Our Environment

Everything that surrounds us is environment. It includes both living (biotic) and

non-living (abiotic) components.
Interaction between these biotic and abiotic components form an ecosystem.
In an ecosystem living components depend on each other for their food which
give rise to food chains and food webs in nature.
Human activities lead to environmental problems
pro blems such as depletion of ozone
layer and production of huge amount of garbage.

Biodegradable and Non-Biodegradable

Biodegradable Wastes
Feature Biodegradable Substances Non-Biodegradable
Biodegradable Substances
Definition Substances that can be broken Substances that cannot be broken
down naturally by down by natural processes or
microorganisms
icroorganisms (bacteria, fungi, microorganisms. They remain in the
etc.) into harmless, simple environment for a long time.
substances.
Examples Food waste, paper, cotton, wood, Plastics, glass, metals, polythene
vegetable peels,
peel cow dung. bags, synthetic fibers, batteries.
Time to Decompose in a short period Take hundreds or even thousands
Decompose (days to months). of years to decompose.
Effect on Usually harmless; enrich soil as Harmful; cause pollution, bio
bio-
Environment humus and recycle nutrients. magnification, and disturb
ecosystems.
Eco- Eco-friendly,
friendly, do not cause long
long- Not eco-friendly,
friendly, cause long-lasting
long
friendliness term pollution. damage.

Ecosystem
An ecosystem is a self-contained
contained area composed of different kinds of
organisms which interact with each other as well as with the physical conditions
such as sunlight, air, water, soil and climatic factors prevailing in thearea.
Types of Ecosystem
Components of an Ecosystem
An ecosystem consists of two main components: biotic components and
abioticcomponents.
Biotic Components
The biotic components are the living components of an ecosystem. They constitute the
food- obtaining steps or trophic levels of the ecosystem.
Trophic level I (Green  They produce food through the process ofphotosynthesis.
plants/Autotrophs)  These include trees, bushes andgrasses.
Trophic level II  They directly eat plants or their products such as leaves,
(Herbivores/ grains, etc. for food or suck plant sap from their leaves
Primaryconsumers) orstems.
 These include animals such as deer, rabbits, rats,
pigeons,parrots,grasshoppers, bees etc.
Trophic level III  They capture their prey and eatit.
(Carnivores/  These include tigers, wolves, snakes, lizards, certain birdsetc.
Secondaryconsumers)
Trophic level IV  They capture smaller carnivores and eatthem.
(Large carnivores/  These include peacock, eagleetc.
Tertiary consumers)
Parasites  They live inside or on the body surface of another organism,
calledthe host, and obtain their food or nourishment from
thehost.
 Worms which live in the guts of animals and fleas which live on
theskinof animals such as dogs are examples of parasites.
Decomposers/  They breakdown the complex organic compounds present in
Microconsumers/ thesedead organisms into simplersubstances.
Detritivores  These include certain bacteria and fungi, vultures, kites,
crows,someinsects etc.
Abiotic Components
The abiotic components are the non-living components of an ecosystem.
Sunlight  The energy obtained from sunlight is essential for the
production offoodby photosynthesis.
Air  Oxygen from the air is essential to animals forrespiration.
 Carbon dioxide is useful to plants forphotosynthesis.
Water  Water is the chief constituent of protoplasm incells.
 It is required for various biochemical reactions which occurin
organisms.
 Temperature  Temperature affects the distribution of living organisms
inthe environment.
 It affects the enzymatic activities inorganisms.
Soil  Soil provides the substratum for the growth ofplants.
 It contains water and mineral nutrients such as sodium
andpotassium required byplants.
Food Chain
 The sequential process of eating and being eaten is called a foodchain.
 A food chain represents the unidirectional transfer ofenergy.

Food chain is a series of organisms in which one organism eats another

organism as food. For example: Grass → Deer → Lion
In a food chain various steps where transfer of energy takes place is called a
trophic level.

