GUINDARUHAN NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL

GUINDARUHAN, MINGLANILLA, CEBU

SELF-LEARNING HOME TASK (SLHT)

Subject: Earth and Life Science Grade: 11 Quarter: 2 Week: 1

MELC: Explain the evolving concept of life based on emerging pieces of evidence.

Competency Code: S11/12LT-IIa-1

Name: __________________________ Section: ________ Date: ________

School: __________________________ District: _____________________________

A. Readings/ Discussions
How did life start?

The origin of life was explained through the following theories:

The first theory is the Creation Theory which states that living organisms were put to
Earth by divine forces. It is believed that a "Divine God created life."

The second theory is the Extraterrestrial Origin Theory which states that life did not
originate from Earth but from other planets. This theory is also known as the Theory of Panspermia
which proposes that meteors or cosmic dust may have carried significant amounts of complex
organic molecules to Earth, kicking off the evolution of life.

The third theory is the Spontaneous Generation Theory which states that life forms came
from inanimate objects. The association of molecules becomes more complex which led to the

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evolution of cells. But this theory was disproved by some scientists. The following are the classic
experiments on spontaneous generation.

A. Francesco Redi - disprove the spontaneous generation

theory when he conducted an experiment by placing meat in jars
but covered one of the jars with muslin while the other was
covered with fine cheesecloth for the air to get into it.

The other jar was just left open and exposed to air. Days
later, maggots developed in the open jars but did not develop in
Redi's experiment set – ups.
the Muslin – covered jars. There were also maggots on the Retrieved from https: // ed
cheesecloth. From this experiment, he concluded that organisms spontaneous generation.
do not come
spontaneously.

Needham’s Experiment Set – up. Retrieved

from https:// www.timetoast. com/timelines
/the-history-of- spontaneous-generation
He sealed and heated a chicken broth to kill the
organisms in it. Then, he put the chicken broth in an open container, let it cool, then covered and
kept it at room temperature. Several days later, a thick solution had formed on the broth. This made
him conclude that the thick solution was made of microorganisms that had been generated
spontaneously.

C. Lazaro Spallanzani - an Italian scholar who

disproved the spontaneous generation theory by performing
a controlled experiment with broth. With his belief that
Needham was not able to heat the broth enough to kill the
organisms in it, he repeated the experiment. He put broth
into two flasks (glass containers) and sterilized them both by
boiling the broth.
Spallanzani’s Experiment Set – up. Retrieved
One of the flasks was left open to the air. The
from https:// www.timetoast. com/timelines
other flask was sealed up to keep out any organisms that /the-history-of- spontaneous-generation
might be floating in the air.

From this, he concluded that:

A) Microorganisms did not come from a broth but were in the air that entered the flask.

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B) Microorganisms did not come from nonliving things.

C). Louis Pasteur - a French researcher who

also disproved the theory of spontaneous generation.
He believed that the microorganisms in decaying
materials might have come from the surrounding air.
The decay of the organic materials was a result of
microbial activities. If the food is sterilized, the rotting
will be avoided. With this, he used the process of
heating - sterilization to eliminate the contaminants. In Pasteur’s Experiment Set – up. Retrieved from
his experiment, no organisms were present in a sealed https://amoebamike.wordpress.com/2009/10/06/spo
and sterilized flask while when he broke the flask and ntaneous-generation-a-brief-history-of-disproving-it/
exposed the contents to an open air, the solution was
slowly filled with microorganisms. This work did not only prove that spontaneous generation is
not correct but also gave rise to the study of microbiology.

E. Alexander Oparin - together with John Haldane, proposed the primordial soup theory
which states that life started in a primordial soup of organic molecules. He also hypothesized that
the atmosphere of primitive earth contained gases like ammonia, methane, hydrogen, and water
vapor. He explained that the energy of lightning and ultraviolet rays from the sun caused these
gases to combine and form chemical compounds.

As they mixed with rain and hot seas, they formed complex organic molecules which was
like what living things are made of.

D. Stanley Miller - performed an experiment using a mixture of the gases suggested by

Oparin. He introduced electrical sparks into the mixture. After a few days, molecules like amino
acids that are found in all living things were formed.

His experiment proved that the first organic molecules could have been formed from the
primitive earth.

Living cells may have arisen on early earth through a series of chemical combinations of
these organic compounds.

Aside from the previously mentioned theory, there is also the theory of evolution.
Evolution is defined as any process of formation or growth and development. Evolution can also
be defined as the gradual change in a species over time. According to this theory, the diversity of
life on Earth today is the result of evolution.

Charles Robert Darwin is an English naturalist who wrote the book entitled " Origin of the
Species. This book explains Darwin's theory of evolution by natural selection. The theory of
evolution by natural selection is the process by which organisms change over time due to the

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changes in heritable physical or behavioral traits. The changes in organisms allow them to adapt
to their environment, to survive, and have more offspring.

