OUR ENVIRONMENT

8
CHAPTER

CONTENTS  Non-biodegradable wastes :

 Environment  They are the wastes which cannot be broken down
 Waste by decomposers because they do not have
enzymes for the same.
 Ecosystem
 Most of the nonbiodegrable wastes are human
 Ecosystem Structure made, e.g., plastic, crockery, metallic cans, glass

 Food Chains
articles, polythene bgas, synthene fibres, silver
foil, many pesticides (e.g., BHC, DDT).
 Characteristics of food chains  Some of the soluble but nonbiodegradable
 Ozone Depletion chemicals enter food chains, persists, undergo
biomagnification and harm the consumers of
 Management of Garbage various levels includings humans.

ENVIRONMENT ECOSYSTEM

It is the sum total of all external factors, Ecosystem is a self contained ecological system
substances, living beings and conditions that which consists of a distinct biotic community and
surround an organism & effect the same without the physical environment, both interacting and
becoming its part. exchanging material between them.

 Natural Ecosystem.
WASTE
They are ecosystems which develop in nature
Waste are useless left over or discarded materials.
without human support. Natural ecosystems are of
They can be gaseous, liquid or solid.
two types, terrestrial and aquatic.
 Biodegradable Wastes
 Terrestrial Ecosystems :
 They are wastes which are broken down and
Occurs over land. They are of three major types
disposed of naturally by saprophytes or
decomposers. desert, grassland and forest. Aquatic ecosystems
are found in water bodies, e.g. ponds, lakes, rivers
 Biodegradable wastes generally organic wastes,
(fresh water), estuaries, marine (salt water)
e.g., garbage, sewage, livestock waste, used tea
leaves.  Artificial Ecosystems.
 They can also be diposed of through waste They are ecosystem which have been created and
treatment plants or converted into an agricultural
are maintained by human beings.
resource of manure and compost.
 ECOSYSTEM STRUCTURE  Decomposers : They are saprophytes which
obtain their nourishment from organic remains.
Ecosystem consists of two types of components,
Decomposers secrete enzymes over the organic
biotic and abiotic.
remains. It causes breakdown of organic remains
 Biotic components: into simpler and soluble substances that are
They incluce all the living organisms present in absorbed by saprophytes. In the process various
the ecosystem. The assemblage of populations of inorganic raw materials are released. The
different living organisms present in an ecosystem phenomenon is called mineralisation. They are
is also called biotic community. Autotrophs are also known as microconsumers because they are
also called producers. All other organisms which small sized heterotrophs, e.g., many bacteria
are unable to manufacture their own food are
many fungi.
called heterotrophs. Heterotrophs are of two
types, consumers and decomposers. Detrivores (Scavengers) : They are animals
which feed on dead bodies, e.g., vultures, kites,
 Producers : They are green plants, blue-green detrivores help in quick disposal of corpses.
algae (= cyanobacteria), some bacteria and minute
free floating autotrophic organisms called FOOD CHAINS
phytoplankton. All of them possess chlorophyll.
The energy contained in food is chemical energy. Food chain is a sequence of organisms in a biotic
It is the transformed form of solar energy that has community through which food passes with
been absorbed with the help of chlorophyll of
members of a step becoming food of the members
producers. Because of it, the producers are also
of the next step of the sequence. In other words, it
called transducers or converters.
is a list of who eats whom in a biotic community.
 Consumers : They are organisms which feed on A food chain usually consists of producers,
other organisms. Consumers are of four types – various levels of consumers and decomposers.
herbivores, carnivores, omnivores and parasites. Each step or division in food chain which is
characterized by a particular method of obtaining
(i) Herbivores – They are animals which directly
feed on plants. Herbivores are also called food is called trophic level.
primary or first order consumers. As they  Producers :
convert plant matter into animal matter, the
They constitute the base or beginning of a food
herbivores are often called key industry
chain. They constitute the first trophic level (T1)
animals.
of a food chain.
(ii) Carnivores – They are animals which prey
upon other animals and feed on their flesh.  Herbivores or first order consumers
