10th CBSE – BIOLOGY
Chapter : 12 - Our Environment
1. Give scientific terms for the following-
(a) the process of eating and being eaten
(b) the relationship between abiotic and biotic component
(a) Food chain
(b) Ecosystem
2. What is meant by environment? Name its components.
The aggregate of all external conditions and their influences affecting the life
and the development of an organism in its natural habitat is environment. It
has two components-
(1) Abiotic components (non-living): For example- air, water, soil, temperature,
etc.
(2) Biotic components (living): For example- Plant, animals and micro-
organisms.
3. What is 10% law? Give an example
According to 10% law only 10% of energy is available at the next trophic level.
For example- If energy available at producer level is 1000J then at next level
only 10% of 1000J i.e. 100J is available.
4. What is artificial ecosystem? Give two examples.
Man-made ecosystem are called artificial ecosystem. For example- Garden,
Aquarium.
5. Energy transfer is said to be unidirectional whereas biochemical transfer is
said to be cyclic. Why?
The flow of energy is unidirectional because the energy lost as heat to the
environment can’t be reutilized by plants for photosynthesis. Energy decrease
at each trophic level (10% of previous level). Hence it can’t be reused again.
6. Why is there a need to ban the use of polythene bags?
Polythene bags need to be banned because they are non-biodegradable; micro-
organisms are not able to decompose it. So it goes on accumulating on the land
and causes land pollution.
7. What is the significance of food chain?
Significance of food chain-
(a) It is a means of transfer of food from one trophic level to another.
(b) It provides information about the living components of our ecosystem.
(c) It helps us in understanding the interactions and interdependence among
different
organisms in an ecosystem.
(d) It is a pathway for the flow of energy in any ecosystem.
8. How would you dispose the following wastes:
(a) domestic wastes like vegetables peels
(b) industrial wastes
(a) Domestic wastes like vegetables peels should be disposed off in a pit.
(b) Industrial wastes should be treated first to remove poisonous salts or
chemicals and
disposed off in water resources like river.
9. Why vegetarian food habit help us in getting more energy?
A person having vegetarian food habits is closed to the producer level get
maximum amount of energy as compare to the organism at higher trophic level
because only 10% of energy is available at the successive level than previous
level.
10. Write a food chain having two trophic levels.
Plants and man
11. Consider the following food chains-
(a) Plants mice snakes hawks
(b) Plants mice hawks
If energy available at the producer level in both the food chains is 100J. In
which case will hawks get more energy and how much?
Hawk get more energy in food chain having three trophic levels.
Plants>Mice>Hawk
100J. 10J. 1J
Energy available to hawk is 1J.
12. Why is there a need to ban the use of polythene bags?
Polythene bags are non- biodegradable, they are not decomposed by micro-
organisms hence, cause land pollution.
13. What are the two functions of ecosystem?
Interactions of any ecosystem refers to its functions these interactions are-
(a) Biogeochemical cycles- The cyclic transfers between the living and non-
living components.
(b) Flow of energy- in a food chain, through various steps of eating and being
eaten food energy
flow from one tropic level to another.
14. What percentage of solar energy is trapped and utilized by plants?
Plants utilized only 1% of total sun’s energy, which is utilized by plants in the
process of photosynthesis.
15. What are the harmful effects of acid rain?
(1) Acid rain makes the soil acidic which affects the growth of trees and cereal
crops badly.
(2) It makes the water of lakes, ponds, etc acidic which affects the growth of
aquatic plants and
animals.
(3) Bacteria useful for maintaining soil fertility are killed.
(4) It affects the historical monuments and building badly specially those made
up of marble.
16. Give any two methods reducing the problem of waste disposal.
(a) Use of recycled material.
(b) Separation of biodegradable and non-biodegradable waste during disposal.
17. Give reason: “Life on earth depends on the sun.”
Sun is the ultimate source of energy on earth. Only plants can convert solar
energy into chemical energy (food), which is transferred to different organisms
at various trophic levels. Energy stored in fossil fuel is also transferred solar
energy because they made up of decomposed plants and animals. Hence, solar
energy is utilized and transformed in different form which is utilized by us.
18. What is the role of decomposers in the ecosystem?
They decompose dead remains of plants and animals and their wastes organic
products into simple inorganic substances which are released into the
atmosphere for reuse by the plants. Thus, they help in recycling of materials.
