Made Easy

Basics of energy
and environments

By-Dr. SAJID ALI

Ecological Foot print:
The Ecological Footprint is defined as “the area of
productive land and water ecosystems required to produce
the resources that the population consumes and
assimilate the wastes that the population produces,
wherever on Earth the land and water is located.”
The “ecological footprint” is a measure of human demand
on the Earth’s ecosystems.
 Higher the ecological footprint more will be the
consumption of natural resources and higher the
degradation.
 The unit of foot print is Global hectare.

Ecological NICHE:
Niche means role to play.
Niche term is given by Joseph Grinnel (1917) and niche
concept was popularized by the zoologist G. Evelyn
Hutchinson in 1957.
Niche refers to the unique functional role and position
of a species in its habitat or ecosystem.
Or
In and ecosystem, different type of species living together
because each species has its own unique niche.
The functional characteristics of a species in its habitat is
referred to as “niche” in that common habitat.
 If two species having same niche, then competition
arises.
 All the physical, chemical and biological factors
needed by a species in order to live and reproduce.
 Higher the niche diversity, more will be the ecosystem
stability.
In nature, many species occupy the same habitat,
but they perform different functions:
Habitat niche- where it lives
Food niche- what is eats or decomposes & what species
it competes with
Reproductive niche- how and when it reproduces,
Physical & chemical niche- temperature, land shape,
land slope, humidity & another requirement.
Niche plays an important role in the conservation of
organisms. If we have to conserve species in its
native habitat, we should have knowledge about the
niche requirements of the species.
Question: Which one of the following terms
describes not only the physical space occupied by an
organism but also its functional role in the
community of organisms?
(a) Ecotone
(b) Ecological niche
(c) Habitat
(d) Home range
Answer: (b) Ecological niche
Ecological Succession:
“Ecological succession is a sequence of changes that
occur in an ecological system over time.”
Or
Ecological succession is the changes in the composition of
community over a period of time i.e., community replace
by new community.
or
It can be defined as the sequence of colonization of species
in an ecosystem from a barren or an unfertile region of
land. The first species to inhabit an area are mosses and
Lichens. These make the region suitable for the growth of
advanced species like grasses, shrubs, and trees.
Types of Ecological Succession
Living-Flora-plants
Fauna-Animals
Microbiota-Micro-organisms
1. Primary Succession:
Primary succession is the succession that
begins in lifeless areas such as the regions devoid of soil
or barren lands where the soil is unable to sustain life.
When the primary ecosystem is destroyed, secondary
succession takes place.
2. Secondary Succession:
Secondary succession occurs when the primary ecosystem
gets wiped out. For e.g., a climax community gets
destroyed by fire. It gets recolonized after the devastation.
This is known as secondary ecological succession. Small
plants emerge first, followed by larger plants. The tall trees
block the sunlight and change the structure of the
organisms below the canopy. Finally, the climax
community comes into action.
Stages of the succession-
Nudation/Bare area Migration/Invasion
Ecesis/establishment Aggregation/Colonisation
Competition/coaction modification/reaction
Stabilisation
Pioneer seral climax
Lithosere- Rock
Hydrosere- Water
Halosere- Saline
Psammosere- Sand
Xerosere- Deserts

Hydrarch (Hydrosere) succession:

Phytoplanktons Submerged rooted plant
Rooted floating plants Reed swamps Marsh
Meadow Soft wood tree climax tree (Forest)
Lithosere Succession:
Lichens Mosses Grasses/herbs Perennial
grass Shrub soft wood tree climax tree
Important features of Pioneer species:
 Mostly are photosynthetic
 Mostly follow asexual reproduction
 High fecundity (producing more offspring)
Important features of climax species:
 Capable of fighting adverse conditions
 Having high rate of survival
 Relatively complex
Note: Primary succession is slower than secondary
succession.
Ecogeographic rules:
1. Gause’s Rule:
It is also called principle of competitive exclusion.
According to this rule ‘two species having same limited
resource cannot coexist.
2. Allen’s rule:
 This rule states that animals that are adapted to
colder climates tend to have shorter limbs and body
appendages in comparison to animals that are
adapted to more warm climates.
3. Gloger’s rule:
This rule states that ‘within a species of
warm-blooded animals the degree of melanin
pigmentation tends to vary directly with the mean
environmental temperature’.

4. Bergmann's rule:
This rule states that ‘Birds and
mammals’ in cold regions have been observed to be
bulkier and longer than individuals of the same species in
warm regions.
5. Barry Commoner’s rule:
four laws of ecology-
1. Everything is connected to everything else
2. Everything has to go somewhere or there is no such
place as away.
3. Nature Knows best
4. There is no such thing as a free lunch
Previous Year Questions (ESE-2022):
8. The international dispute about modern
environmental movement began with the publication
of silent spring by-
(a) Mary Daly
(b) Rachel Carson
(c) Carolyn Merchant
(d) Maria Mies
Ans: (b) Rachel Carson
9. Which one of the following is NOT a principle of
CERES-
(a) Controlled production
(b) Energy conservation
(c) Informing the public
(d) Protection of the biosphere
Ans: (a) Controlled production
Explanation: "Coalition for Environmentally
Responsible EconomieS”
The Ceres Principles require one to
make investment decisions that minimize risk to the
environment and promote sustainable use of natural
resources.
Ten Ceres Principals are:
1. Protection of the biosphere
2. Sustainable use of Natural Resources
3. Reduction and Disposal of Wastes
 4. Energy Conservation
5. Risk Reduction
6. Safe Products and Services
7. Environmental Restoration
8. Informing the Public
9. Management Commitment
10. Audits and Reports
10. The largest tidal range in the world is-
(a) Bay of Fundy
(b) Ungava Bay
(c) Bristol Channel
(d) Turnagain Arm of Cook Inlet
Ans: (a) Bay of Fundy
Explanation: The world’s largest tidal range of 16.3
metres (53.5 feet) occurs in Bay of Fundy, Canada, and
the United Kingdom regularly experiences tidal ranges up
to 15 metres.
11. Kyoto Protocol operationalizes the UN framework
convention on-
(a) Sustainable development
(b) Renewable energy
(c) Climate change
(d) Soil erosion
Ans: (c) Climate change
Explanation: The Kyoto Protocol was adopted on 11
December 1997 and entered into force on 16 February
2005. Currently, there are 192 Parties to the Kyoto
Protocol.
12. According to Carson, which one of the following
approaches argues that nature has intrinsic value and
we should protect it because of this value-
(a) Instrumental approach
(b) Axiological approach
(c) Eco-critical approach
(d) Anthropological approach
Ans: (b) Axiological approach
Explanation: Axiology is the philosophical study of values
and value systems; it is a branch of philosophy which
concerns with determining factors associated with values
especially moral values
13. The Gaia hypothesis, which suggested that the
earth should be seen as a single organism, was devised
by-
(a) James Lovelock
(b) Francoise d’ Eaubonne
(c) Earnest Haeckel
(d) Paul Ehrlich
Ans: James Lovelock
Explanation: The Gaia Hypothesis proposed by James
Lovelock suggests that living organisms on the planet
interact with their surrounding inorganic environment to
form a synergetic and self-regulating system that created,
and now maintains, the climate and biochemical
conditions that make life on Earth possible.
14. Energy used by man does NOT originate from
which one of the following sources-
(a) Radiant energy
(b) Geothermal power
(c) Frictional energy
(d) Gravitational energy
Ans: (c) Frictional energy