CHAPTER 15- OUR ENVIRONMENT
(I) Bio degradable and Non-biodegradable substances
[Link] are some substances biodegradable and some non-biodegradable?
Ans: All substances are divided in to two broad categories i.e. bio-degradable and Non-
biodegradable.
*Substances which are broken down by biological process (microorganisms) are called
biodegradable
*substances which cannot be broken down by biological process are called non-bio-degradable.
Q2. Give any two ways in which biodegradable substances would affect the environment.
Ans: (i) The accumulation and decomposition process of these in more amounts in water
bodies: *produce foul smell *causes degradation of water
* killing of aquatic animals *causes diseases to human being;
(ii) The accumulation and decomposition of these may *produce harmful gases such as
ammonia, methane, carbon dioxide.
(iii) The rate of decomposition of biodegradable is a slow process. If rate of increase of
biodegradable waste accumulation is more than its decomposition, it will lead to environmental
pollutions. (any 2 point)
Q3. What are the problems caused by the non-biodegradable wastes that we generate?
Ans: (i) They chock sewer systems resulting in water logging and hence water borne diseases.
(ii) They are inert and may persist in environment for a long time causing pollution and harms
to our eco-system.
(iii) They also kill useful micro-organisms;
(iv) Pesticides substances like DDT, BHC enter in the food chain and cause bio-magnification)
Q4. What are biodegradable substances?
b) Select the bio-degradable wastes from the following: DDT, Crop’s residue, Leather, glass.
Ans: *Substances which are broken down by biological process (microorganisms) are called
biodegradable.
b) Bio-degradable wastes- Crop’s residue, Leather
Q5. a) State the meaning of environment.
b) Which of the following can adversely affect our environment and why? Jute, glass, latex
of plant, plastic.
Ans: a) Environment is the sum of all external conditions and influences that effect the life and
development of an organism, i.e., the environment includes all the physical or abiotic and
biological or biotic factors.
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b) Glass and plastic can adversely affect our environment because they are non-biodegradable.
(II) Ecosystem
Q.1 a) What is an ecosystem? List its two main components.
b) We do not clean ponds or lakes, but an aquarium needs to be cleaned regularly. Explain.
c) List two manmade ecosystems.
Ans. a) Ecosystem is the structural and functional unit of biosphere, comprising of all the
interacting organisms in an area together with the non living constituents of the
environment.
b) Ponds or lakes are natural ecosystems so they are self-sustaining and complete
ecosystems. An Aquarium is an artificial ecosystem and incomplete ecosystem, in which
decomposers like bacteria and fungi are absent to break down dead remains and waste
product of organisms.
c) Gardens, crop field and aquarium are manmade ecosystems.
Q.2 Select the abiotic components of the environment from the following:
Rainfall, sunflower, wind, rose plant.
Ans. Abiotic components - Rainfall & wind
Q.3. What is the role of decomposers in the ecosystem? Or
Mention the role of microorganisms like bacteria and fungi in the ecosystem.
Ans: They play the following role:
(i) They are micro-consumers and they decompose & break down the complex organic
degradable compounds of dead plants and animals in to useful inorganic compounds
(such as co2 , H2o & nutrients).
(ii) It releases the inorganic useful compounds in to environment/soil which are used by the
producers
(iii) They clean the environment
Q.4. What would happen to the environment if decomposers were not present?
Ans. The earth would be covered with dead organisms and their excrement (excreta).
Because decomposers (i) decompose & break down the complex organic degradable
compounds of dead plants and animals in to useful inorganic compounds (such as co 2, H2o
& nutrients).
(ii) It releases the inorganic useful compounds in to environment/soil which are used by the
producers
(iii) They clean the environment
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(III) Food chain & webs
Q.1 Write any two differences between food chain and food web.
Ans.
FOOD CHAIN FOOD WEB
Sequential process of one organism Network of food chains with intercrosses
consuming the other and linkages.
Each organism at a tropic level receives Each organism at a tropic level receives
food from one group of organism food from more than one group
Q.2: What are trophic levels? Give an example of food chain and state the different trophic
levels in it.
