CHAPTER 4: INTERDEPENDENCE AMONG LIVING ORGANISM & THE

ENVIRONMENT
4.1 Species, Population, Community, Habitat and Ecosystem
a) Species A group of organisms (animals or plant) with same shape and structure
and breed among themselves to produce fertile offspring.

Figure 4.1.1 Example of 3 different species

b) Population A group of organisms (animal or plant) of same species live
together in a habitat. Example: A group of monkey on a tree and a group of coconut
tree at the field.

Figure 4.1.2 An example of a population of zebra.

c) Community Made up of different populations (animals or plants) living
together in a particular habitat. For example: a population of big fishes, shrimps and
water weeds living together in the pond.
d) Habitat The area where the organism lives and reproduces. Examples: Sea,
pond, forest, desert and paddy field.
e) Ecosystem Community of living organism (biotic) living in same habitat,
together with non-living environment (abiotic). Example of non-living
environments (abiotic) are water, soil, air mineral, light and temperature.

Prepared By: Teacher Ummi Syahira binti Jemsari

Figure 4.1.2 An example of an ecosystem at a pond.

Interdependence of living thing organisms create a balanced ecosystem

All living organism are interdependent on one another for survival. For example:
1. Plants depend on non-living thing such as light, water & carbon dioxide to
make food.
2. Animals need plants for food and oxygen.
3. Some organisms depend on other organism for food, protection or shelter. The
interdependence among living organism and also the environment creates a
balanced ecosystem.

4.2 Types of interaction between living organism

There are 3 types of interaction between living organisms:
1. Prey-predator
2. Competition
3. Symbiosis
a) Prey
other

and predator A relationship where an animal (predator) hunt and eat

animal (prey) for food. Example of the interactions are:
Sparrows and worms
Owls and rats
Tigers and rabbits

b) Competition A relationship occur when organism (animals and plants) compete

for limited resources.
Animals compete for food, water, living space and mate for reproduction.
Plants compete for sunlight, water, air, minerals salts and living space.
There are 2 types of the interactions:
Intra-specific competition (competition among same species)
Inter-specific competition (competition among different species)
c)

Symbiosis The close interaction between two different organisms.

There are 3 types of symbiosis:
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1. Commensalisms A relationship between two organisms which one of the

organism (commensal) get benefits from another (the host). And the host is
not affected or harmed.
Examples of commensalisms:
Remora fish (commensal) attach to a shark (host) to get transport
and food.
Barnacles (commensal) live on the body of crabs (host) to get
transport and food. The crabs are not affected.
Ferns for example Pigeon Orchid, Bird nest or Staghorn grow on the
branches of big trees (host) to get support & enough sunlight. And
the tree is not affected.

2. Mutualism A relationship between two organisms which both organisms

get benefits from another.
Examples of mutualism:
Sea anemone attaches itself to the shell of hermit crab (host). Sea
anemone gets food and transport while the hermit crab is
protected by stinging tentacles of the sea anemone.
Lichen consists of a fungus and a green alga that living together. The
fungus gets food from alga & alga is protected by fungus.
Nitrogen-fixing bacteria & leguminous plants. Nitrogen-fixing bacteria
convert nitrogenous compound for plant to make protein while
leguminous plants give food and shelter for bacteria.
Herbivores like rabbits and cows have anaerobic bacteria in the
intestines. The bacteria produce enzyme to digest cellulose & the
herbivore (host) give shelter & food for bacteria.
3. Parasitism A relationship between two organisms which one of the
organism (parasites) gets benefits from another (the host). And the host is
harmed or may eventually die.
Examples of parasitism:
Fleas, ticks & mosquitoes (parasites) suck blood from their hosts
(animals) and will cause diseases.
Fungi, Rafflesia & Aphids (parasites) suck nutrient & water from plants
(host) and kill them finally.
Tapeworms or threadworms (parasites) live in human or animal (host)
intestines and suck the nutrients, cause the host to fall sick
eventually.
Biology Control
a) Effective way to control pests.
b) Use the prey-predator relationship to control pests.
c) For example: Use owls and snakes to reduce the number of rats in the oil palm
estate.
d) The advantages of using biology control are:
Do not cause pollution
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 Safer and cheaper

e) The disadvantages are:
Take longer time
May kill other organism that are useful
Might become nuisance
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4.3 Food Webs

a) Producer, consumer & decomposer.

Producer All green plants that can make their own food through
photosynthesis process. These organisms are called autotrophs.
Consumer Animals that eat plants or other animals to get energy they need.

