FYBCOM – SEM I

ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES - I
Asst Prof. Nazneen Shaikh
 Meaning of Environment

The word ‘environment’ is derived from the old French

word ‘environer’ – which means to ‘surround, enclose,
and encircle.’

It can be defined as Natural surroundings of that

organism which directly or indirectly influence the
growth & development of the organism.

It is the sum total of all living and non-living factors that

compose the surroundings of man.

It is also defined as the ‘surroundings in which an

organism operates including air, water, land & natural
resources, flora, fauna, humans & their inter relations.’
 In Hindu Mythology, the word ‘Pancha Mahabhute’ are
the basic elements of our natural environment – Earth,
Water, Energy, Air, & Sky.
 These are naturally formed surrounding also called as
‘Natural Environment.’
 Man-made features includes Buildings and houses,
roads and rails, dams and canals and cultural features.
Vehicles, offices, electric poles, playgrounds, gardens
and so on. They form artificial surroundings and hence
constitute ‘Cultural Environment.’
 Nature & Scope of Environment

• Our surrounding includes forest, rivers, mountains, desert,

or a combination of these elements.
• Most of us live in landscapes that have been heavily
modified by the human beings in villages, towns and
cities.
• But even those of us who live in cities get our food supply
from surrounding villages.
• We use water to drink and other day to day activities, we
breath air, we use resources from which food is made.
• Our dependence on nature is so great that we cannot
continue to live without protecting the earths
environmental resources.
Environment is not a single subject. It is an integration of several
subjects that includes both science and social science.

To understand all the different aspects of our environment we need

to understand biology, chemistry, physics, geography, resources
management, economics and population issue.

Thus the scope of environmental studies is extremely wide and

covers some aspects of nearly every major discipline.

We will in a world in which natural resources are limited. Water, air,

soil, minerals, oils, the product we get from the forests, grasslands,
oceans, and from agriculture and from livestock are all the part of
our life support system. Without them life itself will be impossible.
Components of Environment
 Location: a place which also refers to site,
situation and the position of the
environment on the surface of the earth.

(I) Absolute Location: (Correct) is given in

terms of latitudes and longitudes on the
Natural earth’s surface. (Uses man-made locations)

(Physical) • Example: 123, Main Street (Home Delivery at exact

location)
Environment • The boat is 30 degree north and 50 degree west.

Abiotic (II) Relative Location: it is more meaningful

in the real-world situation. It is given with
Factors: reference to some other known feature.
• Example: “My farm is located very close to a
perennial stream or my factory is located at the
junction of roads and railways.”
• My house is located at 1 mile from Station. My
house is 5 minutes away from the Station. 5
Minutes drive heading north from the school.
2. Relief: Ups & Downs of the earth’s surface.
• Mountains, plateaus and plains are the basic relief features
playing an important role in the development of farming, laying of
transport lines and in the domestication of animals.
• Mountains are sparsely populated and plains (a large area of flat
land) support densely population.
• Industrial and commercial activities also depends on relief.
• Hydroelectricity generations sites are found in mountainous areas
of high altitudes.
• Transport and communication facilities are easily developed at
lower cost in plain areas.
3. Geological Structure: It is the
composition of underlying rocks in a
region. Rocks contain certain economic
minerals and hence such areas are
attractive for mining activities.

The countries having vast deposits of coal

and especially oil and gas have
dominated the world economy (OPEC
Countries – Iran, Iraq, Nigeria, Saudi
Arabia, UAE, Algeria and many more)

Countries like Australia, Canada, France,

Namibia have gained importance due to
their richness in the Uranium ore that is
essential for the atomic power generation.
4. Climate: It refers to the general condition of the
atmosphere – the air that surrounds us.
It is the most dominant component of natural/physical
environment.
It plays direct role in deciding the health condition of human
beings and thereby the efficiency.
Temperature, humidity, winds, air-pressure, rainfall etc are
all the basic elements of climate.
There is a direct impact on the typical house types, clothing
as well as food habits found in different parts of the world.
Example: Chocolate industry needs a cool and dry climate.
5. Energy: Energy received from the sun also forms a
very important component of natural environment.
• Sun is an important source of light and energy for
us on the earth surface.
• It supports the growth of plants directly and
animals indirectly.
• The solar radiation varies according to the season
and this gives rise to climatic changes and thereby
changes in natural vegetation and crops.
 BIOTIC COMPONENTS
1. Soils: It is partly living an non living
component of the environment.
• It occurs as a thin layer of loose sediments
over land surface.
• It plays an important role in activity like
farming and horticulture.
• It is mostly made up of small particles of
rock (sand and clay) mixed with
decomposed plants and animals.
• Plants use their roots to get water and
nutrients from the soil.
• Soils are different from place to place – this
can be a big factor in which plants and
animals live in a certain area.
2. Plants: The natural vegetation occurs in
the form of trees, bushes, grasses and
climbers etc.
• It grows under the suitable
environmental conditions such as the
sunlight, water-supply and soil-cover.
• Oceans bottoms are also covered by
another type of vegetation that thrives
under sea-water.
• The plants live and grow on account of
the presence of carbon-dioxide in the
atmosphere and also of the sunlight.
They can form their own food though
the process called ‘Photosynthesis’ &
produces carbohydrates as food for man,
animals and microorganisms.
 1. Socio-cultural environment:
• A typical man-made environment.
CULTURAL
• Develops as a consequence of human
(HUMAN)
traits like religion, political setup and
COMPONENTS
ethnic character of the population.
• Economic and commercial utilization of
resources is also related to religious
practices.
Example: Asian countries limited the
development of marine and animal
resources due to vegetarianism by local
religious like Buddhism and Jainism.
• Hinduism believes in Worshipping of animals which adversely
affects leather industry.
• High standards of economic development prevailing in Europe
and North America due to no constraints followed by majority of
Christians.