Energy Flow in a Food Chain

 In a food chain, along with food, transfer of energy also occurs from one
trophic level to the other. The flow of energy which occurs along a food
chain is called energyflow.
 All the energy used by a living organism is obtained from the Sun. Solar
energy enters the living components through the autotrophs or green
plants. However, only 1% of the total energy is actually captured by
greenplants.
 The amount of energy gradually declines as one moves up to the next higher
trophic level, because at each level, energy is lost in the form ofheat.
 The loss of energy in food chains and the transfer of energy from one
trophic level to the other can be explained by the Ten Percent Law which
 states that, ‘Only 10% of the energy entering a particular trophic level of
organisms is available for transfer to the next higher trophiclevel’.
Significance of Food Chain
 Food chain maintains a check on the population and a balance in
theecosystem.
 Energy in the form of food is continuously transferred between different
food chains. This helps to maintain the equilibrium in anecosystem.
 Food chains help us to understand the interaction and the inter dependence
of different organisms in an area.

Food Web
A network of interconnecting food chains in a natural community of different
organisms is called a food web.

Significance of Food Web

 Food webs permit alternativefoods.
 They ensure a better chance of survival for an organism if any of its food
sources isscarce.
Food Pyramid
 A graphical representation of various trophic levels of a food chain in an
ecosystem is called an ecological pyramid or a foodpyramid.
 Ecological pyramids are of threetypes:
o Pyramid ofnumbers
o Pyramid ofbiomass
 o Pyramid ofenergy
Significance of Food Pyramid
 The trophic levels in a food chain can be explained by a foodpyramid.
 The ecological pyramids help us to understand the structure, functional
diversity and energy conversion efficiency ofecosystems.

Biomagnification
 Biomagnification or food chain magnification is the phenomenon of increase in the
concentration of toxic substances in the bodies of living organisms at each trophic
level of a foodchain.
 Dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT), an organochlorine pesticide, cannot be removed
by washing or by other means and tends to accumulate in the environment
causingbiomagnification.

Environmental Problems
Depletion of the Ozone Layer
About the Ozone Layer
 Ozone is a product of ultraviolet radiations acting on the oxygen molecule and
splitting it into free oxygen atoms. These atoms combine with molecular oxygen to
formozone.
 The ozone layer extends to about 16–50 km above the Earth’ssurface.
Reasons for Ozone Depletion
 The drop in ozone levels is due to certain synthetic chemicals such as
chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), which are used as refrigerants and in air conditioners and
fire extinguishers.
Effects of Ozone Depletion
 Intheabsenceoftheozonelayer,theultravioletraysreachtheEarth’[Link]
hlyharmful to organisms and can even cause skin cancer and other diseases in human
beings.
Control Measures for Ozone Depletion
 As per the agreement, The United Nations decided to freeze the production of CFCs
at levels which existed in 1986.

Disposal of Wastes
Disposal of waste means to get rid ofwaste.
Recycling
 Solid wastes such as paper, plastic and metals can be sent to paper mills, plastic
processing factories and metal industriesrespectively.
 They can be recycled and usedagain.
Composting
 Household garbage such as fruit and vegetable peels, egg shells, waste food, tea leaves
as well as farmland wastes such as dried leaves, husk and parts of crop plants from
fields afterharvesting can all be converted into useful compost byrotting.
 The use of compost improves the fertility of soil as it provides nutrients to thesoil.
Incineration
 Hazardous bio-medical wastes such as discarded medicines, toxic drugs, human
anatomical wastes, blood and pus, microbiological and biotechnological wastes are
usually disposed ofby incineration by burning at very hightemperatures.
 Electricity can be generated from the heat released duringburning.
Landfills
 Large-scale disposal of solid waste can be done by putting it in low areas of the
ground andthencovering it with Earth.
Sewage Treatment
 Waste water or sewage from houses, offices and hospitals enters a channel of
pipelineswhich finally reach the wastewater treatmentplant.
 Physical, biological and chemical processes are carried out for the treatment
ofsewage.

