Our Environment
Class:- 10th Notes
Topic 1. What Happens When We Add Waste to the Environment?
Ecosystem – What are its Components?
Human beings generate a lot of waste materials. These are classified as biodegradable and non-
biodegradable Substances.
Biodegradable substances: These substances can be decomposed by the action of micro-organisms such
as bacteria into harmless substances. They do not persist in environment and can be converted into
compost.
Cattle dung, wool, paper, vegetables and fruit peels, agricultural waste are few examples.
Non-biodegradable substances: These substances do not break into simpler substances by the action
Of micro-organisms. They persist in the environment, therefore, they should be recycled or reused.
Plastic, Polythene bags, DDT (pesticide), metal articles, glass objects are all called non-biodegradable
substances.
Ecosystem: It is formed by the interaction of all living organisms (biotic components) with the non-living
Constituents (abiotic components) like air, water, temperature of the environment together. Living
organisms Interact with each other and their environment for reproduction, growth, survival, and other
activities.
Ecosystem can be natural or man made/ artificial.
Natural ecosystem: These are formed in nature e.g. ponds, deserts, mountains, oceans, forests.
Artificial ecosystem: These are man-made ecosystems e.g. garden, crop field, aquarium.
Producers: Those living organisms which produce their own food are called producers e.g. all green
plants And certain blue-green algae which can produce their own food by photosynthesis are called
producers. They Produce food for consumers. They link non-living world to living world.
Consumers: Those organisms which depend directly or indirectly on producers for their food are called
Consumers. These are of four types, herbivore, carnivore, omnivore, parasites as per their feeding habits
but as per the level in food chain, they are categorised as: primary, secondary, tertiary consumers and
so on.
Primary Consumer or Herbivores: Those organisms which eat plants are called herbivores e.g. deer,
Rabbit, horse, cow, elephant, goat, sheep, grasshopper, seed eating birds, butterfly etc.
Secondary Consumer or Primary Carnivores: Those animals which eat flesh of the herbivores e.g. lion,
Tiger, lizard, frog, crocodile etc.
Small Carnivores: They come at 3rd trophic level because they get their food by eating herbivorous
animals. They are also called secondary consumers.
Big Carnivores: They are at 4th trophic level as they eat Small carnivores. They are also called tertiary
consumers.
Omnivores: Those animals which eat plants as well as Animals are omnivores e.g. Cat, human.
Parasites: Those organisms which live on the body of Host and take food from it e.g. lice, cuscuta, virus.
Decomposers: Those micro-organisms which decompose The dead plants and animals to simpler
substances e.g. bacteria, fungi. They help in the replenishment of
natural reserviors and for cleaning environment. They increase the fertility of soil.
Food Chain :-
It is a series of organisms taking part at various biotic Levels to form a chain of who eats whom e.g.
Grass → Deer → Lion.
Trophic level: Each level of the food chain is called trophic Level. There is transfer of energy between
each trophic Level, which is unidirectional and keeps on decreasing by 90%, just 10% is available.
Autotrophs: Those organisms which prepare their own food from inorganic nutrients are called
autotrophs. They are called producers. They form the first trophic level. They fix up or use sunlight and
make it available For heterotrophs or consumers.
Heterotrophs: They need organic nutrients from other organisms. They derive energy from sun
indirectly. These are also called consumers.
10 percent law: Green plants capture 1% of total incident sunlight and convert it into food energy. Only
10% of this energy is transferred to the next trophic level. The remaining 90% of energy is consumed in
Life processes like digestion, respiration, growth, reproduction by each trophic level. The energy left
beyond 3-5 trophic level is so less that none of the food chains could go beyond.
Flow of energy in an ecosystem is Unidirectional :- As energy flows from lower to higher trophic level,
no energy is available for previous level. It Flows from producer into consumer and not vice versa. Sun is
the universal source of energy for all.
Diagram related with flow of energy in ecosystem:-
Biological Magnification:-
The concentration of some toxic substances like pesticides, insecticides increases with every trophic
level In food chain if it is not metabolised by the body of organism. It is called biological magnification.
Humans Occupy top position in food chain, so maximumh amount of toxic substances are present in
human bodies.
Food web: In an ecosystem, there are more than one food chain. One species may occupy different
trophic Levels in different food chains. Large number of food chains are interconnected to form a food
web in an ecosystem.
Topic 2. How do our Activities affect the Environment?
Ozone: It is formed in upper atmosphere by action of UV light on molecules of oxygen (gas).
O2 ūv→O + O, O + O2 → O3 (ozone)
• Ozone is deadly poisonous. Ozone protects us from harmful UV radiations of the Sun.
• UV radiations are highly harmful for living organisms, it can cause skin cancer, blood cancer, cataract in
humans.
Ozone depletion: Ozone layer is getting thinner and thinner day by day.
It is due to use of CFCs (Chlorofluorocarbons) in refrigerators, in fire extinguishers and air conditioners.
UNEP has succeeded in reaching in agreement to freeze CFCs production to save environment and stop
Its production. It is called Kyoto Protocol.
Waste Management :-
Biodegradable waste and non-biodegradable wastes should be put in separate blue and green bins
Respectively.
Biogas plant is excellent way of disposal of waste in rural areas.
Sewage treatment plants are must in urban areas to detox water before releasing into river.
Land fillings can be decomposed in a pit that changes waste into manure and sold to farmers, home
makers For kitchen gardens.
Recycling of non-biodegradable waste is essential to clean environment.
Newspapers can be recycled very easily and used for making envelopes, eco-friendly carry bags.
Used bottles, cans, boxes, clothes, envelopes can also be reused.
5R’s approach, Reuse, Recycle, Refuse, Reduce and Repurpose is best to save environment.