered the primary consumers
d. the relative number of individual organisms.

14. In a typical forest community, plants are producers, rabbits are primary consumers, and wolves are
secondary consumers. Which diagram correctly represents this relationship?

a. b. c. d.

15. The illustration at the right shows a food pyramid that differs in the size of each layer is primarily the
result of the difference in
a. oceanic zones of habitat
b. food choices of individual niches
c. the relative heights of the organisms
d. the amount of food energy at each trophic level

16. When plastic is thrown away, it disappears from sight but it does not cease to exist. It may be a
pollutant or a resource depending on certain factors. Which of the following environmental principles
is characterized by this situation?
a. Nature knows best.
b. Ours is a finite earth.
c. Everything must go somewhere.
d. Everything is connected to everything else

17. Which of the following environmental principle is considered the most basic which encompasses all the
others, and that people must not go against it?
a. Nature knows best.
b. All forms of life are important.
c. Everything is connected to everything else.
d. Nature is beautiful and we are the stewards of God’s creation.

18-20. Modified True or False

Directions: Write TRUE if the statement is true. If FALSE, change the underlined
word or phrase to make the sentence true.
1. The first environmental principle describes that organisms, whether they are big or
small play a fundamental role in the homeostasis of the environment.
2. Our earth is infinite because there are resources that can easily be replenished by
natural cycles like water, air, plants, and animals.
3.Among all the creations of God, human is the most capable of maintaining the
environment, therefore. without nature humans cannot exist.
1. When plastic is thrown away, it disappears from sight but it does not cease to exist. It may be a pollutant or a resource
depending on certain factors. Which of the following environmental principles
is characterized by this situation?
a. Nature knows best.
b. Ours is a finite earth.
c. Everything must go somewhere.
d. Everything is connected to everything else

2. Which of the following environmental principle is considered the most basic which encompasses all the others,
and that people must not go against it?
a. Nature knows best.
b. All forms of life are important.
c. Everything is connected to everything else.
d. Nature is beautiful and we are the stewards of God’s creation.

3. Solar energy is the main source of all energy. This is a renewable energy source that can be use anytime can easily be
replenished by natural cycles. In what environmental principles it belongs?
a. Nature knows best.
b. Ours is a finite earth.
c. Everything must go somewhere.
d. Everything is connected to everything else

4. Each organism plays a fundamental role in nature known as niche. It is apparent that all living things must be considered
as invaluable in the maintenance of homeostasis in the ecosystem. What environmental principles it is characterized?
a. Nature knows best.
b. All forms of life are important.
c. Everything is connected to everything else.
d. Nature is beautiful and we are the stewards of God’s creation.

5. Among all creatures, we are the only ones made in God’s image and have been given the right to have dominion
over all His creations, to nurture and care His environment. Choose from the environmental principles below it describes
best.
A. Everything must go somewhere.
B. Everything is connected to everything else
C. All forms of life are important.
D. Nature is beautiful and we are the stewards of God’s creation.

6. Ana pick up the all pieces of candy wrappers that scattered along the school corridors. What practice of environmental
principle do Ana shows in this scenario?
A. Everything must go somewhere.
B. Everything is connected to everything else
C. Nature is beautiful and we are the stewards of God’s creation.
D. All forms of life are important.

7. On July 19, 1990, a magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck about 100km northeast of Mouth Pinatubo on the island of
Luzon in the Philippines. Even after more than decades of what was happened, the thick, valley-filling pyroclastic-
flow deposits from the eruption still have a great impact to the nearby areas.
What environmental principles is characterized by this scenario?
A. All forms of life are important.
 B. Nature knows best.
C. Everything changes.
E. Everything must go somewhere.

8. In an ecosystem, a term for the position of a species within an ecosystem, describing both the range of conditions
necessary for persistence of the species and its ecological role of the ecosystem is called niche. This ecological principles is
an example of _______________.
A. Nature knows best.
B. All forms of life are important.
C. Everything is connected to everything else.
D. Everything changes.

9. Which of the following is a potential environmental impact of an oil spill?

A. Increased biodiversity in affected areas
B. Improved water quality due to the breakdown of oil
C. Harm to aquatic life and birds due to oil toxicity
D. Enhanced growth of marine plants in spill-affected regions

10. What does the term "Biodiversity" mean?

A. The variety of life forms on Earth, including different species, genes, and ecosystems
B. The study of rocks and minerals
C. The study of weather patterns
D. The variety of human cultures around the world

11. What is the process of natural changes that occur in ecosystems and communities over time?
A. Evolution
B. Extinction
C. Ecological Succession
D. Pollution
 ACTIVITY #1: ECO PUZZLE

Objective: Identify and understand the ecological concepts and principles.

Materials Needed: paper and pen
Procedure:
1. Read the statement/phrases given below.
2.Identify the term being referred to.

Down Across
1. All living organisms that inhabit an 4. Permanent, close association between
environment. two or more organisms of different
2. Symbiotic relationship in which one species.
organism benefits at the expense of the other 9. Organisms, such as fungi, that break
species. down and absorb nutrients from dead
3. A symbiotic relationship in which both organisms.
species benefit. 11. Interactions among populations in a
5. Animals that feed on animals that have community; the community's physical
already died. surrounding, or abiotic factors.
6. Simple model that shows how matter and 14. Organisms that cannot make their
energy move through an ecosystem; can own food and must feed on other
consist of three steps, but must have no organisms for energy and nutrients.
more than five steps. 17. Non-living parts of an organism's
7. Organism that used energy from the sun environment; temperature, light, and soil
or energy stored in chemical compounds to are examples.
manufacture their own nutrients. 19. Role and position a species has in its
8. Model that expresses all the possible environment; includes all biotic and
feeding relationships at each trophic level in abiotic interactions as an animal meets its
a community. need for survival and production.
10. Symbiotic relationship in which one
species benefits while the other species is
neither harmed nor benefited.
12. Group of organisms of one species that
interbreed and live in the same place at the
same time.
13. Organism in a food chain that represents
a feeding step in the passage of energy and
materials through an ecosystem.
15. Scientific study of interactions among
organisms and their environment.
16. Portion of Earth that supports life; extends
from the atmosphere to the bottom of the
oceans.
18. Collection of several interacting
populations that inhabit a common
environment.
20. Place where an organism lives out its
life.
ECO PUZZLE

Guide Questions:
1. From the puzzle, give 5 ecological concepts that you consider most important
to you. Explain why you considered them the most important.