Role of an Individual in Management of Wastes

In order to save our environment and maintain ecological balance in nature,the
3R approach should be implemented while using resources. The 3R’s imply
reduce, reuse and recycle.
 Important Questions
 Multiple Choice Questions:
1. The percentage of solar radiation absorbed by all the green plants for
the process of photosynthesis is about-
(a) 1%
(b) 8%
(c) 5%
(d) 10%
2. The second trophic level is always of-
(a) herbivores
(b) autotrophs
(c) carnivores
(c) producers
3. The decomposers in an ecosystem-
(a) convert organic material to inorganic forms
(b) convert inorganic material to simpler forms
(c) convert inorganic material into organic compound
(d) do not break down organic compound
4. Which of the following is an abiotic component of an ecosystem?
(a) Humus
(b) Bacteria
(c) Plants
(d) Fungi
5. What will happen if all the deer are killed in the given food chain?
Grass → Deer → Lion
(a) The population of grass decreases.
(b) The population of lions increases.
(c) The population of lions remains unchanged.
(d) The population of lions decreases and grass increases.
6. Which of the following is not a terrestrial ecosystem-
(a) forest
(b) desert
(c) aquarium
(d) grassland
7. In the garden ecosystem, which of the following are producers?
(a) Insects
(b) Snakes
(c) Grasses
(d) Rabbits
 8. Which of the following is biodegradable?
(a) Plastic mugs
(b) Leather belts
(c) Silver foil
(d) Iron nails
9. Which of the following is an autotroph?
(a) Lion
(b) Insect
(c) Tree
(d) Mushroom
10. Which of the following is a logical sequence of food chain
(a) producer → consumer → decomposer
(b) producer → decomposer → consumer
(c) consumer → producer → decomposer
(d) decomposer → producer → consumer
 Very Short Question:
1. What is environment?
2. Why is ozone layer getting depleted at higher levels of the
atmosphere?
3. Name any two abiotic components of an environment.
4. What are two main components of our environment?
5. Which compounds are responsible for the depletion of ozone layer?
6. Why are green plants called producers?
7. The flow of energy in the food chain is unidirectional. Why?
8. Use of paper is more environment friendly than the use of polythene
for packaging. Justify.
9. In a food chain comprising frogs, insects, birds and grass, which one of
the organisms is likely to have maximum concentration of harmful non-
biodegradable chemicals in the body.
10. State one advantage of using disposable paper cups over disposable
plastic cups.
 Short Questions:
1. Construct an aquatic chain showing four trophic levels.
2. Explain “biological magnification” with the help of an example.
3. A high concentration of harmful chemical is highly injurious, even fatal
to higher trophic level organisms. Mention the basis of classifying
substances as biodegradable and non-biodegradable. Give two examples of
each.
4. What is ozone? How does it protect the organisms on the earth?
5. Observe the food chain:
Plant (1000 kj) → Goat → Lion
(a) If autotrophs occupying the first trophic level are called producers,
what are herbivores called as?
(b) How much energy does the lion get in the above food chain?
6. “The maximum concentration of harmful chemicals accumulates in
human beings?” State the phenomenon involved and justify this
statement.
7. 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.
8. Define
(a) Biomass
(b) Anaerobic degradation.
 LongQuestions:
1.
(a) What is ozone? How is it formed in the atmosphere? Explain with
equation.
(b) How is ozone layer useful?
(c) Name the substances responsible for the depletion of ozone layer.
2.
(a) What are trophic levels in a food chain?
(b) Explain the flow of energy through food chain.
(c) Write a four trophic level food chain and represented in the form of
an ecological pyramid.
 Assertion Reason Questions:
1. For two statements are given- one labelled Assertion (A) and the other
labelled Reason (R). Select the correct answer to these questions from the
codes (a), (b), (c) and (d) as given below:
a. Both A and R are true, and R is correct explanation of the assertion.
b. Both A and R are true, but R is not the correct explanation of the
assertion.
c. A is true, but R is false.
d. A is false, but R is true.
Assertion: Hospital wastes like used syringes, urine bags, etc. can be
incinerated.
Reason: Incineration burns the waste at very high temperature and converts
it to ashes.
2. For two statements are given- one labelled Assertion (A) and the other
labelled Reason (R). Select the correct answer to these questions from the
codes (a), (b), (c) and (d) as given below:
a. Both A and R are true, and R is correct explanation of the assertion.
b. Both A and R are true, but R is not the correct explanation of the
assertion.
c. A is true, but R is false.
d. A is false, but R is true.
Assertion: Food waste can be converted to compost by burying in a pit dug
into ground and used as manure.
Reason: Non-biodegradable wastes like fruit and vegetable peels, tea leaves,
broken glass jar are ideal for composting.
 Case Study Questions:
1. Read the following and answer any four questions from: (i) to (v).
In any given ecosystem, all living organisms are linked in a systematic chain
with respect to their mode of manufacturing food/ feeding habits. This