Ans: Trophic levels are each step or level of the food chain where transfer of food energy takes
place.
A trophic level is the level of species in an ecosystem on the basis of the source of nutrition
such as producers, primary consumers, secondary consumers, etc. The producers form the first
trophic level as they manufacture food. The primary consumers form the second trophic level,
the secondary consumers form the third, and the tertiary consumers form the fourth trophic
level.
An example of food chain and the different trophic levels in it
Green Plants Grasshopper Frog Snake/Eagle
Trophic level 1st - Green Plants (Autotrophs/Producer)
Trophic level 2nd - Grasshopper (herbivores/Primary consumers)
Trophic level 3rd- Frog (Small Carnivores/Secondary Consumers)
Trophic level 4th- Snake/Eagle (larger Carnivores/Tertiary Consumers)
Q.3 Why are green plants called producers? OR
Producers always occupy the first tropic level in any food chain. Why? OR
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List two raw materials used by living organisms of the first tropic level for making food.
Ans. Green plants are called producers because they prepare their own food and food for all
other organisms present in a food chain by using raw materials like co2 & H2o in the presence of
sunlight and chlorophyll. So transfer of food energy is starting from producers and they always
occupy the first tropic level in any food chain.
Q.4. Will the impact of removing all the organisms in a trophic level be different for different
trophic levels? Can the organisms of any trophic level be removed without causing any damage
to the ecosystem?
Ans: Yes, the impact of removing all the organisms in a trophic level will be different for
different trophic levels.
Take for example; if we remove all producers from primary level then it will adversely affect/
kill all the above trophic levels, primary consumers, secondary consumers and so on.
Whereas if we remove all herbivores/primary consumers, then it will highly increase the
primary producers but it will adversely affect/ kill the carnivores .
NO, the removal of all organisms of any trophic level will adversely affect or damage the eco-
system. Removing any trophic level from a food chain will cause imbalance in an ecosystem.
Q.5. What will happen if we kill all the organisms in one trophic level?
Ans: If we kill all the organisms of one trophic level it will create an imbalance in food chain
and food web. It may also decrease the food and energy availability to the next higher trophic
levels. It will result the instability and disturbance of the ecosystem.
Q.6 In the food chain-
Grass deer lion, operating in a forest, what will happen if all the
a) Lions are removed. b) Deer are removed?
Ans. a) Population of deer in the preceding level will highly increase.
b) If all the deer of the food chain are removed, the lion belonging to the next level will
also die or decrease due to the lack of food. Also the population of grass in the
preceding level will highly increase.
Q.7 A list of organisms is given below: Peacock, snake, grass, frog, and grasshopper.
Construct a food chain showing snake at the fourth tropic level.
Ans. Grass Grasshopper frog snake Peacock
Q.8 In a food chain consist of snake, insect, grass and frog; assign an appropriate tropic level
to frog.
Ans. Grass Insect frog snake. Frog in 3rd trophic level.
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(Iv) 10% law
Q.1 Explain 10%law
Ans. Green plants (producers) absorb about 1% of solar energy falling on the leaves and store
it as food energy during photosynthesis. During the transfer of food energy from one
trophic level to the next, 90% of the energy is lost to the environment and only 10% is
transferred to the next trophic level. So there is a decrease in the amount of food
energy transferred at every trophic level by 10%. This is known as the 10% law
Q.2 Why the number of trophic levels in a food chain is limited? OR
Food chains generally consist of only three or four steps. Why?
Ans. At each trophic level in a food chain, a large portion of energy is utilized for the
maintenance of organisms which occur at that tropic level and lost as heat. As a result of
this, organisms in each trophic level pass on less and less energy to the next trophic levels
than they receive. The longer the food chain, the less is the energy available to the final
member of the food chain.
Q.3 In a food chain comprising, Tiger, Plants and Goat, which will:
a) transfer the maximum amount of energy.
b) receive minimum amount of energy.
Ans. Plants Goat Tiger
a) Plants will transfer the maximum amount of energy
b) Tiger will receive minimum amount of energy
Q.4 Observe the food chain : Plant (1000 KJ) Goat Lion
a) If autotrophs occupying the first tropical level are called producers what are
herbivores called as?
b) How much energy does the lion get in the above food chain?
