Biology: OUR ENVIROMENT

 Environment: Immediate surroundings of an organism makes

its environment.
- It includes physical or non- living and biological or living
things.
 Water: The useless, discarded or leftover materials make the
waste.
2 TYPES OF WASTE

(1) Biodegradable (2) Non-Biodegradable

 The wastes that can be The Wastes that cannot be
decomposed into simple broken down into simple
Substances by microbes. Substances by microbes.
 E.g.- domestic waste (sewage, E.g.- Glass
Vegetable peel, fruit peel), - Plastic
Livestock waste (cow dung) - Metals like Lead,
- Wood Mercury
- Paper - Pesticide like DDT, etc.
- Leather
 Non – Biodegradable wastes are Major pollutants of
environment.
 Effects of Biodegradable wastes –
 (1) Degrades quickly so help in makings of manure, humus.
 (2) Help in nutrient recycling
 (3) Does not cause any pollution if present in less amounts.

Harmful effects – It generated in large amounts it

I. Produces bad smell
II. Harbour harmful pathogenic microbes.
III.
Effect of Non- Biodegradable wastes –

I. May enter the food chain & show bio magnification.

II. May pollute soil, air and water.

 Ecosystem – A Self-sustaining system formed by the interaction

between living organised and non-living environment.
 It has 2 components :-
I. Biotic- Living component that includes all living organise
Like plants, animal, bacteria, fungi, etc.
II. Abiotic- Non-living component that includes physical
factors like temperature, rainfall, wind, soil, minerals,
etc.

 Types of ecosystem (on the basic of nature)

2 Types

(1)Natural Ecosystem (2) Artificial/Man made

- operates under natural - created & maintained by

conditions, 2 types Human beings, 2 types

Terrestrial Aquatic Terrestrial Aquatic

Eg- grass land, Eg- Pond, Eg- crop field, Eg- Dam,
Desert, Forest. Sea, River Garden, orchard. Aquarium.

 Biotic components of ecosystem – Classified under 3 groups

(a) Producers (b) Consumers (c) Decomposes
(a) Producers – Autotrophic organisms which can prepare their own
food. E.g.- plants & blue green algae.
(b) Consumers- Animals/ heterotrophic organism which directly or
indirectly depends on producers Types:
a) Primary consumer/herbivore – eat plants. e.g.- snail,
tadpole, grasshopper, etc.
b) Secondary consumer or Primary carnivore – feed on
herbivore.
E.g.- cat, dog, small fish, frog, etc.
c) Tertiary consumer or
Secondary carnivore- feed on primary carnivore
E.g.- owl, snake, wolves, large fishes, etc.
d) Quaternary consumer or
Top carnivore - largest carnivore that feed on secondary
carnivore. e.g. - lion, tiger, eagle, crocodile.
(c) Decomposers - These are microorganisms which feed on dead
and decaying plants and animals. e.g. - Bacteria & fungi.
Role of composer –
i. The break down complex organic substances into simpler
from so that they can be reused by produces.
ii. They act as natural scavengers to keep the earth clean.
iii. They maintain fertility of soil.
iv. They help in cycling of nutrients.

Food chain – A linear sequence of organism formed by repeated

eating and being eaten.
-It involves transfer of energy from producers to consumer
E.g.- Grass → Goat → Lion.
Trophic level- Each step of a food chain is a trophic level

 T1- 1st level –produces are kept, generally maximum in number

 T2- 2nd level- Primary consumer/herbivore
 T3- 3rd level- Secondary consumer number
 T4- 4th level- Tertiary consumer decreases
 T4- 5th level- Top consumer

Ecological pyramid-
Eagle
5th T5 A graphical representation of a

Snake
4th T4 food chains using parameters

Frog
3rd T3 like number, biomass and

2nd Grasshopper T2 energy.

1st Grass T1

Flow of energy through a food chain-

- In terrestrial ecosystem green plants capture 1% of solar energy

sun 1% plant.
- 10% law of energy flow – Given by Lindeman (1942)
“During transfer of energy from one trophic level to another,
only 10% energy is transfer while 90% is lost in digestion,
respiration & transfer”
Example- Grass 10% goat 10% Lion
Energy- 1000J 100J 10J
- Food Chain generally have 3-4 steps, as due to lease of energy
at each step, very less energy is available after 4th trophic level.

 Food web - Network of interconnected food chain is called food

web.
- Food web provides an alternate pathway of food for every
organism.
 Flow of energy is unidirectional – Sun is the ultimate source of
energy captured by the autotrophs goes to herbivores to
carnivores, not reverts back.
 Biological Magnification –
“It is progressive increase in the concentration of harmful non-
bio gradable chemicals In the body of living organism at each
trophic level of food chain.”
Eg- Pesticide water plant Consumer 1 Consumer 2
(animal) (animal)
- Pesticide is not be used by organism & accumulate in their
bodies.
- Level of pesticide is maximum in consumer 2.
- As human beings occupy the top level of food chain it
accumulates maximum in our bodies.

 Effects of Human Activities on environment –

a. Ozone depletion
b. Waste disposal
 Ozone depletion-
- Ozone (O3) – is a triatomic molecule of oxygen
- It is found as a layer around the earth in Stratosphere.
- It is not naturally found in troposphere as it is a deadly poison.
- Role of ozone layer – absorb harmful UV- radiation of sun.
 Harms caused by uv – rays or effects of ozone depletion-
- Cause skin cancer in human
- Weaken our eye sight and cause cataract.
- Reduces body immunity in human.
- Decreases photosynthesis in plants.
In Stratosphere –
O2 uv [O]+[O]
[O]+O2 O3
O2 dissociates into molecular [O] by UV radiation & these
molecular [O] {free oxygen} combines with O2 to make O3
again.
 IN Troposphere- O3 breaks to form O2 again.
Ozone depletion- The thinning of ozone layer in called ozone
depletion.
- Ozone depletion occurs due to ODS- ozone depleting
Substances like CFCs (chlorofluoro carbon), CCL4, CH4, oxides of
nitrogen, etc.
- CFCs are used by human as refrigerant and in fire extinguisher.
International efforts to stop ozone depletion-Montreal
protocol: in 1987, UNEP (United Nation Environment Program)
succeeded in forging an agreement to freeze CFC Production at
1986 levels.
Solid wastes disposal methods-
1) Recycling- Biodegradable (paper) & non-biodegradable
(glass, plastic, metals) can be extracted again from
wastes.
2) Composting- Biological decomposition of organic wastes
in a pit to make compost.
3) Incineration- Process of burning waster at very high
temperature (>10000C) in a closed chamber.
4) Landfills- Traditional method of dumping garbage in low
lying areas, outside then city.
5) Sewage treatment- dirty drain water containing urine,
faeces & other wastes are treated in treatment plants &
purified water in river.