SCIENCE 10 Notes

(3rd Quarter)
*** EVOLUTION AND BIODIVERSITY ***
Theory of evolution - offers an explanation for the existence of all living organisms on the Earth today and in the past.
Evolution - species change over time.
Over a period of about 3000 million years, many new species have been produced and many have become extinct.
Paleontologist - is a person who studies fossils.
Sedimentary rocks – most fossils are found in this rocks
Archaeopteryx - half-bird, half-reptile
*** SOURCES OF EVIDENCE FOR EVOLUTION ***
1.) Evidence from Fossil Records
*Fossils are the remains or impression left by an animal or by plants preserved in the earth crust.
-They were from the hard parts of the organism like woody stem, bones, or teeth.
• Types of Fossil:
a. Imprints- are shallow external molds left by animal or plant tissues with little or no organic materials present.
b. Compression- is the other side with more organic material.
*Determining the Age of Fossils:
 Relative dating is a method used to determine the age of the rocks by comparing them with the rocks in the
other layer.
 Carbon-14 - Radiometric dating is a method used to determine the age of rocks using the decay of radioactive
isotopes present in rocks.

Geologic Time Scale:

 Era is the largest division of Geologic Time Scale. (Precambrian, Paleozoic, Mesozoic, and Cenozoic)
 Each Era is further divided into Period.

2.) Evidence from Comparative Anatomy

1. Homologous Structures - Similar structures in different species irrespective of their functions.
Here are some example of homologous structures: forelimbs of dog, bird, lizard, and whale, which are structurally the same,
but functionally different.

2. Analogous Structures - are structures, which are different in appearance but have the same function.
Examples are wings of birds, bats, and insects that have the same function but different in origin.

3.) Evidence from Embryonic Development

*Embryo - is an early stage of development in organisms.
4.) DNA Evidence
* sequence DNA analysis

Two types of Evolution

1. Divergent Evolution
▪ Splitting in ancestral population into two or more sub-populations that are geographically isolated from one another

2. Convergent Evolution
▪ Is an increase in similarities among species derived from different ancestors as a result of
similar adaptation to similar environment.

**** THEORIES OF EVOLUTION ***

Jean Baptiste de Lamarck - was the first evolutionist to believe that organisms change overtime.
Lamarck Three Theories:
1.) The Theory of Need - which states that organisms change in response to their environment.
2.) The Theory of Use and Disuse - organs not in use will disappear while organs in use will develop.
3.) The Theory of Acquired Characteristics- inherited by their offsprings and propagated by the next generation.
Charles Darwin - proposed the Darwinian Theory which is based on Natural Selection.
• Natural selection - refers to the differential survival and reproduction of organisms.
• Adaptation is a set of genetically acquired traits that make the organism better suited to its environment.

*** BIODIVERSITY AND STABILITY ***

Biodiversity is a term that describes how varied living things are in specific area.
• Stability of an ecosystem can be described as the resilience to withstand changes that may occur in the environment.
THE VALUE OF SPECIES CAN BE DIVIDED INTO VARIOUS CATEGORIES:
1.) Direct Economic Value - sources of food, medicine, clothing, shelter, and energy.
2.) Indirect economic value -certain species maintain the chemical quality of natural bodies of water, prevent soil erosion and floods,
cycle materials in the soil, and absorb pollutants.
3.) Aesthetic value – provides visual or artistic enjoyment, like a forested landsacpe anf the claming beauty of a natural park.
THE UPS AND DOWNS OF POPULATION GROWTH:
• Population - is a group of organisms of the same species that live in a certain area.
• Birth Rate (Natality) - the number of births in a population
• Death Rate (Mortality) - the number of organisms that are dying in a population
• Population Carrying Capacity - maximum number of organisms that can be supported

Population growth is limited by two factors:

• Density-Dependent Limiting Factor - A factor that regulates a population’s growth and is influenced by population density. (For
example, when a population reaches a certain size, there won’t be enough resources (food, shelter, water) for all of the organisms).
• Density-Independent Limiting Factor - the population’s density does not directly influence changes in population’s growth. (Natural
disasters, temperature, sunlight, activities of humans in the environment).

LIMITING FACTORS THAT DEPEND ON POPULATION DENSITY:

1.) Diseases and Parasites - Infectious diseases and parasites spreaad faster in densely populated areas.
2.) Competition for resources – Organisms with better adaptations to obtain (food) resources will be able to reproduce more often, and
its population will grow. The organisms that have limited abilities to compete for the resources will not reproduce as often, may not be fit
enough to live long, and can cause their population decrease.
3.) Predation- is a biological interaction where one organism, the predator, kills and eats another organism, its prey.
4.) Emigration- Occurs when, as a population approaches its carrying capacity, and individual organisms leave and go to a new area
where they can find enough resources for survival and reproduction.

*** ENVIRONMENTAL PROBLEMS AND ISSUES ***

The environmental problems like global warming, acid rain, air pollution, urban sprawl, waste disposal, ozone layer depletion, water
pollution, climate change and many more affect every human, animal and nation on this planet.