A.

DEFINE:
1. Ecosystem: a biological community of interacting organisms and their physical
environment.
: a system formed by the interaction of a community of
organisms with their environment.
: a system involving the interactions between a community of living
organisms in a particular area and its non-living environment
2. Biosphere: the regions of the surface, atmosphere, and hydrosphere of the earth (or
analogous parts of other planets occupied by living organisms.
: the part of the earth!s crust, waters, and atmosphere that supports life.
: the ecosystem comprising the entire earth and the living organisms that inhabit
it.
: "he parts of the land, sea, and atmosphere in which organisms are able to
live. "he biosphere is an irregularly shaped, relatively thin #one in which life is
concentrated on or near the Earth!s surface and throughout its waters.
$. Biodiversity: the variety of life in the world or in a particular habitat or ecosystem.
: diversity among and within plant and animal species in an environment.
: the e%istence of a wide variety of plant and animal species in their natural
environments, which is the aim of conservationists concerned about the indiscriminate
destruction of rainforests and other habitats
&. Biomes: a large naturally occurring community of 'ora and fauna occupying a ma(or
habitat, e.g., forest or tundra.
: a comple% biotic community characteri#ed by distinctive plant and animal
species and maintained under the climatic conditions of the region, especially such a
community that has developed to clima%.
: ) large community of plants and animals that occupies a distinct region.
"errestrial biomes, typically de*ned by their climate and dominant vegetation, include
grassland, tundra, desert, tropical rainforest, and deciduous and coniferous forests. "here
are two basic a+uatic biomes, freshwater and marine, which are sometimes further
bro,en down into categories such as la,es and rivers or pelagic, benthic, and intertidal
#ones.
-. .pecies: a group of living organisms consisting of similar individuals capable of
e%changing genes or interbreeding. "he species is the principal natural ta%onomic unit,
ran,ing below a genus and denoted by a /atin binomial, e.g., Homo sapiens.
: a class of individuals having some common characteristics or +ualities0 distinct
sort or ,ind.
: 1Biology2 the ma(or subdivision of a genus or subgenus, regarded as the basic
category of biological classi*cation, composed of related individuals that resemble one
another, are able to breed among themselves, but are not able to breed with members of
another species.
: ) group of closely related and interbreeding living things0 the smallest standard
unit of biological classi*cation. .pecies can be divided into varieties, races, breeds, or
subspecies. 3ed pines, sugar maples, cats, dogs, chimpan#ees, and people are species0
.iamese cats and beagles are varieties, not species.
4. 5abitat: the natural home or environment of an animal, plant, or other organism.
: the natural environment of an organism0 place that is natural for the life and
growth of an organism
: "he area or natural environment in which an organism or population normally
lives. ) habitat is made up of physical factors such as soil, moisture, range of
temperature, and availability of light as well as biotic factors such as the availability of
food and the presence of predators. ) habitat is not necessarily a geographic area6for a
parasitic organism it is the body of its host or even a cell within the host!s body.
7. Ecological 8iche: 1Ecology2 the status of an organism within its environment and
community (a9ecting its survival as a species
: the entirety of environmental factors that tend to suit and allow an animal
or plant species to survive in its habitat, the microhabitat in which a particular population
lives and way that it e%ploits the microhabitat
: the role that an animal or plant species plays in the environment, the status
of an organism within its environment which a9ects its survival
:. ;ommunity: a group of interdependent organisms of di9erent species growing or living
together in a speci*ed habitat.
: ) group of organisms or populations living and interacting with one
another in a particular environment. "he organisms in a community a9ect each other!s
abundance, distribution, and evolutionary adaptation. <epending on how broadly one
views the interaction between organisms, a community can be small and local, as in a
pond or tree, or regional or global, as in a biome.
: 1Biology2 an interacting group of various species in a common location. =or
e%ample, a forest of trees and undergrowth plants, inhabited by animals and rooted in soil
containing bacteria and fungi, constitutes a biological community.
>. ?opulation: a community of animals, plants, or humans among whose members
interbreeding occurs.
: the assemblage of a speci*c type of organism living in a given area.
: all the individuals of one species in a given area.
: ) group of individuals of the same species occupying a particular
geographic area. ?opulations may be relatively small and closed, as on an island or in a
valley, or they may be more di9use and without a clear boundary between them and a
neighbouring population of the same species. =or species that reproduce se%ually, the
members of a population interbreed either e%clusively with members of their own
population or, where populations intergrade, to a greater degree than with members of
other populations.
1@. =ood ;hain: a hierarchical series of organisms each dependent on the ne%t as a source
of food.
: a series of organisms interrelated in their feeding habits, the smallest
being fed upon by a larger one, which in turn feeds a still larger one, etc.
: the chain from a food source to the ultimate consumer
: "he se+uence of the transfer of food energy from one organism to another
in an ecological community. ) food chain begins with a producer, usually a green plant or
alga that creates its own food through photosynthesis. An the typical predatory food chain,
producers are eaten by primary consumers (herbivores) which are eaten by secondary
consumers (carnivores), some of which may in turn be eaten by tertiary consumers (the
top carnivore in the chain). Bany species of animals in an ecological community feed on
both plants and animals and thus play multiple roles in the chain. ?arasites feed on living
tissues, generally without ,illing their hosts, and may themselves be hosts to smaller
parasites. An addition, organisms that die without being eaten are consumed by
detrivores, some of which serve as prey for other consumers.
