1.sustainable Planning and Architecture - UNIT-2 PDF

SUSTAINABLE PLANNING & ARCHITECTURE
UNIT II
1. Ecosystem
2. Food chain & Food web
3. Natural cycles
4. Ecological foot print
5. Climate change and Sustainability
Prepared by: Ar. Rajarajeswari

1. ECOSYSTEM
Basic Definitions:
a) An Ecosystem is a large community of living organisms
(plants, animals and microbes) in a particular area. The
living and physical components are linked together
through nutrient cycles and energy flows. Ecosystems
are of any size, but usually they are in particular places.
b) An Ecosystem is a community of living organisms in
conjunction with the nonliving components of their
environment, interacting as a system.
c) The only planet in the solar system that supports life is
earth. The portion of the earth which sustains life is
called Biosphere. Biosphere is very huge and cannot be
studied as a single entity. It is divided into many distinct
functional units called Ecosystem.
Unit - II Prepared by: Ar. Rajarajeswari
1. ECOSYSTEM
Introduced by:
a) The term ecosystem was first used in 1935 in a
publication by British ecologist Arthur Tansley.
b) Tansley devised the concept to draw attention to
the importance of transfers of materials between
organisms and their environment.
c) He later refined the term, describing it as "The
whole system, ... including not only the organism-
complex, but also the whole complex of physical
factors forming what we call the environment".
d) Tansley regarded ecosystems not simply as
natural units, but as "mental isolates". Tansley
later defined the spatial extent of ecosystems
using the term ecotope.
1. ECOSYSTEM
Components:
a) Abiotic components.
b) Biotic components

1. ECOSYSTEM
Components:

1. ECOSYSTEM
Components:

1. ECOSYSTEM
Levels of Organization:

1. ECOSYSTEM
Functions:
a) Energy flow - Through food chain & food web
b) Productivity - Development of ecological succession
c) Decomposition – Breakdown of complex organic matters
d) Nutrient cycling – Biological, Geological and Chemical processes
e) Homeostasis – Stable equilibrium between interdependent elements

1. ECOSYSTEM
Types according to environment:
a) Aquatic – wet lands, mangroves, coral reefs, pond, sea & aquatic animals etc.,
b) Terrestrial – forest, grasslands, desert, swamp, mountain, savannah etc.,
Types according to Human Intervention:
a) Natural – dependant on solar energy & other natural energy subsidies, eg – forest,
lake, desert etc.,
b) Artificial or Man-made – human participation, eg – agricultural field, dams, parks,
aquaculture ponds, urban & industrial systems etc.,
Types according to Size:
a) Macro – larger scale
b) Micro – smaller scale

1. ECOSYSTEM
Aquatic system:
(a) Abiotic components -
i. Light: Solar radiation provides energy
that controls the entire system.
Penetration of light depends on
transparency of water, amount of
dissolved or suspended particles in water
and the number of plankton. On the basis
of extent of penetration of light a pond
can be divided into euphotic (eu-true,
photic-light), mesophotic and aphotic
zones. Plenty of light is available to plants
and animals in euphotic zone. No light is
available in the aphotic zone.
1. ECOSYSTEM
Aquatic system:
(a) Abiotic components -
ii) Inorganic substances: These are water,
carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, calcium and
a few other elements like sulphur
depending on the location of the pond. The
inorganic substances like O2 and CO2 are
in dissolved state in water. All plants and
animals depend on water for their food and
exchange of gases- nitrogen, phosphorus,
sulphur and other inorganic salts are held
in reserve in bottom sediment and inside
the living organisms. A very small fraction
may be in the dissolved state.
1. ECOSYSTEM
Aquatic system:
(a) Abiotic components –
iii) Organic compounds: The commonly found organic matter in the pond are amino acids
and humic acids and the breakdown products of dead animals and plants. They are
partly dissolved in water and partly suspended in water.