They are 3 types of consumers:

1. Primary consumer Animals that eat plants (herbivore)
2. Secondary consumer Animals that eat plants or primary consumer
(carnivore/omnivore)
3. Tertiary consumer Animals that eat secondary consumer (carnivore)

Decomposer Organisms that decaying dead animals or plants into simplest

molecules. (bacteria &
fungi)
b) Food chain describes a single pathway which energy in the food passed
from producer to consumers. For example:

Grass

Caterpillar

Sparrow

An example of food chain is shown below:

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Eagle

Producer
Tertiary consumer

Primary consumer

Secondary consumer

c) Food webs A food web is formed by two or more interconnection of food

chains.
Caterpillar
Grass

Sparrow
Eagle

Snail
Fox
Grasshopper

Rabbit

An example of a food web is shown below:

Tertiary consumer

Secondary consumer

Primary consumer

Producer
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d) Pyramid of numbers
Eagle (Tertiary
consumer)
Snakes (Secondary
consumer)
Rabbits (Primary
consumer)
Grass (Producer)

A pyramid of numbers show the number

of organism at each trophic level
From the base of the pyramid to the top:
1. The size of organism increase/ bigger
2. The number of organism decrease
3. The energy that transfer to next organism decrease
Energy flow in the food web & the pyramid of numbers
1. In the food web, the main source of energy is sunlight.
2. Green plants trap sunlight & convert it to chemical energy (store in food made
by photosynthesis)
3. When primary consumer eats the producers (plants), energy is passed to
primary consumer, & later will pass to secondary consumer & so on.
4. However, not all energy is passed to the next level because some energy lost as
heat.

4.5

Photosynthesis

Photosynthesis The process which green plants make use of sunlight, water,
carbon dioxide and chlorophyll to make food in the form of starch and also oxygen.

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1. The presence of starch in the plants shows that photosynthesis is occurred.

2. The leaf will turn to dark blue if they contain starch.
3. Factors required in photosynthesis process are:
a) Sunlight
b) Water
c) Carbon dioxide
d) Chlorophyll
Experiment 4: To investigate the factors required for photosynthesis
A. The presence of carbon dioxide
Observation
The leaf in conical flask X turns into
dark blue colour but the leaf in conical
flask Y does not.
Discussion
Carbon dioxide is available in conical
flask X but Carbon dioxide in conical
flask Y is absorbed by potassium
hydroxide. Without carbon dioxide,
the green plant cannot make food,
even though chlorophyll, water and
sunlight are present.

Dry cotton
wool

Wate
r

B. The presence of sunlight

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Cotton wool
soaked with
limewater
Leaf receiving all
other
requirements
Potassium
hydroxide

Observation
The part of leaf which was covered
does not turn to dark blue colour
but the part of leaf which was
exposed to sunlight turns to dark
blue colour.
Discussion
Photosynthesis only occurs at the
part of leaf that exposed to
sunlight.

Leaf covered
with black
strip

Part of the leaf that does not

receive sunlight remains brown
after starch test

Dark
blue

C. The presence of chlorophyll

Observation
The parts of the leaf that are
coloured yellow do not turn dark
blue. But, the part which green in
colour turns in to dark blue colour.

Example:

A variegated leaf is a leaf which contains

green and non green parts. As the green
parts
contain
chlorophyll they
may
undergo photosynthesis, but the non green
Discussion
parts do not contain chlorophyll so they can
Only the green part of leaf contains not undergo photosynthesis.
chlorophyll will help to make food
through photosynthesis process.

Ficus aspera
4. The importance of photosynthesis:
a) Enables the green plants to produce their own food.
b) Supplies food to the animal.
c) Maintain the balance of oxygen & carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.
Carbon Cycle & Oxygen Cycle
Carbon Cycle

The use and release of carbon dioxide is called the carbon cycle.
The process involve in the carbon cycle:
a) Photosynthesis Carbon dioxide use by green plants to make food
b) Respiration Carbon dioxide is released into the air.
c) Decomposition (decaying of dead animal/plant) Carbon dioxide
returned to air.
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d) Combustion of fuels Carbon dioxide is released into the air.

Oxygen cycles

The continuity use and release of oxygen is called the oxygen cycle.
The process involve in the oxygen cycle:
a) Photosynthesis Oxygen is released into the air.
b) Respiration Oxygen is used by plants and animal to break down the food.
c) Decomposition (decaying of dead animal/plant) Oxygen is used during
the process by bacteria
and fungi.
d) Combustion Oxygen is used when things burning.
e) Rusting - Oxygen combines with iron to form rust.

Prepared By: Teacher Ummi Syahira binti Jemsari