Our Environment
By Armaan
ECOSYSTEM - WHAT ARE ITS COMPONENTS
ECOSYSTEM :
All the interacting organisms in an area together with the non-living
constituents of the environment form an ecosystem
ECOSYSTEM
Biotic Components Abiotic Components
Comprising comprising physical
all living factors like temperature,
organisms rainfall, wind, soil and
minerals.
Organisms and physical surroundings interact with each other and
maintain a balance in nature.
!Name a few natural and man made Aquarium is a self-sustaining system
because it includes biotic factors
Natural:
ecosystems ???
Man made: ! (fishes, aquatic plants, animals, etc.)
and abiotic factors (free space, water,
Forests Gardens
Ponds Crop-fields oxygen & food).
Lakes Wild life sanctuary
Which organisms can make organic compounds like sugar
and starch from inorganic substances using the radiant
Organisms can be grouped as producers, !
energy of the Sun in the presence of chlorophyll?
consumers and decomposers. ! All green plants and certain bacteria
which can produce food by
photosynthesis come under this
They make food from category and are called the producers.
inorganic compounds.
E.g. Green plants and
some bacteria.
Green plants make organic compounds (sugar & starch) from
inorganic substances using the solar radiant energy in presence
of chlorophyll. It is called photosynthesis.
Food Chains and Webs
A food chain is the series of organisms feeding on one
another or organisms taking part at various biotic levels.
Each step or level of the food chain forms a trophic
level.
The food is a fuel to provide energy. Thus
the interactions among various
components involves flow of energy.
Autotrophs capture solar energy and
convert it into chemical energy.
From autotrophs, Energy goes to
heterotrophs and decomposers.
The study of flow of energy reveals that :
Green plants in a terrestrial ecosystem capture about
1% of the solar energy that falls on their leaves and
convert it into food energy.
When primary consumers eat green plants, a lot of
energy is lost as heat, some are used for metabolism,
growth and reproduction. About 10% of the food is
turned into body. It is the average amount of organic
matter present at each step. It reaches the next level of
consumers.
Food chains generally consist of only 3 or 4 steps since
so little energy is available for the next trophic level.
There are generally so many individuals at the lower
trophic levels. Producers are in greatest number.
Each organism is generally eaten by two or more kinds
of organisms which in turn are eaten by several other
organisms.
This series of branching relationship of food chains is
called a food web.
Rabbit Eagle
1000 J
10% 10 J
1%
10% 10%
10%
Snake
Plant
Human
10000 J 100 J
1J
Features of Energy flow diagram :
1. Energy flow is unidirectional. It does not
revert back from autotroph to the Sun or
consumer to autotroph.
2. Energy available at each trophic level gets
diminished progressively due to loss of
energy at each level.
10 Percent Law: It states that only 10 per cent of food
energy is transferred from one trophic level to the next
level. The remaining 90 per cent energy is used in life
processes (digestion, growth, reproduction, etc.) by the
present trophic level.
Biological magnification
The accumulation of non-degradable chemical
at each trophic level is called biological
magnification
Some harmful chemicals may enter the bodies
through the food chain. E.g. Pesticides are washed
down into the soil or water. From the soil, plants
absorb them. From the water bodies, aquatic plants &
animals take up them. Thus they enter the food
[Link], vegetables, fruits & meat contain
pesticide residues. Their concentration is maximum in
human body because humans occupy the top level in
any food chain.
Ozone Layer and its Depletion
• Ozone (O3) is a deadly poison. However, at the higher
levels of the atmosphere, ozone shields the earth
surface from dangerous ultraviolet (UV) radiation from
the Sun. UV radiation causes harmful effects such as
skin cancer.
• At the higher levels of the atmosphere, the higher
energy UV radiations split some O₂ into free oxygen
(O) atoms. They combine with O₂ to form ozone (O3).
How dose CFC affect Ozone (O3)?
When chlorofluorocarbons (CFC) drift upwards towards
the stratosphere, they come in contact with the Ozone
layer. This leads to a chemical reaction where the CFC
molecules are broken up by ultraviolet radiation,
releasing chlorine atoms, which are able to destroy
ozone molecules.
The destruction of the ozone layer leads to increased
chances of skin cancer among humans and reduced
plant health which is especially true for agricultural
crops.
Gaseous CFCs (Like Chlorine) can deplete the ozone layer
when they slowly rise into the stratosphere, are broken
down by strong ultraviolet radiation, release chlorine
atoms, and then react with ozone molecules
In 1980s, the amount of ozone began to drop sharply. It was due
to chemicals like chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) which are used as
refrigerants and in fire extinguishers.
In 1987, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)
made an agreement to freeze CFC production at 1986 level. It is
now mandatory to make CFC-free refrigerators.
Other ozone depleting substances: Hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs),
halons etc.
The size of the ozone hole has reduced in recent years.
Managing the Garbage we Produce
• Garbage are the unwanted materials that people have thrown
away.
• In organisms, specific enzymes are needed to break-down a
particular substance. So, if we eat coal, we do not get energy.
Similarly, bacteria or other saprophytes have no enzymes to break
down artificial materials like plastics.
Substances that are not
Substances that are broken broken down by biological
down by biological processes processes are called non-
are called biodegradable. E.g. biodegradable. They are inert
Fruits, vegetables, leaves, and persist for a long time or
meat, paper, rubber etc. may harm the ecosystem. E.g.
Plastics, glass, nylon etc.
Textbook question answers
(Acc. to latest ncert textbook)
What are trophic levels? Give an example of a food chain and state
the different trophic levels in it.
In the food chain, the transfer of food or energy takes place at various
levels, and these levels are known as trophic levels.
Example:
Grass -----> Goat -----> Man
In the food chain.
Grass represents the first trophic level.
The goat represents the second trophic level.
Man represents the third trophic level.
What is the role of decomposers in the ecosystem?
The following are the roles of decomposers in the ecosystem:
They act as a cleansing agent of the environment by
decomposing dead plants and animals.
They help in recycling nutrients.
They provide space for new beings in the biosphere by
decomposing the dead.
They help in putting back the various elements into water, soil
and air for the reuse of producers like crop plants.
Why are some substances biodegradable and some non-
biodegradable?
The reason why some substances are biodegradable and some are
non-biodegradable is because the microorganisms, like bacteria, and
decomposers, like saprophytes, have a specific role to play. They can
break down only natural products like paper, wood, etc., but they
cannot break down human-made products like plastics. Based on
this, some substances are biodegradable and some are non-
biodegradable.
Give any two ways in which biodegradable substances would
affect the environment.
They keep the environment clean as they are easily decomposed.
They can easily go through the geochemical cycle with the help
of decomposers.
Give any two ways in which non-biodegradable substances would
affect the environment.
They cause air, soil and water pollution.
They may cause bio-magnification in the food chain resulting in
the end of humans
How can you help in reducing the problem of waste disposal? Give
any two methods.
Use the 3 R’s
Segregating waste into bio-degradable and non bio-degradable
Katam your done with
Our environment
(5 marks Gaind)