The following are the pieces of evidence which supports the theory of evolution:

1. Species share similarities that are sign of their common ancestry.

2. There are progressions of species changing over time.

3. Species have traits that are the

remnants of past generations.

Charles Darwin set sail on the HMS

Beagle in 1831 and became the ship’s naturalist.
He arrived in the Galapagos Islands in 1835. He
observed that the animals on the islands were
similar with those on the mainland. The
examples are the beaks of birds as shown on the
illustration. He also observed that the
Galapagos animals, while similar, were also This illustration shows the variation of beak's shapes and
sizes as well as their diet.
different from island to island as well as to the mainland.

The most obvious difference were the sizes and shapes of the finches’ (small birds) beaks.
He found out that the sizes and shapes of the beaks were adapted to what the birds ate. This means
that the beak shape varies depending on diet.

For the 20 years that followed his return to England Darwin studied plants, animals, and
adaptations. Darwin wrote about how species can change gradually over many, many generations
and become better adapted to new environmental conditions. Organisms that are better adapted to
an environment are more likely to survive and reproduce than organisms that are less well adapted

Factors that affect Natural Selection:

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1. Overproduction most species
produce far more offspring
that will/can survive
2. Competition: since food and
resources are limited, the
offspring must compete to
survive
Darwin called it: “Struggle for
existence”
3. Variation: Members within a
species exhibit individual
differences – these differences
must be inheritable.
Natural selection will not
work in a population of This table shows how overproduction could affect
clones! Remember that a key evolution.
to variation is sexual
reproduction.
4. Survival to reproduce: Only those individuals that are better suited to the
environment will survive and reproduce (“Survival of the fittest”).
Fit individuals pass on to a portion of their offspring the advantageous characteristics.

The concept of evolution was also discussed before the time of Charles Darwin. This
discussion was done by Jean-Baptiste Lamarck (1744-1829), a French naturalist who proposed
a theory known as “Lamarckism which states that organisms were driven by some inner force
toward greater complexity. It also states that organisms could pass on traits to their offspring that
they acquired during their lives.

Lamarck based his theory on two observations thought to be true in his day:

1) “Use it or lose it” - Individuals lose characteristics they do not require and develop those
which are useful.
2) Inheritance of acquired traits - Individuals inherit the acquired traits of their ancestors.
Examples include:
● The stretching by giraffes to reach leaves leads to offspring with longer necks.
● Strengthening of muscles in a blacksmith's arm leads to sons with like muscular
development.

Now, let us look at the early form of life.

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Early Form of Life

Life started to appear 3.5 billion years as found in the microfossils. The first life form is
said to be microorganisms. As time passes by, these microbial cells developed into more complex
organisms.

Billions of years ago, the earth's atmosphere was only composed of nitrogen and carbon
dioxide and oxygen was deficient. The environment at that time is known as the anoxic
environment which means that there are only limited gasses present. It was believed that only
anaerobic microorganisms can survive. Anaerobic microorganisms refer to organisms that are
capable of surviving in the absence of oxygen. This group of organisms includes methanogens or
methane-producing organisms.

Phototrophic organisms or the light-dependent

organisms have also survived since they can get energy
from the sun. The first group of phototrophic organisms is
purple bacteria. Another group of phototrophs is the
anoxygenic or the non - oxygen-evolving phototrophs. Some of the first types of life that can be
This group has evolved into oxygen-evolving phototrophs called found cyanobacteria. These organisms
in fossils are cyanobacteria. These
microscopic, single celled life forms
slowly oxygenated the atmosphere. Due to the increasing amount of oxygen in the atmosphere,
produced energy from sunlight, and released
multicellular life - forms started to develop and evolve in increasing
oxygen. complexities.
Source: https:// web. extension.
illinois. edu/animals/earlylife.cfm

These multicellular organisms are the plants and

animals that we have today. All these things were known
through the fossils discovered by the paleontologists or the
people who collect, identify, and study fossils and other
pieces of evidence on the early life forms. As mentioned
above, bacteria are considered the first life - forms that have
ever existed on Earth. These pieces of evidence led the
Hydrothermal Vents. This is where the
microorganisms are believed to have scientists to conclude that the first life - form originated in
originated. Source: https://en. wikipedia deep hot - springs found in hydrothermal vents, the cracks
.org /wiki/ Earliest _known_life_forms on the Earth's surface (ocean floor).

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These are the places where the volcanoes are highly active in producing very hot water
from the Earth's interior. The energy from this kind of environment is believed to have the ability
to support various chemical reactions that are necessary for the organisms to evolve. Further,
scientists had found out that the ancestors of all organisms arose from aquatic microorganisms that
have survived at a very high temperature.

B. Exercises
Exercise No.1
Directions: Study the illustrations below. Then, answer the questions that follow.

Questions:
1) What have you observed on the three setups?
______________________________________________________________________________
2) Why are maggots not observed in the second
jar?