sequential interlinking of organisms involving transfer of food energy from
producers through a series of organisms with repeated eating and being
eaten is called the food chain. A food chain may have 3-4 trophic levels.
i. Which of the following statements regarding food chain is incorrect?
a. It is a single straight pathway through which food energy travels
in the ecosystem.
b. It adds adaptability and competitiveness to the organisms.
c. Presence of isolated food chains adds to instability of the
ecosystem.
d. Food chain binds up inorganic nutrients of the ecosystem.
ii. Consider the following food chain.
Grass → A → Frog → Snake → Eagle.
Which of the following can be placed at A?
a. Grasshopper.
b. Rabbit.
c. Phytoplankton.
d. Rat.
iii. Select the correct food chain.
a. Aquatic plants → Tadpole → Water beetle → Pike → Perch.
b. Grass → Grasshopper → Snake → Frog → Eagle.
c. Grass → Rabbit → Wild cat → Tiger.
d. Zooplankton → Phytoplankton → Small fish → Fish.
iv. Food chains are sustained by producers and ______.
a. Herbivores.
 b. Carnivores.
c. Omnivores.
d. Decomposers.
v. Select the incorrect statement.
a. Food chain may terminate at level of herbivore.
b. Food chain is always straight.
c. Food chain may have 3-5 trophic levels.
d. in a food chain, 80 to 90% of potential energy is lost as heat, at
each transfer.
2. Read the following and answer any four questions from: (i) to (v).
An ecosystem may be defined as a structural and functional unit of the
biosphere comprising living organisms and their non-living environment which
interact by means of food chains and biogeochemical cycles resulting in
energy-flow, biotic diversity and material cycling to form a stable, self-
supporting system.
i. The two basic processes involved in an ecosystem are:
a. Cycling of materials and food chains.
b. Energy flow and self-sustainability.
c. Carbon cycle and biotic diversity.
d. Cycling of materials and flow of energy.
ii. Which among the following is not an artificial ecosystem?
a. Orchard.
b. Lake.
c. Aquarium.
d. Cropland.
iii. The role of fungi and bacteria in an ecosystem is to:
a. Increase the supply of nutrients.
b. Increase the supply of energy.
c. Release nutrients from dead organic matter.
d. Increase the amount of CO 2 in the atmosphere.
iv. What would one of the likely results if all decomposers in a
particular ecosystem were wiped out?
a. The atmospheric reservoir of carbon dioxide would decline.
b. More food would be available for other consumers in the
ecosystem.
c. The other organisms in the ecosystem would experience lower
death rates.
d. There would be no significant impact, as dead organic matters
would spontaneously decompose.
v. Which of the following holds true for an ecosystem?
a. Primary consumers are least dependent upon producers.
 b. Primary consumers most of the time-out number producers.
c. Organic substances such as carbon, nitrogen and oxygen
constitute the main abiotic components.
d. Permanent ecosystems are self-supporting natural ecosystems
that maintain themselves for relatively long duration.
 Answer Key-
 Multiple Choice Answers:
1. (a) 1%
2. (a) herbivores
3. (a) convert organic material to inorganic forms
4. (a) Humus
5. (d) The population of lions decreases and grass increases.
6. (c) aquarium
7. (c) Grasses
8. (b) Leather belts
9. (c) Tree
10. (a) producer → consumer → decomposer
 Very Short Answers:
1. Answer: It is sum total of all external factors, substances, conditions
and living beings that surround the organisms and influence the same
without becoming their part.
2. Answer: Presence of ozone depleting chemicals like chlorofluorocarbons.
3. Answer:
(a) Climatic factors (light, temperature, rainfall).
(b) Edaphic factors (soil and its conditions).
4. Answer:
(a) Biotic Components, e.g., producers, herbivores, carnivores,
decomposers.
(b) Abiotic Components e.g., climatic factors, edaphic factors,
topographic factors, inorganic nutrients and organic substances.
5. Answer: Ozone depleting substances like chlorofluorocarbons, halons,
methane, N2O, Chlorine, Carbon tetrachloride.
6. Answer: Green plants are also called producers because only they can
synthesize organic food from inorganic raw materials with the help of
solar energy in the process of photosynthesis. This food is not only
used by green plants but also all other organisms called consumers.
7. Answer: There is dissipation of energy at every step of its transfer
and transformation so that energy cannot flow back in the reverse
direction. It flows from sun to plants, plants to animals, animals to
animals, organic remains to decomposers and dissipation as heat at
 every stage.
8. Answer: Paper bags are biodegradable while polythene is
nonbiodegradable.
9. Answer: Birds, as they form the topmost trophic level where the non-
non
biodegradable chemicals will have maximum biomagnification.
10. Answer: Disposable paper cups are biodegradable while disposable plastic
cups are non-biodegradable.
biodegradable.
 Short Answer:
1. Answer: Phytoplankton → Zooplankton → Small Carnivorous Fish
2. Answer: Biological magnification is increase in the concentration of a
chemical per unit weight of the organisms with the successive rise in
trophic level. In one study it was found that concentration of hharmful
chemical like DDT will increase 80,000 times the concentration present
in water.