The carnivores which feed on herbivores are (Primary consumers) :
named as primary carnivores or second order They are animals which feed on plants or plant
consumers, e.g., frog, wild cat, jackal, fox, products. e.g., Grasshopper, Rabbit, Deer Elephant.
snake, some birds and fishes.
Herbivores constitute second trophic level (T2).
(iii) Omnivores – They are animals which feed on
 First order (Primary) carnivores or second
both plant and animal diets, e.g., human
beings, cockroach, dog, bear, crow, ant. order consumers (secondary consumers) :
Human food consists of plant food (e.g., They are animals which prey upon herbivores,
grains, pulses, vegetables, fruits, oil seeds) as e.g., Frog, Wild Cat, Fox. These animals form the
well as animal products (e.g., milk, meat, third trophic level (T3).
fish, egg).
 CHARACTERISTICS OF FOOD CHAIN radiations
CCl2F2 UV    CClF2 + Cl
 Producers based: 2Cl + O3  Cl2O + O2
All sustainable food chains are producer based. 2Cl2O  4Cl + O2
 Energy :  Effects of Ozone Depletion :
Producers obtain energy from sun. All others
(i) Cancers – The incidence of skin cancer and
(consumers) obtain the energy from food originally
herpes would increases.
built up producers. There is unidirectional flow of
(ii) Eye Sight – There will be dimming of eye
energy.
sight, photoburning and higher incidence of
 Biogenetic Nutrients :
cataracts.
Inorganic nutrients must keep on circulating with
(iii) Immune system – It will be impaired
the help of decomposers. Otherwise, food chains
resulting in increasing number of diseases.
cannot be sustained.
(iv) Mutations – More mutations will occur.
 Straight :
Most of them would be harmful.
Unless linked with another, food chain runs
straight. (v) Photosynthesis – 10–25% decline in
photosynthesis would occur.
 Size :
Food chains are generally short with 3-5 trophic (vi) Global warming – Reduced photosynthesis
will increase CO2 concentration causing
levels.
global warming.
 Populations :
Size of populations decreases with the rise in (vii) Damage to Articles
trophic level. Top carnivores are always very few.
MANAGEMENT OF GARBAGE
 Operation at different trophic levels :
An organism can operate at more than one trophic
Garbage is refuse of food, vegetables and fruit
level, e.g., snake feeds on herbivorous rat as well
articles along with other domestic wastes. Every
as carnivorous frog.
household produces garbage. Garbage management
OZONE DEPLETION is the nonpollutant disposal of the waste. It
consists of three steps.
The amount of ozone in ozonosphere began to
drop in 1980s. A spring time ozone hole (area of (i) Collection of garbage.
extreme thinness of ozone) was discovered over (ii) Transport of garbage from collection sites to
Antarctica in 1985 by Farman et al. Its area has disposal sites.
been spreading subsequently. An ozone reduction
(iii) Disposal of garbabe
of 1% increases the amount of high energy UV–B
radiations reaching the earth by 2%. It means that The noncombustible waste is used in landfill.
there has been increase in UV–B radiations  Pig and Cattle Feeding :
reaching the earth by 15–20%.
Pigs and stray cattle feed on garbage and reduce
 ODS :
its bulk.
Ozone depleting substances or ODS are those
substances which react with ozone present in the  Rag Picking :
stratosphere and destroy the same. The main Rag pickers remove various recyclable articles
ozone depleting substances are chlorofluorocarbons like rags, polythene, plastic articles, glass pieces,
(CFCs), halons, nitrous oxide, methane, carbon cans, paper, cardboard, etc.
tetrachloride and chlorine. Chlorofluorocarbons  Recycling :
are highly stable, odourless, synthetic gaseous Articles salvaged by rag pickers are recycled.
substance used as aerosol propellants, coolants, Waste paper yields cardboard while waste cotton
refrigerants, blowing agents, etc. textiles are used to produce paper.
 Composting :
Garbage is shredded and mixed with sewage
sludge and other organic remains. It is converted
into compost or vermicompost.

 Biogas and Manure :

Organic wastes can also be decomposed
anaerobically to yield biogas and manure.

 Burning :
The solid combustible waste is burnt. It, however,
causes air pollution.

 Incineration :
Organic waste is aerobically burnt at 850ºC inside
incinerator. Ash and unburnt matter is disposed
off in land filling.

 Pyrolysis :
It is anaerobic combustion of organic waste at a
temperature of 1650ºC.

 Land-filling or Dumping :
Solid waste is pulverised and dumped into a low
lying area.
 EXERCISE # 1

A.Single Choice Type Questions Q.10 Which is abiotic component of ecosystem ?

