DULAY, ALDRICH R.

201500
BSME-2
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE
MODULE 1

Student Assessment Question/Activity 1-1

Illustrate and explain nutrient cycle.
According to the module, Nutrient cycling is the movement and exchange of organic
and inorganic matter back into the production of matter. Nutrients are present in soil readily
available for plant use. Plants use these nutrients for their growth and development. Plants are
eaten by primary consumers to get their needed nutrients. Primary consumers are eaten by
secondary consumers, secondary consumers are eaten by tertiary consumers, and so on.
Nutrients then are transferred on this process. Some plant parts are not consumed during the
process. As it aged and dies, it falls to the ground as fallen leaves, twigs or branches. As it falls
into the ground they are decomposed. Decomposers brings back the nutrients to soil for reuse
by plants. Waste of animals as they eat plants or other animals also undergo decomposition.
Animals not consumed by other animals during the process also age and dies and eventually
are decomposed to bring nutrient back to soil to complete the process.

Student Assessment Question/Activity 1-2

Give examples of activities that you observe at home or in your community that
disturb the natural process of nutrient cycling. Explain.
One of activities that disturb the natural process of cycling is, a simple burning of
garden waste disrupts this natural process. Leaves, twigs, branches, etc. that fall on the ground
are considered an eyesore, so, we burn them. Burning this organic matter disturb the cycle. As
we burn garden wastes, nutrients stored in their tissues are lost and will never go back to the
soil for reuse. In this activity we are not only losing soil nutrient little by little but we also
release air pollutants and greenhouse gases into the atmosphere which doubles the negative
effect to our environment.
Student Assessment Question/Activity 1-3
What can you observe in a vacant lot where the grass is regularly cut and cleaned and
then eventually left alone for a very long time? What do you think will happen to the area if
it will be left untouched in the coming years? Please write your observations here.
If the area is eventually left alone grasses will grow, small grasses will be replaced by
larger taller grasses. Small trees will start to grow. And if left undisturbed for years, more trees
will grow and grow bigger and higher until a very slow change in the coming long years will be
observed as it reaches its climax community. This is one way where nature cure itself after a
disturbance. If you noticed after a tropical cyclone or typhoon as we know it, large-scale
damage to forest trees can be observed as a result of this disturbance. But a few years or even
months later, you will rarely see evidence of the damage and it would seem that nothing
happened before.

Student Assessment Question/Activity 1-4

Please take time to look around you and realize what you have (things that you need
and want) as a result of this natural processes that are directly and indirectly vital to your
survival. List and explain as many as you can in the space below.
As you can see we need foods, medicine, shelter, livelihood. When it comes to food, More than
90% of the calories consumed by people worldwide come from 80 plant species. Fruits, nuts,
mushrooms, honey, spices and other foods that human and wildlife consume originate from
natural ecosystems. Fish comprises 10% of man’s protein intake. When it comes to medicine,
About 80% of the world’s population still use plants as their primary source of medicine. Close
to 30% of all pharmaceuticals on the market today were developed from plants and animals.
When it comes to shelter, Most houses, furniture and even many clothes are made from
natural products, including wood, oils, resins, waxes, gums and fibers. The cocoons of silk
worms are the basis of the valuable, centuries-old Asian silk-making industry. In livelihood,
Farmers and fishermen are dependent on natural products in nature for their source of
income.
Student Assessment Question/Activity 1-5
Why is environmental science subject included in your curriculum? What is its
significance in your BSME course?
Since we are the one who are destroying the environment, we are now experiencing
the effect of what we have been doing to our environment sense human came to the picture,
especially after the industrial revolution, urbanization and technology revolution. All these
have caused negative impacts and resulted to the imbalance of nature. We may be late
compared to other parts of the world, but we now have realized the need for educating
everyone about our environment as it is all our responsibility to be involved with the hope of
protecting what we still have and bringing back what we have lost.
 Learning Assessment
Knowledge Level

A 1. Which of the following disrupts the water cycle?

a. Removal of forest cover c. burning of garden waste
b. Burning of fossil fuels d. destruction of coral reefs

Justify your answer: Because most of the ways that water moves through the cycle is through
its ability to permeate, or soak, into the soil. Once the removal of forest cover it will greatly
affect the water cycle. Since evaporation plays a role in water cycle.

Comprehension Level
A 2. Why is ecological succession vital in the balance of nature?
a. It is nature’s way of curing itself from disturbances.
b. It is important to complete natural processes in the environment.
c. It is the main source of natural resources we need for survival.
d. It is one of the methods in environmental management.