3. Answer: Substances are classified into biodegradable and non-non

biodegradable on the basis of their disposability or nondisposability by
saprophytic organisms.
Biodegradable. Used tea leaves, waste paper.
Non-biodegradable.
biodegradable. DDT, silver/ aluminium foil.
4. Answer: Ozone is triatomic form of oxygen, O3. It forms a protective
ozone layer in the stratosphere. Ozone layer absorbs the very harmful
component of ultraviolet radiations (100 – 320 nm) and thus protect
the organisms on the earth.
5. Answer:
(a) Primary consumers
(b) 10 kj (10% law, 1000 → 100 → 10).
6. Answer: Human beings are omnivorous and lie at the tip of almost every
food chain. They are also long lived. Harmful chemicals reach in higher
concentration through biomagnification and continue to accumulate in
their bodies. Therefore, non-biodegradable
non biodegradable chemicals occur in maximum
concentration in human beings.
7. Answer:
(a) Removal of Lions. It will cause spurt in population of deer so much so
that whole of grass can disappear resulting in conversion of the area
into desert and death of the deer as well.
(b) Removal of Deer Lions will die of starvation.
8. Answer:
(a) Biomass. It is the amount of living matter, measured
measure d as fresh or dry
weight.
 (b) Anaerobic Degradation. There is slowing down of rate of
decomposition of organic remains which will pile up. Offensive odors may
occur due to putrefaction of proteins while fermentation of
carbohydrates gives rise to alcohols and organic acids that may kill the
microbes. It is, however, useful in production of biogas.
 Long Answer:
1. Answer:
(a) Ozone is triatomic form of oxygen, O 3 . Ozone is formed in the upper
atmosphere by the action of ultraviolet (UV) radiations over oxygen (O 2 )