11. =ood Ceb: a system of interloc,ing and interdependent food chains.
: "he comple% system of interrelated food chains in an environment
: a series of organisms related by predator-prey and consumer-resource
interactions0 the entirety of interrelated food chains in an ecological community0 also
called food cycle.
: a combination of food chains that integrate to form a networ,
12. Biomass: the total mass of organisms in a given area or volume.
: the amount of living matter in a given habitat, e%pressed either as the weight of
organisms per unit area or as the volume of organisms per unit volume of habitat.
: "he total amount of living material in a given habitat, population, or sample.
.peci*c measures of biomass are generally e%pressed in dry weight (after removal of all
water from the sample per unit area of land or unit volume of water.
: 3enewable organic materials, such as wood, agricultural crops or wastes, and
municipal wastes, especially when used as a source of fuel or energy. Biomass can be
burned directly or processed into biofuels such as ethanol and methane.
B. 5 THEORIES ON THE ORIGIN/BIRTH OF THE UNIVERSE/EARTH:
1. "he Big Bang "heory
"he Big Bang theory says that the universe was in a tiny ball, and then it e%ploded and
become bigger and all of the stars and planets came into e%istence then.
8obody ,nows where the original ball came from.
Af the Big Bang theory is correct, then it happened about 1$.7 billion years ago.
"his theory is supported by the fact that the universe is continually e%panding, and
this theory says that the universe (ust constantly e%pands.
An 1>4- two scientists discovered a poc,et of heat that is thought to be a remnant of
the heat that caused the Big Bang.
2. ;reationist "heory D <ivine "heory
"his theory states that a Eod created the universe in seven days.
"his theory is supported by the Bible, but if this is true, the universe would be very
young.
.ome people thin, that the universe is only 4,@@@ years old, if this theory is proven
true.
"he Bible states that Eod created the earth and the universe in seven days.
"here are two creationism theories: Young Earth Creationism and the Omphalos
Hypothesis
Based a lot of its facts on the boo, of the Bible, Eenesis.
"he principle of the ;atholic ;hurch states that the universe was created by Eod from
a single atom, much li,e ;hrist!s miracle of multiplying the loaves of bread and *shes.
Young Earth Creationism
Beaning that only about 1@,@@@ years have passed since Eod created the Earth and
the universe.
"his theory ta,es Biblical creationism literally.
Evolution plays in this form of the theory.
The Omphalos Hypothesis-
.tates that Eod created the Earth and the universe in its mature form.
"hey tried using nature to date when the earth was created but failed.
"hose who believed in this theory believe that dinosaurs were created at the
beginning of time.
$. .tring "heory
Fne of the hardest theories to grasp by human beings.
) theory that hypothesi#es that subatomic particles are one-dimensional strings.
"he .tring "heory was originally an e%planation for the observed relationship between
mass and spin for certain particles called hadrons.
?articles in the .tring "heory arise as e%citations of the string, and included #ero mass
and two units of spin.
"his led early string theorists to propose that the string theory not be applied as a
theory of hadronic particles, but as a theory of +uantum gravity.
.tring theories are classi*ed according to whether or not the strings are re+uired to be
closed loops and whether or not the particle spectrum includes fermions.
An order to include fermions in string theory, there must be a special ,ind of symmetry
called super symmetry.
.uper .ymmetry: =or every boson (particle that transmits a force there is
corresponding fermions (particle that ma,es up matter.
.uper symmetry relates the particles that transmit forces to the particles that ma,e up
matter.
.uper symmetric particles are too massive to be detected at current accelerators.
&. Antelligent <esign "heory
"his theory is an o9shoot of the creationist theory. "his theory says that something
above Eod and outside of our ,nowledge created the universe.
Af this theory is right, that would automatically mean the creationist theory is wrong.
.ome thin, that if this theory is true, that would mean that aliens are observing us.
-. G)lways E%istedH "heory
"his GtheoryH states that the universe was always here, and will always be here.
)lthough not technically a theory, many people believe this theory because no other
theory fully e%plains their theory.
"his is also considered a counter to the creationist theory, as nobody ,nows for sure
who created Eod.
"his theory would also solve any fears of an end of the universe theory, as the
universe would always e%ist.
REFERENCES:
http:DDdictionary.reference.comDbrowseDecosystem
http:DDdictionary.reference.comDbrowseDbiosphere
http:DDdictionary.reference.comDbrowseDbiodiversity
http:DDdictionary.reference.comDbrowseDbiome
http:DDdictionary.reference.comDbrowseDspecies
http:DDdictionary.reference.comDbrowseDhabitat
http:DDdictionary.reference.comDbrowseDecologicalIniche
http:DDdictionary.reference.comDbrowseDcommunity
http:DDdictionary.reference.comDbrowseDpopulation
http:DDdictionary.reference.comDbrowseDfoodIchain
http:DDdictionary.reference.comDbrowseDfoodIweb
http:DDdictionary.reference.comDbrowseDbiomass
http:DDwww.slideshare.netDp$ngu1nDtheories-of-the-universe-2>@7$&:J
http:DDwww.slideshare.netD"KaineDtheories-of-our-universe