Ans. a) herbivores called as Primary consumers.
b) Plants (1000KJ) Goat (100KJ) Lion (10KJ). Lion will get 10KJ energy.
10% 10%
Q.5 Consider the following food chains
(i) Plants Rabbit Hawk
(ii) Plants Rabbit Snake Hawk
If energy available at the producer level in both the food chain is 2000J, in which case will
hawk get more energy? Why?
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Ans. In food chain (i) hawks will get more energy
At every trophic level only 10% of the energy is passed on to the next trophic level. The
higher trophic level of a longer food chain will receive only lesser amount of energy.
( answer can be explained mathematically also)
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Q.6
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Q.7
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Q.8 “ Energy flow in a food chain is unidirectional”. Justify this statement.
Ans. Energy is not created in the ecosystem. Energy is converted from one form to another.
There is continuous transfer of energy from one trophic level of organisms to the next in
a food chain (only 10%). The energy that is captured by the autotrophs does not revert
back to the solar input and the energy which passes to the herbivores does not come
back to autotrophs. There is loss of energy at each energy transfer in various trophic
levels of organisms which goes into the environment and remains unutilized. Thus the
flow of energy in the ecosystem is said to be unidirectional because the energy lost as
heat from the living organisms of a food chain cannot be reused by plants in
photosynthesis.
(V) Biological magnification
Q1. What is biological magnification? Will the levels of this magnification be different at
different levels of the ecosystem?
OR
“ The maximum concentration of harmful chemicals accumulates in human beings”.
State the phenomena involved and justify this statement.
Ans: Biological magnification is defined as the phenomena of progressive accumulation or
increase in the concentration of pesticides and harmful chemicals substances at each
trophic level. Yes, the level of this magnification will be different at different levels of the
ecosystem. Harmful chemicals like insecticides and pesticides which are used to protect
crops from insects and pests are absorbed by plants and enter the food chain. Since these
chemicals are non-biodegradable, they get accumulated at every trophic level and their
concentration increases. Since human beings occupy the highest trophic level, the
concentration of these harmful chemicals is maximum in our bodies
Q.2 Which of the following in a food chain will have maximum concentration of harmful
chemicals in its body? Small fish, Zooplankton, Bird, Phytoplankton.
Ans. Food chain – Phytoplankton Zooplankton Small fish Bird
Bird will have maximum concentration of harmful chemicals in its body because it is in the
top most level of food chain and harmful chemicals will accumulate due to biological
magnification.
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(vI) Ozone
Q1. Why is damage to the ozone layer a cause for concern? What steps are being taken to limit
this damage?
Ans: Ozone shields the surface of the earth from ultraviolet (UV) radiation from the Sun. The
damage to ozone layer is a cause of concern because UV radiation will pass through the ozone
layer due its depletion. It is highly damaging to organisms, for example, it is known to cause skin
cancer/eye diseases/etc in human beings.
Steps to limit damage: 1) Ban on production and use of chlorofluorocarbons (CFC)
Q2: What is ozone and how does it affect any ecosystem?
Ans: OZONE: Ozone (O3) is a molecule formed by three atoms of oxygen.
It’s affect on any Eco-system:
At the higher levels of the atmosphere, ozone performs an essential function. It shields the
surface of the earth from ultraviolet (UV) radiation from the Sun. This radiation is highly
damaging to organisms, for example, it is known to cause skin cancer in human beings.
Q.3 What is the full form of : (i) UNEP (ii) CFC’s
Ans. (i) UNEP - United Nations Environment Programme.
(ii) CFC’s - Chlorofluorocarbons
Waste disposal
Q1 How can you help in reducing the problem of waste disposal? Give any two methods.
Ans: The following two methods could be adopted to reduce the problem of waste disposal:
(i) First and foremost method is to segregate or separate the biodegradable and non-
biodegradable waste
(ii) By adopting the different suitable methods to properly dispose them off like composting for
biodegradable and recycling the non-biodegradable waste.
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