(b) The important ozone depleting substances or ODS are

chlorofluorocarbons (CFC), methane, N 2 O, chlorine, halons and carbon
tetrachloride.
2. Answer:
(a) Trophic Levels. They are steps or divisions of food chain which are
characterised by particular methods
m ethods of obtaining food, e.g., producers
(T 1 ), herbivores (T 2 ), primary carnivores (T 3 ), etc.

(b) Flow of Energy Through Food Chain. Energy enters a food chain
through producers. Producers or green plants trap solar energy and
convert it into chemical energy
e nergy of food during photosynthesis. From
producers energy passes into herbivores. A lot of energy dissipates
during transfer and utilization of food energy by herbivores (10% law).
From herbivores the food energy passes into primary carnivores, again
with a lot of dissipation. Only about 10% of herbivore energy is passed
into body mass of primary carnivores. From primary carnivores, nearly
10% energy passes into secondary carnivores and so on. It is ultimately
lost as heat.

(c) Aquatic Four Trophic Level Food Chain.

 Phytoplankton → Zooplankton → Small Carnivorous Fish → barge
Carnivorous Fish.
 Assertion Reason Answer:
1. (a) Both A and R are true, and R is correct explanation of the assertion.
Explanation:
Hospital waste contains a lot of germs, so it should not be disposed openly.
Burning the waste kills the germs and disposes the waste in proper way.
2. (c) A is true, but R is false.
Explanation:
Biodegradable domestic waste such as leftover food, fruit, and vegetables
peels, leaves of potted plants can be converted into compost.
 Case Study Answer:
1. i(b) It adds adaptability and competitiveness to the organisms.
Explanation:
Since a food chain is a sequential flow of food energy, it does not
add to the adaptability and competitiveness of the organism.
ii. (a) Grasshopper.
Explanation:
In the given food chain, A is a primary consumer that feeds on
grass and being eaten by frog. Therefore, among the given
organisms, A should be grasshopper.
iii. (c) Grass → Rabbit → Wild cat → Tiger.
iv. (d) Decomposers.
v. (a) Food chain may terminate at level of herbivore.
Explanation:
In a food chain, there is repeated eating in which each group eats
the smaller one and is eaten by the larger one.
2. i (d) Cycling of materials and flow of energy.
ii. (b) Lake.
Explanation:
Artificial ecosystems are maintained by man and hence are also
termed as man-made, or man engineered ecosystems. In these
ecosystems, man maintains/ disturbs the natural balance by the
addition of energy and planned manipulations. Common examples of
artificial ecosystems are croplands, orchards, gardens, aquarium, etc.
iii. (c) Release nutrients from dead organic matter.
Explanation:
Fungi and bacteria are decomposers which serve to convert carbon
locked up in dead organic matter into carbon dioxide, which can then
be utilized by plants during photosynthesis. A, B and O are incorrect
 since decomposers do not increase the amount of nutrients, energy,
and carbon dioxide in the ecosystem. They merely allow cycling of
nutrients, including carbon, to occur.
iv. (a) The atmospheric reservoir of carbon dioxide would decline.
v. (d) Permanent ecosystems are self-supporting natural ecosystems that
maintain themselves for relatively long duration.
Explanation:
Primary or first-order consumers include the animals which eat
plants or plant products. They are called herbivores. As the
herbivores feed on plants/ plant products and convert them into
animal matter, they are often called key industry animals. Inorganic
substances, e.g., carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, calcium, phosphorus, etc.
and their compounds (water, carbon dioxide, etc.) constitute the
main abiotic components. These occur either in the form of
compounds dissolved in water, in the soil or in free state in the air.