Martinez, Kyle Adrian D.

GE15 (7451)

LET’S CHECK Activity 4. Answer the following briefly:

1. Discuss the features of a biological community.

- An ecosystem is a collection of living beings and their surroundings. The term ecosystem is short
for "ecological system," because an ecosystem, like any system, is made up of interconnected
pieces. The illustrated forest represents a large ecosystem. What living things, other than trees, do
you believe are part of the forest ecosystem? In the same forest, a dead tree stump is a miniature
ecosystem. It consists of plants, mosses, and fungi. Insects and worms are also included. The
nonliving components of ecosystems are referred to as abiotic factors. Air, sunlight, soil, water,
and minerals are among them. All of these things are required for survival. The living components
of ecosystems are referred to as biotic factors. They are the kind of living organisms that coexist.

2. Differentiate the biological community from the ecological system.

- A community is made up of different species' or organisms' populations. Plants, animals, and

microorganisms are examples of biotic factors. While an ecosystem consists of a community, it
also contains abiotic variables in the environment such as temperature, water, and the local
topography.

3. Are natural resources have an effect on the species’ composition, structure, and function?

- Yes, absolutely! Natural resources, and their distribution, create the conditions under which life
forms must adapt in order to live. They decide which functions, and eventually which structural
characteristics, will be naturally selected during the evolutionary process.

4. Discuss the importance of community interactions.

- Community interactions determine population size, and interacting populations function as natural
selection agents on one another. Thus, communal interactions alter the bodies and behaviors of the
populations who interact.
5. Why do organisms compete? Can competition favor or eliminate biological species?

- They compete because resources are scarce — or because one considers the other to be a resource
(as in a predator/prey relationship).
- Competition can clearly favor or remove biological species; this is a critical part of evolution and
is the cause of many extinctions.

6. For an ideal community interaction, what must be observed?

- The symbol must be contemporary.

LET’S ANALYZE

Activity No. 4. In this activity, you require to elaborate your answer once again to each of the questions
provided below.

1. How human disturbance affects ecosystems?

- Human activities on land and in water can have a significant impact on ecosystems. Among the
many issues confronting ecosystems include climate change, ocean acidification, permafrost
melting, habitat loss, eutrophication, stormwater runoff, air pollution, pollutants, and invasive
species.

2. Identify physical and biological factors that are most important in shaping the biotic community.
- The quantity of available space, the temperature, and the kind of soil are all key physical elements
in developing the biotic community. The number and species of plants and animals are the most
significant biological elements.

3. What are the factors that limit ecosystem functionality?

- Limiting variables include biotic considerations such as food, mates, and resource rivalry with other
organisms. Others, such as space, temperature, altitude, and the quantity of sunshine accessible in
a habitat, are abiotic. Limiting factors are typically described as a scarcity of a certain resource.
 4. Develop a conceptual framework that depicts the relationship between physical, chemical, and
biological factors in shaping communities and maintaining biological diversity. Discuss your
framework comprehensively.

Biological Diversity

Physical Biological Chemical

Factors Factors Factors

Discussion of the Framework:

Physical, biological, and chemical elements all contribute to biological variety. Even though they each have
separate processes and roles, these elements all supply the resources needed for varied animals in an
ecosystem to coexist. These components, as well as the internal processes, are linked. If one of the elements
changes considerably, the impact on biological variety will be enormous. Despite the fact that they are made
up of varied processes and activities, these components all offer the resources that various creatures in an
ecosystem require.

IN A NUTSHELL

Activity No. 4. The approaches of environmental studies viewed as a very complicated process. With the
human population on many ecosystems that are widely dispersed around the globe also have detrimental
impacts on biological communities as well about sustainability. Ecosystems and communities have evolved
to keep abreast of the changing activities within a specific geographical unit. The physical, chemical and
biological attributes of different communities will determine how our ecosystems will be in the many years
to come. In this part, you require to draw conclusions, perspectives, and arguments about ecological system
functions and communities' patterns from the unit lesson. I will supply the first two items, and you will
continue the rest.

1. Human introduction and removal of biological species in a community have a profound effect on
the community structure and its ecosystem functions. It is significant to consider long-term studies
 and investigation before embarking on this undertaking. It might hamper ecological services
performed by organisms, neither limits ecosystems functionality, adding a new set of organisms in
a community.
2. Species interactions are important in the process of natural selection. Through these processes, the
unique set of organisms and environmental conditions will determine key organisms that can
continue to flourish and pass off their genes to their offsprings, which will be the second line of
resilient organisms that will shape a new set of biological communities.
3. Communities are crucial because they enable interaction between species. For a variety of
reasons, including nutrition, species interact with one another within a community. Animals, for
example, are unable to produce their own food and must therefore rely on plants and other
living things for sustenance.

4. Community dynamics are the alterations in a community's structure and demographics over
time, frequently as a result of natural disasters like earthquakes, fires, storms, and volcanic
eruptions. Equilibrium is defined as a community having a stable number of species.

5. Ecosystems are composed of both biotic and abiotic components. Abiotic factors are non-living
elements like water, soil, and atmosphere, whereas biotic factors are living things found in an
ecosystem like plants, animals, and bacteria. In an ecosystem, how these elements interact is
crucial.

6. Population size is influenced by community interactions, and populations that interact with
communities affect one another as natural selection agents. The bodies and behaviors of the
interacting populations are thus also shaped by community interactions.

7. We can manage ecological communities that benefit us by minimizing impacts on ecosystems

and understanding their structure and dynamics.

8. An ecosystem's growth and development depend on ecological succession. It begins the

colonization of new areas as well as the restoration of previously destroyed areas as a result of
biotic and climatic factors.

9. Numerous human activities such as overpopulation, pollution, the burning of fossil fuels, and
deforestation have an adverse effect on the physical environment. Climate change, soil erosion,
poor air quality, and undrinkable water have all been brought on by changes like these.
10. On the other side, reversing environmental destruction through corrective measures has the
most positive effects on the environment of all human activities. These include planting trees,
recycling, water conservation, increasing energy efficiency, enclosing delicate ecosystems, and
passing environmental protection laws.