1. ECOSYSTEM
Aquatic system:
(b) Biotic components
i) Producers or autotrophs: synthesize food for
all the heterotrophs of the pond. They can be
categorized into two groups:-
 Floating micro organisms & plants
 Rooted Plants
Floating micro organisms & plants - they are
called phytoplankton (phyto- plants, plankton –
floating). They are microscopic organisms.
Sometimes they are so abundant in pond that
they make it look green in colour e.g. Spirogyra,
Ulothrix, Cladophora, Diatoms, Volvox.

1. ECOSYSTEM
Aquatic system:
(b) Biotic components
 Rooted plants - These are arranged in concentric zones from periphery to the deeper
layers. Three distinct zones of aquatic plants can be seen with increasing depth of
water in the following order:
Typha, Bulrushes & Sagittaria
Nymphaea
Hydrilla

1. ECOSYSTEM
Aquatic system:
(ii) Consumers / Heterotrophs are animals which feed directly or indirectly on autotrophs
eg. Tadpole, snails, sunfish, bass etc. Pond animals can be classified into the following
groups
(a) Zooplanktons are floating animals.
Cyclops, Cypris
(b) Nektons are the animals that can
swim and navigate at will. Eg- fishes
(c) Benthic animals are the bottom
dwellers: beetle, mites, mollusks and
some crustaceans.
(iii) Decomposers: They are distributed through out the entire in the whole pond but in the
sediment most abundant. There are bacteria and fungi. (Rhizopus, Penicillium, Curvularia,
Cladosporium) found at the bottom of the pond.
1. ECOSYSTEM
Terrestrial system:
a) Forest Ecosystem –
Types – Tropical & Temperate
(Evergreen & Deciduous)
Features – Canopy, Floor & Soil
Functions – Watershed protection
Atmosphere regulation
Soil erosion control
Wind erosion control

1. ECOSYSTEM
Terrestrial system:
b) Desert Ecosystem –
Types – Sand
Stony
Rock
Plateau
Mountain
Features – Extreme weather
Functions – Soil resources
Mineral resources

1. ECOSYSTEM
Terrestrial system:
c) Grassland Ecosystem –
Types – Tropical & Temperate
Features –Unadaptive plants
Unadaptive animals
Functions – Provide food
Breeding areas
Human habitat

2. FOOD CHAIN & FOOD WEB
Difference:
Food Chain Food web
Linear sequence of organisms from Connection of multiple food chains
producers to decomposers
Single path Multiple paths
Flow of energy from one organism to other Realistic representation of energy flow

Types of Terrestrial food chain:
(i) Grazing food chains:

- It starts from the green
plants that make food for
herbivores, herbivores in
turn for the carnivores.
(ii) Detritus food chains:
- It start from the dead
organic matter to the
detrivore organisms which in
turn make food for protozoan to
carnivores etc.

Types of Aquatic food chain:

Tropic level:
a) The Trophic level refers to successive levels of energy flow that form the link of food
chain.
b) A Trophic Level includes a group of organisms that obtain food in a similar manner.
Producers
Primary consumers
Secondary consumers
Tertiary consumers
Quaternary consumers

Ecological Pyramid:
a) Pyramid of number- This represents the number of organisms at each Trophic level.
For example in a grassland the number of grasses is more than the number of
herbivores that feed on them and the number of herbivores is more than the number of
carnivores.

Ecological Pyramid:
b) Pyramid of Energy- It is the total amount of energy at each trophic level. Energy is
expressed in terms of rate such as kcal/unit area /unit time or cal/unit area/unit time.eg. in
a lake autotroph energy is 20810 kcal/m/year Energy pyramids are never inverted.

Ecological Pyramid:
c) Pyramid of Biomass – It is the total standing crop biomass at each trophic level.
Standing crop biomass is the amount of the living matter at any given time. It is
expressed as gm/unit area or kilo cal/unit area. In most of the terrestrial ecosystems
the pyramid of biomass is upright.

