AMITY INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL, MAYUR VIHAR

SUBJECT: Science TYPE:Handout MONTH:November

CLASS_X TOPIC: OUR ENVIRONMENT

Question 1: Why are some substances biodegradable and some non-biodegradable?

Answer: Substances which are of organic origin and can be broken down by decomposers like
bacteria into the simpler inorganic forms, by the action of enzymes are biodegradable (eg
vegetable peels, egg shell )

The substances that cannot be broken down into the simpler form by the action of bacteri a or
other saprotrophs are non-biodegradable (eg. Plastic, glass, fertilizers & chemical pesticides etc).

Question 2: Give any two ways in which biodegradable substances would affect the
environment.

Answer: Biodegradable substances can affect the environment in following ways:

(a) They will serve as breeding ground for flies and mosquitoes which are
carriers of disease like cholera, malaria etc.

(b) They produce foul smell, thus causing air pollution.

Question 3: Give any two ways in which non-biodegradable substances would affect the
environment.

Answer: Non-biodegradable substances would affect the environment in following two ways:

a. Excess use of non-biodegradable pesticide and fertilizers run off with rain water to water
bodies causes water pollution.
b. They may choke the drains and sever system that may overflow over roads.
 c. By producing harmful polluting gases, if they are burnt.

d. Wastes like pesticides and heavy metals enter the food chain and cause biological
magnification

Question 4: What are trophic levels? Give an example of a food chain and state the
different trophic levels in it.

Answer: A particular level in a food chain where transfer of energy takes place is called trophic
level. Following example shows trophic levels in a food chain:

Eg. Grass → Grasshopper → Frog → Snake

Producer → Primary Consumer → Secondary Consumer → Tertiary Consumer

Producers forms the first trophic level, primary consumer, secondary trophic level and so on.

Question 5: What is the role of decomposers in the ecosystem?

Answer: Decomposers decompose dead remains of plants and animals by converting them into
simpler forms.. By doing so, they serve two purposes.

 They return the nutrients back to the soil and thus help in making the ecosystem stable .
 act as cleansing agents of nature.
 help in maintaining the fertility of soil by adding humus content to it.

Question 6: What is ozone and how does it affect any ecosystem?

 Ozone is a form of oxygen. Ozone is a triatomic molecule while oxygen is a diatomic

molecule.
 Ozone forms the ozone layer in our atmosphere.
 Ozone plays an important role in the ecosystem, by reflecting back harmful ultraviolet
radiations from the sun and thus protects the living beings from skin cancer .

Question 7: How can you help in reducing the problem of waste disposal? Give any two
methods.

Answer: The problem of waste disposal can be reduced in many ways. Two methods are given
below:

a. By using more of biodegradable substances and reducing the use of non-biodegradable

substances. For example; instead of plastic bags, one should carry jute bags or cloth bags for
shopping.
b. By proper segregation of waste before disposing.

Question 8: What will happen if we kill all the organisms in one trophic level?
Answer: Organisms in a particular trophic level of the food chain are inter-dependent and
inter-related. If all the organisms of one trophic levelare killed-

 The organisms dependent on these organisms in turn will be affected, so there will be
disbalance in the food chain.

 The transfer of energy as well as matter to next higher level will stop

 It will lead to over population at one particular level

 This will disturb the ecosystem and the food chain cannot be sustained.

Eg If all the deer are killed in a jungle, the lions would be left with no food. This would
endanger the existence of lions. Once the lions and deer would be finished, it would result in
population explosion of green plants. If all the lions die in a jungle, it would create another
problem. Since no lion would be left to kill the deer, the population of deer would increase
substantially. This will finish off all the green plants and finally even the deer would be left
with no food for them.

Question 9: Will the impact of removing all the organisms in a trophic level be different
for different trophic levels? Can the organisms of any trophic level be removed without
causing any damage to the ecosystem?

Answer: The impact of removing all the organisms in a trophic level shall be similar for
different trophic levels; although their manifestations can be different. Organisms of any
trophic level cannot be removed without causing any damage to the ecosystem. The
examples of lions and deer in the previous answer illustrate this.

Question 10: What is biological magnification? Will the levels of this magnification be
different at different levels of the ecosystem?

Answer: Biological magnification, refers to the increase in the concentration of toxic

substances like DDT, chemicals, heavy substances etc. with each successive trophic level of
the food chain . The concentration of these toxic substances is highest at the highest trophic
level.

Question 11: Why is damage to the ozone layer a cause for concern? What steps are
being taken to limit this damage?

Answer: Ozone layer works like a protective shield for living beings. The ozone layers wards
off harmful ultraviolet radiations from the sun. Damage to the ozone layer can result in
increased level of ultraviolet radiations in our atmosphere. This would be very dangerous for
all life forms.

In 1987, the UNEP (United Nations Environment Programme) succeeded in forging an

agreement among different nations to freeze the CFC production at 1986 level. Later, an
 agreement was signed among different nations to phase out CFCs. It is important to note that
CFC is used in refrigerators and aerosol spray. India is also a signatory of that agreement and
thanks to the efforts by the United Nations and different environmentalists, the CFC emission
has been put under some control.

Q12. How does concentration of a pesticide change once it enters a food chain.

1.Pesticides are poisonous chemical substances which are sprayed over crop plants to protect
them from pest.
2.These chemicals mix up with soil and water and they are absorbed by plants at plant long
with nutrients and water.
3. when herbivorous animals eat plant food, then these poisonous pesticides enter into their
body through food chain.
4. When carnivorous eat herbivores, then pesticides get transferred into their bodies
5.Man being an Omnivore, eats plant food as well as herbivores. So pesticides present in
plants and herbivores get transferred to man through food chain.
6. Thus, pesticides enter at producer level, and in the process of transfer of food through food
chains , it gets concentrated high at trophic level.
The increase in concentration of harmful chemical substances like pesticides in the body of
living organisms at each trophic level of food chain is called Biological Magnification.

Q13. In an ecosystem, rats feed on grains. Name the trophic level to which the rats
belong.
Second trophic level.

Q14 . Plastic production is increasing day by day in spite of the fact that plastic is harmful
for the environment. Based on the above statement answer the following.
1. What are the harmful effects of plastic usage? 2. In our day to day situation what are
the alternatives that we can use instead of plastics.

Ans: Environmental pollution

Burning plastics can cause pollution
Plastic cause harm to the cattle / animals if enter inside their alimentary canal.
ii. Paper bags / jute bags can be used instead of plastic bag.

Q15. To protect the food plants from insects, an insecticide was sprayed in small amounts
but it was detected in high concentration in human beings. How did it happen?

As insecticides are not degradable, these get accumulated progressively at each tropic level. As
human beings occupy the top level in any food chain, the high concentration of insecticide gets
accumulated in their bodies. This phenomenon is known as biological magnification