Justify your answer: they say that Nature knows how to cure or restore itself. Recovery of
disturbed component of the environment like a particular ecosystem can occur naturally,
through a process called ecological succession
Application Level
A 3. Why does increase of human population cause imbalance in nature?
(i) As human population increases more space for settlement and food
production is needed.
(ii) Human activities disrupt checks-and-balances in nature.
(iii) Humans are the most important creature in the environment.
(iv) Humans can solve problems in the environment.
a. i and ii c. i and iii
b. ii and iv d. all of the above

Justify your answer: Since we are the one who are destroying the environment, we are now
experiencing the effect of what we have been doing to our environment since human came to
the picture, especially after the industrial revolution, urbanization and technology revolution.
All these have caused negative impacts and resulted to the imbalance of nature.
A 4. Indiscriminate cutting of trees and destruction of coral reef eventually causes
disruption in the natural cycling of carbon and oxygen. What does this statement tell us?
(i) That trees and corals are natural sinks of carbon.
(ii) That production of oxygen is reduced.
(iii) That cutting of trees causes flooding, erosion and water shortage.
(iv) That destruction of corals reduces fishery production

a. i and ii c. i and iii

b. ii and iv d. all of the above
Justify your answer: We are moving more carbon into the atmosphere from other
parts of the earth system. More carbon is moving to the atmosphere when fossil fuels, like coal
and oil, are burned. More carbon is moving to the atmosphere as humans get rid of forests by
cutting and burning the trees. Burning wood releases carbon into the atmosphere that had
been stored in the trees. As we cut the trees in our forest, we reduce production of oxygen and
increase amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Carbon dioxide is a greenhouse gas
which absorbs heat; thus, increasing atmospheric temperature. We will be discussing more
about greenhouse gases and global warning in the succeeding modules.

Synthesis Level
5. Consider the detrimental effects of technology. Which order of events follows the
boomerang effects to us due to negative impacts of technology?
6 disaster happens
5 shortage of water for domestic use, decreased food production and
change of climate.
4 water bodies, land and air are polluted
3 more waste products are produced
2 easy and instant access to food, water and everything
1 countries developed and urbanized
Justify your answer:

Evaluation Level
C 6. Given the following benefits we derive form nature, would you agree that we must
abide by the rules nature dictate?
a. Fishermen are dependent on fishery resources for their livelihood.
 b. We build our houses, buildings and other infrastructures from natural resources.
c. We get food from plants, animals and fishery resources.
d. Medicines are developed from plants and animals.

Justify your answer: About 80% of the world’s population still use plants as their primary
source of medicine. Close to 30% of all pharmaceuticals on the market today were developed
from plants and animals. Also Most houses, furniture and even many clothes are made from
natural products, including wood, oils, resins, waxes, gums and fibers. The cocoons of silk
worms are the basis of the valuable, centuries-old Asian silk-making industry. Farmers and
fishermen are dependent on natural products in nature for their source of income

Feedback
Please include your feedback below. Let me know how you are doing so far. Include
your difficulties (if there are any) so we can address it on the succeeding modules.
I’ve got difficulties in answering this module. In this module it tells us about how the
nature works. It is the most basic and encompasses all the other principles. We need to
understand nature and have to abide by the rules it dictates. In essence, one must not go
against the natural process if we want to insure a continuous and steady supply of our
resources.
DULAY, ALDRICH R.
201500
BSME-2
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE
MODULE 2

Before we go further, please honestly write on the space below your reactions or what
you actually do or what you want to happen on the following situations or scenarios.

When you see snake inside your house, classroom or workplace.

To be honest, there is a time that I encounter a snake. While encountering them I don’t
know if its good to kill them since I am scared of it, I intend to avoid it while it is far from me.
When I was immature and I encounter a snakes, I asked someone to kill it just for fun.
When you see spiders building their webs inside your home.
There are times that I want to make the spider fight each other that’s why I remove
them from their web and also when we are cleaning I used brooms just to reach them and
destroy their webs.

When you see earthworm crawling in your bathroom floor.

I’m not scared of worms or earthworms or any kinds of worms because when I was a
child, I used to play with them. I used them for fishing as a bait. Also when I see them nowadays
killing them is a waste of time that’s why I let them crawl until they find their last moment in
life.
Student Assessment Question/Activity 2-1
We have been trying to emphasize that all organisms are important. You may wonder
and ask how about organisms like cockroaches, flies and mosquitoes? What are their functions?
How are they important like other organisms? Why don’t you try to do some research or even
do a firsthand observation to really define their importance/functions. Write what you have
discovered on the space below or on a separate sheet of paper. (Email your answer.)
They are on top of the food chain and most of the time no other organism will consume
them example of this organisms are lions, tigers, sharks, and our own species, humans.
Mosquitoes have long been a nightmare for us for they cause diseases like malaria, dengue
among others. But in the natural environment this is normal. This is nature’s painful way of
controlling population of organisms on top of the food chain. And that is also true to our
species each organism must be considered invaluable to maintain balance in nature. In most
instances however, one functions are performed by several species. There could be many
species of producers (green plants) in one ecosystem which means many species of first level
consumers or herbivores (plant eating animals).