Ecological Efficiency:
 It is the ratio between the amount of energy acquired from the lower trophic level and the
amount of energy transferred from higher trophic level is called ecological efficiency.
 It is clear from the trophic structure of an ecosystem that the amount of energy decreases
at each subsequent trophic level.
This is due to two reasons:
a) At each trophic a part of the
available energy is lost in
respiration or used up in
metabolism.
b) A part of energy is lost at
each transformation, i.e.
when it moves from lower to
higher trophic level as heat.
3. NATURAL CYCLES
Carbon cycle:
 The movement of carbon from the
environment into living things and back
again.
 All living things are made of carbon. Carbon
is found as a gas in the air and as called
carbon dioxide. Plants use this gas, water
and the sunlight to make food and grow.
Animals eat plants and receive the carbon
from them. Carbon is essential to all living
things because it is part of our molecules.
As animals grow and breathe they release
carbon dioxide into the air. Plants consume
the carbon dioxide and continue the cycle.
3. NATURAL CYCLES
Carbon cycle:
 Photosynthesis - Plants use CO2 from the atmosphere to make high-energy carbon
molecules
 Metabolism - Organisms use high energy carbon molecules for growth
 Respiration - CO2 is released through aerobic respiration (breathing, for example)
 Waste - Carbonates released into ground and water supply
 Gas Exchange - CO2 is exchanged between the air and water
 Decomposition - When organisms die and decay, the carbon molecules in them enter
the soil. Microorganisms break down the molecules, releasing CO2
 Pollution - Remains of dead organisms are converted into fossil fuels (over millions of
years!) Combustion of fossil fuels and wood releases CO2

3. NATURAL CYCLES
Nitrogen cycle:
 Nitrogen is a gas in the earth’s atmosphere. Nitrogen is important to all living things.
 78% of our atmosphere is nitrogen gas
 The nitrogen cycle describes the movement of nitrogen through living things to
atmosphere and back again. Nitrogen helps animals build muscle and perform daily
activities.
 Nitrogen is important to decomposers and plants. When animals die, the bacteria in soil
eat the remains. As they do this they break down the nitrogen from these animals into
something that plants can eat. Animals receive nitrogen by eating plants. As animals
die the cycle continues. Other bacteria decompose dead animals and animal waste
and return nitrogen to the atmosphere

3. NATURAL CYCLES
Nitrogen cycle:
 Nitrogen fixation- the process of bacteria changing nitrogen gas into usable nitrogen for
plants. Lightning and bacteria convert atmospheric nitrogen into nitrates (NO3) and
ammonia (NH3)
 Protein Production: Plants use nitrogen molecules to make amino acids
 Conversion: Consumers convert plant proteins to animal proteins
 Waste : Decomposers break down animal and plant matter into nitrogen compounds
 Return to Atmosphere: Nitrogen compounds break down into gas and return to air
 Runoff : Runoff of nitrates in fertilizers enters groundwater and soil
 Nitrous Oxide from burning fossil fuels falls as Nitric Acid in rainwater

3. NATURAL CYCLES
Nitrogen cycle:

3. NATURAL CYCLES
Nitrogen cycle:

3. NATURAL CYCLES
Water cycle:
 The water cycle is very important to
Earth because it naturally recycles
water giving a fresh supply to life. It
is the movement of water among
oceans, atmosphere, land, and
living things. Sun & Gravity are the
two driving forces of a water cycle.
 Sun fuels the evaporation in the
water cycle. As water evaporates
from unclean bodies of water such
as swamps, mud puddles and
ditches it is naturally purified and
falls as clean precipitation.
3. NATURAL CYCLES
Water cycle:

3. NATURAL CYCLES
Water cycle:
 Precipitation – water moving from
atmosphere to land. Ex: rain, snow, sleet,
hail. 91% falls into the ocean, 9% on land
renews fresh water supply.
 Evaporation - water moving from the land
to the atmosphere. The sun’s heat causes
water to change from liquid to vapor
 Condensation - water vapor becoming
liquid again due to cool atmosphere
 Transpiration - water moving from living
things back into the atmosphere. Ex:
evaporation from leaves, perspiration from
humans.
4. ECOLOGICAL FOOTPRINT
Introduction:
• Ecological Footprint measures how much land and water area a human population
requires to produce the resources it consumes and to absorb its wastes under
prevailing technology. It measures the extent to which humanity is using nature's
resources faster than they can regenerate.
• But today, humanity's Ecological Footprint is over 23% larger than what the planet can
regenerate. When humanity's ecological resource demands exceed what nature can
supply, we reach Ecological Overshoot.
• The effects of Ecological Overshoot are collapsing fisheries, carbon-induced climate
change, species extinction, deforestation, and the loss of groundwater.

