Ans1)

Ans a)

The multidisciplinary nature of environmental studies includes various disciplines of

study; each contributing to a understanding of the processes and phenomena
occurring on our planet, in our solar system and universe.

In some cases, there is a distinction between environmental studies, and

environmental sciences. I won’t make that distinction here, instead, I will treat the
two as the same course of academic inquiry.

To begin with, you need to have an understanding of the disciplines making up the
core sciences of chemistry, physics and biology (and the associated mathematics
needed in some of these courses). Here, chemistry is the most crucial of the three in
regards to environmental studies and serves as the central science bridging into both
physics and biology. Organic chemistry, biochemistry, molecular biology and
microbiology are all also highly relevent to environmental studies and will become
extremely crucial later on as one progresses into chemical and biochemical cycling
within ecological systems or the effects of environmental stressors on biological
systems.

The next set of disciplines will be the Earth Sciences. These will include but are not
limted to geology, hydrology, oceanography, geophysics, astronomy, meteorology
and climatology.

More specialized scientific disciplines can include: aquatic pollution, geobiochemical

cycling, planetary geophysics, pedology, marine biology, etc.

From the formal sciences, mathematics and statistics are crucial disciplines that are
necessary for the collection, study, analysis and interpretation of data and
phenomena pertaining to environmental studies. From these disciplines, qualitative
language can be translated into quantitative information and used to abstract further
information normally inaccesible to the senses and at first altogether unseen within
the models and constructs used to appropriate our understanding of the systems
and phenomena under evaluation.

From the social sciences, everything pertaining to the study and behavior of humans
is necessary as this behavior is the basis to understanding how we come to interact
with our environment. Disciplines include but are not limited to: economics, law,
geography, anthropology, sociology, philosophy, demography, policy, resource
management, waste management, etc.
ansB) The term biodiversity (from “biological diversity”) refers to the variety of life on
Earth at all its levels, from genes to ecosystems, and can encompass the evolutionary,
ecological, and cultural processes that sustain life.
Impotance) Biodiversity is important to most aspects of our lives. We value
biodiversity for many reasons, some utilitarian, some intrinsic. This means we value
biodiversity both for what it provides to humans, and for the value it has in its own
right. Utilitarian values include the many basic needs humans obtain from
biodiversity such as food, fuel, shelter, and medicine. Further, ecosystems provide
crucial services such as pollination, seed dispersal, climate regulation, water
purification, nutrient cycling, and control of agricultural pests. Biodiversity also
holds value for potential benefits not yet recognized, such as new medicines and
other possible unknown services. Biodiversity has cultural value to humans as well,
for spiritual or religious reasons for instance. The intrinsic value of biodiversity
refers to its inherent worth, which is independent of its value to anyone or anything
else. This is more of a philosophical concept, which can be thought of as the
inalienable right to exist.
An ecosystem can be as small as an oasis in a desert, or as big as an ocean,
spanning thousands of miles. There are two types of ecosystem:

• Terrestrial Ecosystem
• Aquatic Ecosystem

Terrestrial Ecosystems
Terrestrial ecosystems are exclusively land-based ecosystems. There are different
types of terrestrial ecosystems distributed around various geological zones. They are
as follows:

1. Forest Ecosystems
2. Grassland Ecosystems
3. Tundra Ecosystems
4. Desert Ecosystem

Aquatic Ecosystem
Aquatic ecosystems are ecosystems present in a body of water. These can be
further divided into two types, namely:

1. Freshwater Ecosystem
2. Marine Ecosystem

Freshwater Ecosystem
The freshwater ecosystem is an aquatic ecosystem that includes lakes, ponds,
rivers, streams and wetlands. These have no salt content in contrast with the marine
ecosystem.
Marine Ecosystem
The marine ecosystem includes seas and oceans. These have a more substantial
salt content and greater biodiversity in comparison to the freshwater ecosystem.