Student Assessment Question/Activity 2-2

Let us see how diverse organisms are around you. In your backyard or on a nearby
grassland, forest, mangrove area or any ecosystem, try to observe the organisms present and
draw one simple food chain and a food web. Discuss your observations. (Email your answer.)

ORGANISM TROPHICAL LEVEL

PEANUT GRASS PRODUCER
GRASSHOPPER PRIMARY CONSUMER

RATS SECONDARY CONSUMER

SNAKES TERTIARY CONSUMER

The more producers there are the more primary consumers you can find, secondary
consumers and so on. In such case there is biological diversity in the ecosystem you
have observed.
 Learning Assessment
Instructions: Please answer the following items. This will be part of your performance
evaluation. Each item is 10 points.
A 1. Which of the following explains the importance of each organism in nature?

a. Ecological Niche c. food chain

b. Trophic level d. food web

Justify your answer: because each organism plays a fundamental role in nature. Snakes
are predators which control population of other organisms like rodents that mostly are pests in
our agricultural areas.

D 2. Why is biological diversity important in the stability of ecosystems?

a. Many species of organisms can perform one function in nature.
b. There is variety of living organisms
c. There is more food for many organisms
d. d. Balance of nature is maintained.

Justify your answer: when one organism is removed it brings imbalance to the biological
diversity. There is stability in the ecosystem. If ecosystems are diverse in organisms, even in
outbreaks, change in atmospheric conditions, natural disturbances and human activities which
results to extinction of one species, other species can still perform the same function.
Therefore, when there is biological diversity there is ecosystem or environmental stability.

A 3. Even mosquitoes and cockroaches are equally important as other organisms in

nature. What does this statement tell us?
a. They also perform an important function in the maintenance of balance in nature.
b. They cause disease outbreaks
c. They are part of biological diversity
d. They are food to other organisms

Justify your answer: as I said earlier if one species is removed it’ll bring imbalance to the
nature. Some of consumer needs them in order to survive. In short, they are part of the
biological diversity wherein they need others in order to survive.
Feedback
Please include your feedback below. Let me know how you are doing so far. Include your
difficulties (if there are any) so we can address it on the succeeding modules.

In this module I’ve learn something about biological diversity that even a mosquito and
cockroaches are important in nature.
DULAY, ALDRICH R.
201500
BSME-2
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE
MODULE 3

Student Assessment Question/Activity 3-1

Can you give an example of an ecosystem that you are mostly familiar with especially of
its components? Try to enumerate the living and nonliving components. Try also to pick at least
2 living and 2 non-living components and discuss their connections. Discuss how and what
happens if the ecosystem is disturbed by human activities.
An ecosystem is a biological community of interacting organisms and their
physical environment. It is the smallest unit of the environment capable of supporting life. Its
size ranges from a drop of water inhabited by an amoeba (sing le celled animal), forests,
grasslands, coral reefs, seagrass beds to the whole biosphere (thin layer of the earth where life
is possible) as our ultimate ecosystem. The living things can grow, produce waste, reproduce,
and die and some of examples are: plants, animals, fungi, and also bacteria. While nonliving
things are sunlight, water, air, wind, and rocks.

Student Assessment Question/Activity 3-2

With all the facts above about ecosystems, can you consider an aquarium an
ecosystem? Discuss your answer below
For me, an aquarium cannot be considered an ecosystem. Although it has living
components like fishes, snails, and plants and nonliving components like water and sand and
gravel. Meaning it has structure. It undergoes change which is another characteristic of an
ecosystem. However, it cannot sustain life without the human intervention unlike the ocean
that every fish can live and etc. In aquarium you need to replace the water or clean the
aquarium so that the fish can live. In short, continuous cycling of nutrients and flow of energy
cannot be observed in an aquarium, which the most important characteristic in defining an
ecosystem.
Learning Assessment
Instructions: Please answer the following items. This will be part of your performance
evaluation. Each item is 10 points.

A 1. Why is it important to conserve and protect ecosystems in relation to sustaining life?

a. Sustained life is a characteristic of ecosystems.

b. Ecosystems contain resources that we need.
c. In ecosystems living and nonliving things can be found.
d. In ecosystems energy flow and nutrient cycles.

Justify your answer: continuous cycling of nutrients and flow of energy which
the most important characteristic in defining an ecosystem.

D 2.Earth and its ecosystems are complex entities in which any action may have several or
many effects. What does this statement tell us?
i. Everything affects everything else.
ii. Many aspects of the natural environment are closely linked.
iii. Everything changes.
iv. Nature knows how to balance itself.
a. ii and iii
b. iii and iv
c. i and iii
d. i and ii

Justify your answer: because when it comes to ecosystem everything affects everything else
and in many aspects of the natural environmental are closely linked.

Feedback
 This module gives us an idea on how everything is connected to everything else. It gives
me a full knowledge how ecosystem works and how human intervention affects the nature or
ecosystem.