Introduction:

Introduction:

Sample Human Footprint:
 Earth’s average footprint (per capita) = 15.7 Ha

 Human average footprint (per capita) = 23.47 Ha
 Current average footprint (per capita) = 23.47/15.7 = 1.5 i.e. 1.5 times earth

5. CLIMATE CHANGE AND SUSTAINABILITY
Introduction:
 Climate change caused by the global
increase in temperatures triggers multiple
negative effects on the planet. These effects
interrelate with each other and increase their
violence, putting at risk the species that
inhabit the Earth, including the humans.
 The global increase in temperatures can
influence the physical, biological and human
systems.

Contribution of Building Industry:
• “The building and construction sector represents over 111 million people directly
employed world wide with 75% in developing countries and 90% in micro firms. It
contributes to approximately 10% of the global GDP with a world wide annual investment
evaluated at US $3,000 Billion.
• Taking into account its entire lifespan, we
know that the built environment is
responsible in each country for:
•25 -40% of the total energy use
•30 -40% of solid waste generation
•30 -40% of Global Green House Gas
Emissions (CO, N0, CH, HFC, PFC, SF )

Contribution of Building Industry :





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SUSTAINABLE PLANNING & ARCHITECTURE

Prepared by: Ar. Rajarajeswari

Unit - II Prepared by: Ar. Rajarajeswari

Unit - II Prepared by: Ar. Rajarajeswari

Unit - II Prepared by: Ar. Rajarajeswari

Unit - II Prepared by: Ar. Rajarajeswari

Unit - II Prepared by: Ar. Rajarajeswari

Unit - II Prepared by: Ar. Rajarajeswari

Unit - II Prepared by: Ar. Rajarajeswari

Unit - II Prepared by: Ar. Rajarajeswari

Typha, Bulrushes & Sagittaria

Unit - II Prepared by: Ar. Rajarajeswari

Unit - II Prepared by: Ar. Rajarajeswari

Unit - II Prepared by: Ar. Rajarajeswari

Unit - II Prepared by: Ar. Rajarajeswari

Unit - II Prepared by: Ar. Rajarajeswari

(i) Grazing food chains:

Unit - II Prepared by: Ar. Rajarajeswari

Unit - II Prepared by: Ar. Rajarajeswari

Unit - II Prepared by: Ar. Rajarajeswari

Unit - II Prepared by: Ar. Rajarajeswari

Unit - II Prepared by: Ar. Rajarajeswari

Unit - II Prepared by: Ar. Rajarajeswari

Unit - II Prepared by: Ar. Rajarajeswari

Unit - II Prepared by: Ar. Rajarajeswari

Unit - II Prepared by: Ar. Rajarajeswari

Unit - II Prepared by: Ar. Rajarajeswari

Unit - II Prepared by: Ar. Rajarajeswari

Unit - II Prepared by: Ar. Rajarajeswari

Unit - II Prepared by: Ar. Rajarajeswari

Unit - II Prepared by: Ar. Rajarajeswari

Unit - II Prepared by: Ar. Rajarajeswari

 Earth’s average footprint (per capita) = 15.7 Ha

Unit - II Prepared by: Ar. Rajarajeswari

Unit - II Prepared by: Ar. Rajarajeswari

Unit - II Prepared by: Ar. Rajarajeswari

Unit - II Prepared by: Ar. Rajarajeswari

Unit - II Prepared by: Ar. Rajarajeswari

Unit - II Prepared by: Ar. Rajarajeswari

Unit - II Prepared by: Ar. Rajarajeswari

Unit - II Prepared by: Ar. Rajarajeswari

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