Republic of the Philippines

PALAWAN STATE UNIVERSITY

College of Community Resource and Development
Quezon Campus

LEARNING MODULE IN GE-ELECT: PES

PEOPLE AND THE EARTH’S ECOSYSTEM

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 MODULE 1
INTRODUCTION: ECOSYSTEM AND ENVIRONMENT

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Prepared by:

EMMA C. PESITO
Instructor

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OVERVIEW

To understand its interrelationships, it would require you to focus upon the scientific
principles, concepts and methodologies of the natural world, to recognize and
investigate environmental difficulties both natural and human-made, to assess the
comparative perils associated with these problems, and to study alternative results for
resolving and/or preventing them.

LEARNING OUTCOMES

Upon completion of this module, you will be able to:

 Define environment and ecosystem

 Identify the different types of ecosystem

 Familiarize and understand the seven (7) environmental Principles

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PSU Vision

An internationally recognized university that provides

relevant and innovative education and research for lifelong
learning and sustainable development.

PSU Mission

The Palawan State University is committed to

upgrade peoples’ quality of life by providing
education opportunities through excellent instruction,
research and innovation, extension, production
services, and transnational collaborations.

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Ecosystem and Environment

Ecosystem is the aggregate of all organisms living in a community and all the non-
living with which they interact. There must be a fine equilibrium between biotic and
abiotic factors in the ecosystems. It includes all of the organisms in a natural community
or biome plus all of the associated environmental factors with which they interact. The
term ecosystem could actually be applied to any of the terrestrial biomes or plant
communities. It is dynamic entities composed of the biological community and the
abiotic environment. An ecosystem’s abiotic and biotic composition and structure is
determined by the state of a number of interrelated environmental factors.

The term ecosystem is also well-suited for aquatic communities such as ponds, lakes,
streams and even the ocean. In fact, oceanography is the study of the ocean
ecosystem. Including ocean, topsoil and atmosphere, the earth is a large, complex
ecosystem called the biosphere; however, in terms of the vast universe it is a mere dot.
A self-contained spaceship in which gasses and waste are recycled may also be
thought of as an ecosystem.

The environment is everything that makes up the surroundings and enables us to live
on earth. It includes all the physical, chemical and natural forces. It also refers what
makes up the atmosphere or background against which someone or something is seen.

Types of Ecosystems

Aquatic ecosystem is an ecosystem in a body of water. Communities of

organisms that are dependent on each other and on their environment live in aquatic
ecosystems. The two main types of aquatic ecosystems are:

1. Marine ecosystem- it covers approximately 71% of the Earth’s surface and contains
approximately 97% of the planet’s water. They generate 32% of the world’s net primary
production. They are distinguished from freshwater ecosystems by the presence of
dissolved compounds, especially salts in the water. Approximately, 85% of the
dissolved materials in seawater are sodium and chlorine. Sea water has an average
salinity of 35 parts per thousand (ppt) of water.

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Figure 1: Marine Ecosystem

2. Freshwater ecosystem-it covers 0.80% of the earth’s surface and inhabits 0.009%
of its total water. They generate nearly 3% of its net primary production. Freshwater
ecosystems contain 41% of the world’s known fish species.

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Figure 2: Freshwater Ecosystem

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There are three basic types of freshwater ecosystems:

1. Lentic: slow moving water, including pools, ponds and lakes.

2. Lotic: faster moving water such as rivers and streams.
3. Wetlands: areas where the soil is saturated or inundated for at least part of the time.

Littoral zone is the part of a sea, lake or river that is close to the shore. It
extends from high water mark which is rarely inundated to shoreline areas that are
permanently submerged. Littoral is derived from the latin word litus, litoris meaning
“shore”.

Riparian zone is the interface between land and a river or stream. It is also the
proper nomenclature for one of the fifteen (15) terrestrial biomes of the earth. Riparian
zones are significant in ecology and environmental management because of their role in
soil conservation, their habitat biodiversity and the influence they have on fauna and
aquatic ecosystems.

Terrestrial ecosystem is an ecosystem found only on land forms. Terrestrial

ecosystems are characterized by greater temperature fluctuations on both a diurnal and
seasonal basis than occur in aquatic ecosystems because the atmosphere is more
transparent than water.

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Figure 3: Terrestrial Ecosystem

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SEVEN (7) ENVIRONMENTAL PRINCIPLES

This section highlights the basic environmental principles. We need to learn about
our ecosystem because this is the only way we can protect and take care of our planet
and take action on our environmental problems.

1. Nature Knows Best

 Any disruption in the cycle can bring about imbalance, our nature knows
everything, sometimes, it knows what is best for us.

2. All forms of life are important

 Each organism plays fundamental role in nature
 All living things must be considered as invaluable in the maintenance of
our ecosystem

3. Everything is connected to everything else

 All biotic and abiotic components in the ecosystem interact with each other
to ensure that the system is perpetuated.

4. Everything changes
 Our world is consistently changing and nothing is permanent anymore.

5. Everything goes somewhere

 When a piece of something is thrown away, it disappears from sight but it
does not cease to exist, it ends up elsewhere.

6. Ours is a finite earth

 The resources that we have on earth are limited.

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.

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REFERENCES

Textbooks

 Fundamentals of Environmental Science, 2015.

 Environmental Science, 2019.

Websites

 https://byjus.com/biology/difference-between-environment-and-ecosystem/

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