______________________________________________________________________________
3) What is your conclusion of this experiment?
______________________________________________________________________________

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4) What have you observed on the experiment of Spallanzani?
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
5) What is your conclusion of this experiment?
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________

Exercise No.2
Directions: Do the following:
First Task:
You explain when and how life began. Have these in two to three paragraphs. You can include
the findings of early scientists.
Second Task
Write a three - paragraph appreciation post on how life evolves.

C. Assessment
Directions: Encircle the letter of the correct answer.
1) When did the first life form exist?
A) 2.5 billion years ago B) 3.5 billion years ago
C) 1.5 billion years ago D) 4.5 billion years ago

2) Which of the following is the first photosynthetic organism to form?

A) Cyanobacteria B) Eurobacteria C) Algae D) Fungi

3) Which of the following is true?

A) The environment of the Earth billions of years ago has less nitrogen and carbon
dioxide.
B) The environment of the Earth billions of years ago is abundant in oxygen.
C) The environment of the Earth billions of years ago has a deficiency of oxygen.
D) The environment of the Earth billions of years ago is rich in sulfur and magnesium.

4) Which of the following is the first life - form that existed on Earth?
A) eukaryotes B) chemosynthetic organisms
C) multicellular organisms D) microorganisms

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5) Which of the following is the most interesting discovery of Lazaro Spallanzani regarding the
beginning of life?
A) Microorganisms came from nonliving things.
B) Microorganisms did not come from nonliving things.
C) Microorganisms came from inanimate objects.
D) Both A and C

6) Which of the following refers to the light-dependent organisms which first existed billion
years ago?
A) Phototrophic organisms C) Heterotrophic organisms
B) Chemosynthetic organisms D) Saprophytic organisms

7) It states that life may have evolved from inanimate matter, as associations among molecules
became more and more complex.
A) Spontaneous Origin B) Extraterrestrial Origin
B) Special Creation D) Primordial Soup Theory

8) What happened when cyanobacteria evolved into anoxygenic phototrophs?

A) It allows all the other microorganisms to evolve.
B) The atmosphere was oxygenated.
C) Anoxic environment remains the same.
D) All of these.

9) What happened when there is an increase in the production of oxygen?

A) Microorganisms flourished.
B) Multicellular organisms developed.
C) Organisms evolved in increasing complexities.
D) Both B and C

10) An early attempt to see what kinds of organic molecules might have been produced on the
early earth.
A) Miller – Urey Experiment B) Oparin – Miller Experiment
C) Spallanzani – Redi Experiment D) Spallanzani - Pasteur Experiment

11) Which of the following statements is INCORRECT?

A) Photosynthetic organisms reduce the amount of oxygen in the atmosphere.
B) Organisms evolve to adapt to the environment for survival.
C) The earliest form of life are the microorganisms.
D) Unicellular organisms evolved into multicellular organisms.

12) All of the following statements are true about the evolution of multicellular organisms
except:
A) They are formed from multicellular colonial aggregates through cell specialization.
B) They are believed to have evolved from single-celled prokaryotes.
C) The process of continuous specialization brought more complex organisms.

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D) The single-celled organisms that formed multicellular aggregates were like the cells of
algae.

13) Who disproved the theory of spontaneous generation in 1668 while experimenting with meat,
flies, and maggots?
A) Spallanzani B) Redi C) Pasteur D) Miller

14) Miller and Urey conducted experiments to test the origins of life hypothesis. In their
experiment, electric sparks were passed through a mixture of gases like the early atmosphere of
the Earth. What did they find?
A) There is an increase in temperature. B) Nothing happened
C) Amino Acids are formed D) Eukaryotic cells are formed

15) Why do you think the emergence of plants and animals came later than simple living
organisms?
A) They are too big and take time to form.
B) They are the least important factor in the environment.
C) Their cell structures are more complex.
D) They contain more nuclei compared to lower forms of organisms.

References:
Books:
Salandanan, Gloria. G. et al. Earth and Life Science for Senior High School. Lorimar Publishing
Inc. 2016
Pavico, Josefina M.F. et al. Exploring Life Through Science. Phoenix Publishing House Inc.
2013
Internet
Than, Ker. What is Darwin's Theory of Evolution? Live Science. 2018. Retrieved from
https://www.livescience.com/474-controversy-evolution-works.html
Koch, David H. Early Life on Earth - Animal Origins. National Museum of Natural History.
Retrieved from http://natural history.si.edu/ education/ teaching-resources /life-science/early-life-
earth-animal-origins
NOAA. What is eutrophication? National Ocean Service website. Retrieved from https://
oceanservice. noaa.gov/facts/eutrophication.html, 10/05/17.

GUIDE

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For the Teacher: Please advise the students to read the discussion carefully to ensure total
assimilation of the topic. In doing so, they will be able to answer the given exercises smoothly.

For the Learner: Read the self-learning home task carefully from the first part to the last part.
This will help you get a clearer understanding of the subject matter.

For the Parent/Home Tutor: Please guide your child as he/she go through with the whole self-
learning home task. Make sure that he/she handles her time properly to prevent any deviations of
the whole learning process.

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