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Subject Code: Biology 4 Critical Environment and Health Issues

Learning Guide Code: 1.0 (Environmental Interrelationships)
Lesson Code : 1.1 (Introduction to the Environment)
Time Frame: 60 minutes (2 sessions)

SCHEDULE OF ACTIVITIES

Session Time Allotment Activity

1st 30 mins Target, Hook, Ignite (Lesson Proper)

2nd 30 mins Navigate, Knot

MATERIALS NEEDED

To complete this module, you need the following:

1. pen;
2. paper;
3. phone/tablet/laptop;
4. Adobe scanner mobile app;
5. Moodle Learning Management System account
6. Stable internet connection.

TARGET

After completing this module, you are expected to:

• understand that activities of biotic components of the environment have an
impact on their surroundings;
• realize that in understanding issues in environment, science and social
sciences fields are involved; and
• explain how destruction of the environment can lead to the emergence of
disease.

HOOK

Look at Figure 1. Shown in the picture is a road network being constructed to what used to
be a field. As the population continues to increase, the need for shelter of people also increases.
Undeniably, human (being part of the biotic components) activities have an impact on the
environment. Based on the picture, what possible environmental problems may arise if the
development is not properly planned? Do you have ideas in mind on how to address these problems?
How about in your area, what are the environmental issues there and how are they being addressed?

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Figure 1. Construction of a Road Network

IGNITE

Now that you have listed down some environmental issues in your area, let us start your
journey in studying environmental science. Enger and Smith (2010) cite that the environment is
“everything that affects an organism during its lifetime and science as “an approach to studying the
natural world that involves formulating hypotheses and then testing them to see if the hypotheses are
supported or refuted”. Based on the definition of the environment, all living components of the
environment, including humans may affect the many components of the environment - both biotic and
abiotic. Beyond the definition of these two words, environmental science is an interdisciplinary
field which includes not just the scientific aspect of our impact on the environment but also social
aspects. The key concept in environmental science is “interrelatedness”. To fully understand this key
concept, watch the short video entitled “How Wolves Change River” found in the link below or read
the transcript of the video given below:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ysa5OBhXz-Q&t=16s

Transcript of the video “How Wolves Change River”

“One of the most exciting scientific findings of the last half-century has been the widespread
discovery of trophic cascades. A trophic cascade is an ecological process which starts at the
top of the food chain and tumbles all the way down to the bottom. And a classic example is
what happened in the Yellowstone National Park in the United States when wolves were
reintroduced in 1995. Now, we all know that wolves kill various species of animals but
perhaps we’re slightly less aware that they give life to many others.
Before the wolves turned up, they’d been absent for seventy years, that the numbers of deer,
because there’d been nothing to hunt them, had built up and built up in the Yellowstone Park
and despite efforts by humans to control them, they’d managed to reduce much of the
vegetation there to almost nothing. They’d just grazed it away. But as soon as the wolves
arrived, even though they were few in number, they started to have the most remarkable

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effects. First, of course, they killed some of the deer but that wasn’t the major thing. Much
more significantly, they radically changed the behavior of the deer. The deer started avoiding
certain parts of the park, the places where they could be trapped most easily, particularly the
valleys and the gorges and immediately, those places started to regenerate. In some areas,
the height of the trees quintupled in just six years. Bare valley sides quickly became forests of
aspen and willow and cottonwood. And as soon as that happened, the birds started moving
in. The number of songbirds and migratory birds started to increase greatly. The number of
beavers started to increase because beavers like to eat the trees and beavers, like wolves, are
ecosystem engineers, they create niches for other species. And the dams they built in the
rivers, have provided habitats for otters and muskrats and ducks and fish and reptiles and
amphibians. The wolves killed coyotes and, as a result of that, the number of rabbits and mice
began to rise which meant more hawks, more weasels, more foxes, more badgers. Ravens and
bald eagles came down to feed and the carrion that the wolves had left, bears fed on it too
and their population began to rise, as well, partly also because there were more berries
growing on the regenerating shrubs. And the bears reinforced the impact of the wolves by
killing some of the calves of the deer.
But here’s where it gets really interesting. The wolves changed the behavior of the rivers.
They began to meander less, there was less erosion, channels narrowed, more pools formed,
more riffle sections, all of which were great for wildlife habitat. The rivers changed in
response to the wolves. And the reason was that the regenerating forest stabilized the banks
so that they collapsed less often, so that the rivers became more fixed in their course.
Similarly, by driving the deer out of some places and the vegetation recovering, on the valley
sides, there was less soil erosion because the vegetation stabilized that as well. So, the wolves,
small in number, transformed not just the ecosystem of the Yellowstone National Park, this
huge area of land, but also its physical geography.”
Transcript by Judith Martin. Webpage by Paul Shoebottom.
Retrieved from: http://esl.fis.edu/Students/support/eng/text/wolfYouTubeTranscript.htm

THINK IT OVER

Based on the video/transcript, how can you relate the interconnectedness

concept of environmental science to the case of the wolves and the river?

