Answers of Our Environment Question 1.

Why are some substances biodegradable and some non-biodegradable ?

Answer:
Substances that are broken down by biological processes are said to be biodegradable.
In our environment, many of the substances are broken easily by decomposers
(bacteria and fungi) as they possess specific enzymes for such activity. However, there
are other substances also which are not broken down in this manner and are known as
non-biodegradable substances. Since these substances are not degraded by bacteria
and fungi, so they persist for a long time. These non-biodegradable substances will be
acted upon by physical processes like heat and pressure. Question 2.
Give any two ways in which biodegradable substances would affect the environment.
Answer: 1.They may produce foul smell during decomposition
process. 2.They may produce some harmful gases such as
ammonia, methane, carbon dioxide, etc., which can further-cause global warming.
Question 3.
Give any two ways in which non-biodegradable substances would affect the
environment.
Answer: 1.These inert substances simply persist in the environment.
This means that these substances require land area for dumping. 2.Excess of
fertilizers, pesticides and other chemicals changes soil chemistry and also affects
aquatic life. 3.Most of these chemicals and heavy metal are easily
absorbed by the organisms. This causes biological magnification. Question 1
What are trophic levels ? Give an example of food chain and state the different trophic
levels in it.
Answer:
Trophic Levels : The various steps in a food chain at which the transfer of food (or
energy) takes place are called trophic levels.
Example : A food chain operating in a grassland is given below :

Grass → Insects → Frog → Birds. In this food chain-

1. Grass represents the first trophic level. 2. Grasshopper represents the second
trophic level. 3.Frog represents the third trophic level.
4.Eagle represents the fourth tropic level. Question 2
What is the role of decomposers in the ecosystem ?
Answer:
(i) Decomposers help in decomposing the dead bodies of plants and animals and hence
act as cleansing agents of the environment.
(ii) Decomposers also help in putting back the various elements of which dead plants
and animals are made, back into the soil, air and water for reuse by the producers like
crop plants.
(iii) They help in recycling of the nutrients.
(iv) They decompose dead remains thereby providing space for new life to settle in the
biosphere. Question 1
What is ozone and how does it affect any ecosystem ?
Answer:Ozone (O3) is an isotope of oxygen, i.e., it is a molecule formed by three atoms
of oxygen.At the higher levels of the atmosphere, ozone performs an essential function.
It shields the surface of the earth from ultraviolet (UV) radiations from the sun. These
radiations are highly damaging to organisms. Ultraviolet rays can cause skin cancer.
Question 2
How can you help in reducing the problem of waste disposal ? Give any two methods.
Answer:
(i) Recycling : The solid wastes like paper, plastics and metals, etc. are recycled.
(ii) Preparation of Compost: Biodegradable domestic wastes such as left over food, fruit
and vegetable peels and leaves of potted plants, etc. can be converted into compost by
burying in a pit dug into ground. Question 1
Which of the following groups contain only biodegradable item?
(a) Grass, flowers and leather
(b) Grass, wood and plastic
(c) Fruit peels, cake and lime juice
(d) Cake, wood and grass
Answer:
(a) Grass, flowers and leather. Question 2
Which of the following constitutes a food-chain ?
(a) Grass, wheat and mango
(b) Grass, goat and human
(c) Goat, cow and elephant
(d) Grass, fish and goat
Answer:
(b) Grass, goat and human. Question 3
Which of the following are environment friendly practices ?
(a) Carrying cloth-bags to put purchases in while shopping
(b) Switching off unnecessary lights and fans
(c) Walking to school instead of getting your mother to drop on her scooter
(d) All of the above
Answer:
(d) All of the above. Question 4
What will happen if we kill all the organisms in one trophic level ?
Answer:
The food chain would end and ecological balance would be affected.
1. If the herbivores are killed, then the carnivores would not be able to get food and
would die. 2. If carnivores are killed, then the population of herbivores would
increase to unsustainable level. 3.If producers are killed,
then the nutrient cycle in that area would not be completed. Question 5
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:
Yes, the impact of removing all the organisms in a trophic level will be different for
different trophic levels. For example, on removing producers; herbivores would not be
able to survive or they would migrate and ecosystem would collapse. If herbivores are
removed, producers would grow unchecked and carnivores would not get food. If
carnivores are removed, herbivores would increase to unsustainable levels and could
destroy the producers. If decomposers are removed, the dead animals would pile up
due to which the environment would become polluted. In addition to this, if dead animals
will not decompose, the recycling of nutrients in the soil will be stopped and its fertility
will be reduced. As a result the green cover of the earth will be lost. Thus to maintain
the balance of the ecosystem the presence of organisms is necessary at each trophic
level. Question 6
What is biological magnification ? Will the levels of this magnification be different at
different levels of the ecosystem?
Answer:
Biological magnification : The increase in concentration of harmful chemical substances
like pesticides in the body of living organisms at each trophic level of a food chain is
called biological magnification.
Yes, levels of bio-magnification would increase as the trophic level increases and would
be the highest for topmost trophic level. It would affect their biological process such as
growth, reproduction, etc. Question 7
What are the problems caused by the non-biodegradable wastes that we generate ?
Answer:
The problems caused by the non-biodegradable wastes are : 1.If the quantity of
non-biodegradable matter increases in the nature then bio-magnification of poisonous
chemicals in our body increases. 2.If the non-biodegradal waste keeps on increasing
there will not be left any substance for new organisms. 3.The
increasing quantity of non-biodegradable waste will cause imbalance of ecosystem.
Question 8
If all the waste we generate is biodegradable, will this have no impact on the
environment ? [CBSE 2011, 2013]
Answer:
If all the waste we generate is biodegradable, it will also have impact on the
environment. If it is disposed off properly, the problem of air, water and soil pollution can
be lessened to an extent. There would be less health problems and humans would be
disease-free.
But if it is not disposed off properly, it will affect the environment adversely. Question 9
Why is damage to the ozone layer a cause for concern ? What steps are being taken to
limit this damage ?
Answer:
The damage to the ozone layer is a cause for concern because if the ozone layer in the
atmosphere disappears completely, then all the extremely harmful ultraviolet radiations
coming from the sun would reach the earth. These ultraviolet radiations would cause
skin cancer and other ailments in men and animals and also damage the plants.
In an attempt to protect the ozone layer, the United Nations Environment Programme
(UNEP) unanimously forged an agreement among its member countries to freeze CFC
production at 1986 levels.