19. What is ozone and how does it affects any ecosystem?
Ozone is a form of oxygen. It has the molecular formula. It is present at a
higher level in the atmosphere. It protects the ecosystem from the harmful
effects of ultraviolet rays coming from the Sun. UV rays may cause skin cancer,
cataract to us.
20. How can you help in reducing the problems of waste disposal? Give any two
methods.
The following measures can be adopted for reducing the problem of waste
disposal:
(i) Reduce the volume of wastes by burning in incinerator.
(ii) Produce compost and biogas from biodegradable waste.
21. What will happen if we kill all the organisms in one trophic level?
If we kill all the organisms in one trophic level, the number of individuals in the
next trophic level will decrease due to non-availability of food. Also, the number
of individuals in the previous trophic levels will increase because there is no
one to feed on them. This will cause imbalance in the environment.
22. 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?
Yes, the impact of removing all the organisms of a trophic level will be different
for different
trophic levels. The effect will be time related. If we remove all the producers,
primary consumers will be affected instantly. Secondary consumers will affect
after a gap and tertiary consumers after a longer gap.
23. If all the wastes we generate is biodegradable, will this have no impact on the
environment?
It will have only short term impact on environment, the action of decomposers
will slow down and some air/water pollution will be caused. However, in longer
term, there will be no impact of biodegradable wastes on the environment.
24. What are the problems caused by non-biodegradable wastes that we generate?
(a) Non-biodegradable pesticides and fertilizers run off to water bodies to
cause water pollution.
(b) Some of the non-biodegradable pesticides like DDT enter the food chain
and cause
biomagnifications in humans and other animals.
25. What limits the number of trophic levels in a food chain.
There is a loss of energy as we go from one trophic level to the next, this limits
the number of trophic levels in a food chain.
26. What is the harm of clay cups?
Clay cups cause depletion of top fertile soil as they are formed from the same.
27. Which of the following will have the maximum concentration of harmful
chemicals in its body? Peacock, frog, Grass. Snake. Grasshopper
Out of Grass Grasshopper, Frog, Peacock; Peacock will have maximum
concentration of harmful chemicals in its body.
28. What is biological magnification and give its causes?
The increased concentration of chemicals at any trophic level is called
biological magnification. It occurs due to the excessive use of pesticides which
enter our food chain.
29. DDT has entered food chain. Which food habit is safer- vegetarian or non-
vegetarian?
Vegetarian habit is safer. Being closer to producers, less DDT will accumulate
in our body Bio magnification leads to higher level of DDT in higher trophic
levels.
30. Aquarium requires regular cleaning whereas lakes normally do not. Why?
Normally a lake has more diverse forms of life and hence a larger number of
food chains. This leads to natural cleaning. Thus, the ecosystem is more stable.
The aquarium has a very limited number of food chains and unable to sustain
itself. Bu, sometimes there is excessive growth of algae in lake. Then it also
needs to be cleaned.
31. How will accumulation of bio degradable waste effect our environment?
Accumulation of bio degradable waste will:
(a) not let minerals return to mineral pool
(b) become site of pest breeding
32. How consumers can be classified?
Consumers can be classified as herbivores, carnivores, omnivores and
parasites.
33. What are the examples of decomposers?
Bacteria and fungi are the examples of decomposers.
34. Define food chain?
The series of organisms taking part at various biotic levels, feeding on one
another form a food chain.
35. Give an example of food chain?
1) tree –> deer –> tiger.
2) Grass –> grasshopper –> frog –> snake –> vulture.
36. Give the examples of producers?
All green plants and certain types of bacteria are producers.
37. What are trophic levels?
Each step or level of the food chain formsis called as trophic level.
38. Define ecosystem?
All the interacting organisms living in an particular area together with the non-
living components of the environment forms ecosystem.
39. Define consumers?
Organisms that are dependent on the producers directly or indirectly for their
existence as they are unable to prepare their own food material are the
consumers.
40. Define food web?
Each organism has the possibility to get eaten by two or more other kinds of
organisms which in turn are eaten by several other organisms. So instead of
having a straight line in a food chain, the relationship among the feeding habits
of organisms can be shown as a series of branching lines which are called as a
food web.
41. What are the abiotic components of the ecosystem?
Abiotic components of an ecosystem are comprising of the physical or non-
living factors such as temperature, rainfall, wind, soil and minerals.
42. Enlist the biotic components in an ecosystem you know?
An ecosystem consists of various biotic components comprising of all the
living organisms such as producers like plants, consumers including herbivores
like goat, cow and carnivores like lion, tiger, etc.