Relevant to this case, ranchers strongly opposed the reintroduction of wolves.

What do you think is their reason? Considering this, how do you think the
interconnectedness theme is related to social, political, and economic aspects of human
life?

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RUBRICS FOR THE THINK IT OVER AND NAVIGATE ACTIVITIES

CRITERIA SCORE

(1-3 POINTS) (4-7 POINTS) (8-10 POINTS)

Content The content is not The content is sufficient The content is

sufficient, and not and focused in some sufficient and
focused. It does parts but not over all. It focused. It
not provide logical somewhat provides provides logical
reasoning/answer reasoning/answers to reasoning to the
to the “why” and the “why” and “how” “why” and “how”
“how” questions. questions. questions.

Organization and The flow of The flow of thoughts The flow of

Structure thoughts are not are somewhat clear and thoughts are clear
clear and not easy easy to follow. and easy to follow.
to follow.

Notes: Think It Over activity is graded and to be submitted at the end of the 1st session. The
Navigate activity is also graded and to be submitted during the 2nd session.

NAVIGATE

In June 2020, the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) released a report entitled “Covid 19:
Urgent Call to Protect People and Nature”. In its report, it pointed out that zoonotic diseases are
emerging at an alarming rate. Read at least the executive summary of the report found in the link
below and answer the following questions:

https://wwfeu.awsassets.panda.org/downloads/wwf_covid19_urgent_call_to_protect_people_a
nd_nature_1.pdf

1. How is the covid-19 pandemic related to our relationship with nature?

2. (a)What are the recommendations in the report to protect natural ecosystems? (b)Which
among their recommendations do you agree the most? (c) Why?

KNOT
In order to solve environmental problems, we must understand not just its science but also
other fields concerning the issue such as economics, politics, and ethics among others. This is what
environmental science is all about making it an interesting and challenging interdisciplinary field of
study. With the “interrelatedness” concept, we have seen that activities of humans and other biotic
members of the environment have an impact in their surroundings as clearly illustrated in how the

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wolves changed the geography of the river. With this in mind, human activities in our local setting
can surely have an impact on the environment.

The kind of relationship we give to the environment can also lead to the emergence of
diseases. Destruction of the natural habitat of wildlife and unsustainable food systems increases the
likelihood of having another pandemic in the future. This is the best time to revisit the kind of
relationship we have with nature. As we conclude this lesson, you are tasked to accomplish the
summative assessment given below.

From the environmental problems you have identified in your locality, choose the one that
you believe should be immediately addressed. As an additional formative assessment, accomplish the
table below and submit it on the 3rd meeting.

Environmental Problem in My Locality (Possible Answers)

Name of Locality (Barangay/Town/Province)
Environmental Problem (e.g. overfishing,
deforestation, etc.)
Causes
Effects
Possible Solutions

Identify Fields of Study Needed to Understand

and Solve the Problem (e.g. Chemistry, Politics,
Economic)
Choose one from the field of study and describe
how will it help in solving the problem

SUBMISSION DEADLINES
Formative Assessment Submission
Deadline
Think It Over – How Wolves Changed River 1st Session
Questions on “Covid 19: Urgent Call to Protect People and Nature Report” 2nd Session
Environmental Problem in My Locality 3rd Session

REFERENCES

Enger, E. D., & Smith, B. F. (2010). Environmental Science: A Study of Interrelationships. New York: The
McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
Sustainable Human. (2014, February 14). How Wolves Change Rivers. [Video]. Youtube.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ysa5OBhXz-Q . (n.d.).
Martin, J. (n.d.). Transcript of the YouTube video entitled: How Wolves Change Rivers. Retrieved from
http://esl.fis.edu/Students/support/eng/text/wolfYouTubeTranscript.htm
World Wide Fund For Nature. (2020, June). COVID 19: URGENT CALL TO PROTECT PEOPLE AND
NATURE. Retrieved from World Wide Fund For Nature:
https://cdn2.hubspot.net/hubfs/4783129/WWF%20COVID19%20URGENT%20CALL%20TO%20
PROTECT%20PEOPLE%20AND%20NATURE.pdf

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Prepared by:

JED ARIES F. CASTRO

Signature over Printed Name of Writer
Special Science Teacher V
PSHS-CENTRAL LUZON CAMPUS

Reviewed/Approved by:

MICHELLE B. DUCUSIN
Special Science Teacher V/Team Lead (Biology)
PSHS-ILOCOS REGION CAMPUS

PHILIPPINE SCIENCE HIGH SCHOOL SYSTEM

Biology 4: SY 2020-21