(A) Humus (B) Bacteria
Q.1 Environment consists of - (C) Plants (D) Fungi
(A) Land, air, water
(B) Light, temperature and rainfall Q.11 Who coined the term ecosystem ?
(C) Plants, animals and microbes (A) Tansley (B) Odum
(D) All the above (C) Warming (D) Darwin
Q.2 The reason for excessive generation of waste Q.12 Carnivores represent -
is - (A) Primary consumers
(A) Use and throw policy (B) Secondary and tertiary consumers
(B) Increased availability of food (C) Reducers
(C) Non-utilisation of all components of food (D) Zooplankton
(D) Increased construction wastes
Q.13 Amount of energy transferred from one
Q.3 A biodegradable waste is - trophic level to the next is -
(A) Polythene bags (A) 1.5% (B) 10%
(B) Broken glass and crockery (C) 15% (D) 20%
(C) Livestock waste
(D) Discarded plastic Q.14 In every food chain green plants are -
(A) Decomposers (B) Producers
Q.4 A non-biodegradable waste is - (C) Consumers (D) None of the above
(A) Garbage (B) Metallic articles
(C) Sewage (D) Waste paper Q.15 Which one is present in maximum number in
an ecosystem ?
Q.5 Which one is recyclable waste ? (A) Herbivores (B) Carnivores
(A) Paper
(C) Producers (D) Omnivores
(B) Torn clothes
(C) Metallic and plastic discards Q.16 An artificial ecosystem is -
(D) All the above (A) Lake (B) Ocean
(C) Aquarium (D) Forest
Q.6 Rag pickers remove -
(A) Plastic, polythene, paper and metal wastes Q.17 Ozone shield protects us from -
(B) Rags, cardboard, glass articles (A) Cosmic rays (B) UV–C
(C) Both (A) and (B) (C) UV–B (D) Both (B) and (C)
(D) Food articles
Q.18 A amount of ozone in ozonosphere began to
Q.7 Carcinogenic chemicals produced during drop in -
recycling of plastics and polythene are - (A) 1987 (B) 1980
(A) Formaldehyde (C) 1992 (D) 2000
(B) Polycyclic aromatic compounds
(C) Vinyl chloride Q.19 Organisation involved in formulating
(D) Dioxins and furans programmers for protecting environment is -
(A) WHO (B) UNDP
Q.8 Combustible material can be hygienically (C) UNEP (D) UNICEF
disposed off through -
(A) Dumping (B) Incineration Q.20 Which chemical has been replaced recently -
(C) Composting (D) Recycling (A) Malathion
(B) Chlorofluorocarbons
Q.9 City garbage can be used to produce -
(C) Chloroform
(A) Sewage sludge
(D) Ethylene dibromide
(B) Useful articles
(C) Biogas and manure
(D) All the above
 EXERCISE # 2

A.Very Short Answer Type Questions

Q.18 Distinguish a carnivore from omnivore.

Q.1 What is environment ? Q.19 Differentiate between producers and consumers.

Q.2 Name a component of environment which is

Q.20 Describe a forest food chain.
both a resource and a regulatory factor.

Q.21 Describe a grassland food chain.

Q.3 What is consumerism ?

Q.22 What is an ecological pyramid ? Name its

Q.4 Define garbage.
types.
Q.5 What are biodegradable wastes ?
Q.23 What is food web ? Depict it graphically.
Q.6 Define a nonbiodegradable waste.
Q.24 Differentiate between food chain and food
Q.7 Give two examples of biodegradable wastes. web.

Q.8 Name two nonbiodegradable wastes.

Q.25 Write a note on ozone depletion.

Q.9 Name a natural ecosystem.

Q.26 Write a note on ODS.
Q.10 Name a man-made ecosystem.
Q.27 What is the function of ozone layer ?
Q.11 What are producers ?
C.Long Answer Type Questions
Q.12 What are consumers ?

Q.28 Describe the biological components of an

Q.13 What are microconsumers ?
ecosystem.
Q.14 Define omnivores.
Q.29 Describe the various components of a typical
food chain. Give its functions.
B.Short Answer Type Questions
Q.30 Explain briefly what you know about food
Q.15 Name two functions of producers.
web. Give its importance.

Q.16 Differentiate between herbivores and Q.31 Briefly describe the mechanism of garbage
consumers. mangement.

Q.17 Describe the various categories of consumers. Q.32 Write what you know of ozone depletion.