Political Environment includes the types of ideological principles

which generate different controls on production and
consumption activities.
• The government set up can be either democratic, communist or
a monarchy based on which it decides its own priorities of
resource use and allocation.
2. Economic Environment:
• Develops as a result of economic activities developed by man i.e.,
farming, mining, grazing, fishing, manufacturing and trade.
• The utilization/exploitation of resources depends mainly upon 2 factors:
i) Availability of local resources &
ii) Availability of technology to exploit resources.
• Geographical factors make distribution of natural resources highly uneven
in character.
• Deposits of petroleum in middle east, coal in USA, UK, France, Germany
and China.
• Plains in Europe and Asian Countries are highly fertile and contribute to
developed agriculture
• These are gifted countries as they are blessed with resources in large
deposits.
Technology used for developing resources also
plays an important role in improving the
economic environment of a country.

It enhances quality of production due to mass

production.

Improper use of technology however leads to

serious problems such as growth of
unemployment, and deterioration of
environment via air and water pollution.
 STRUCTURE OF
THE EARTH
The structure of the earth is
divided into four major
components:
• the crust,
• the mantle,
• the outer core, &
• the inner core.
Each layer has a unique chemical
composition, physical state,
and can impact life on Earth's
surface.
1. Crust: The crust is the outer layer of the earth. It is a thin layer
between 0-60 km thick. The crust is the solid rock layer upon
which we live. There are two different types of crust:
continental crust, which carries land, and oceanic crust, which
carries water.

2. Mantle: It is the thick, dense rocky matter that surrounds the

core with a radius of about 2885 km. The mantle covers the
majority of the Earth’s volume. The mantle is made up of
semi-molten rock called magma. In the upper parts of the
mantle the rock is hard, but lower down the rock is soft and
beginning to melt. It is composed of hot silicate rocks rich in
iron and magnesium.
3. CORE: The Earth’s Core is divided into 2 different zones:
• The Outer Core
• The Inner Core
The Outer core is liquid because the temperatures there are
adequate to melt the iron-nickel alloy. It is in liquid state and the
molten outer fore flows at a very slow speed and so the electron
from the metals produce an electrical current which powers the
Earth’s magnetic field.
The Inner Core is solid even though its temperature is higher than
the outer core. It is very hot and pressure from the weight of the
rest of the Earth doesn’t allow the material to melt. Iron’s normal
temperature melting is 1535 C but on the earth’s inner core it
could stand 4000 C without melting.
Structure of the
Environment
2. Hydrosphere − Hydrosphere
comprises all water resources such
as ocean, seas, lakes, rivers,
reservoirs, icecaps, glaciers, and
ground water.
3. Lithosphere − It is the outer mantle of
the solid earth. It contains minerals
occurring in the earth’s crust and the
soil.
4. Biosphere − It constitutes the realm
of living organisms (plants, animals,
one-celled organisms) and their
interactions with the environment
(atmosphere, hydrosphere, and
lithosphere).
Ecosystem
 Types of Ecosystem

An ecosystem can be as small as

an oasis in a desert, or as big as
an ocean, spanning thousands of
miles. There are two types of
ecosystem:
• Terrestrial Ecosystem: This
ecosystem is related to land.
• Aquatic Ecosystem: This
ecosystem is related to water.
 Terrestrial Ecosystems
Terrestrial ecosystems are exclusively
land-based ecosystems. There are
different types of terrestrial
ecosystems distributed around
various geological zones. They are
as follows:
• Forest Ecosystems
• Grassland Ecosystems
• Tundra Ecosystems
• Desert Ecosystem
 Aquatic Ecosystem
Aquatic ecosystems are ecosystems present in
a body of water. These can be further
divided into two types, namely:
1. Freshwater Ecosystem
2. Marine Ecosystem
1. Freshwater Ecosystem:
• The freshwater ecosystem is an aquatic
ecosystem that includes lakes, ponds,
rivers, streams and wetlands. These have
no salt content in contrast with the marine
ecosystem.
2. Marine Ecosystem:
• The marine ecosystem includes seas and
oceans. These have a more substantial salt
content and greater biodiversity in
comparison to the freshwater ecosystem.
 Structure of the Ecosystem
The structure of an ecosystem is characterised by the organisation of both biotic
and abiotic components. This includes the distribution of energy in our
environment. It also includes the climatic conditions prevailing in that particular
environment.

The structure of an ecosystem can be split into two main components, namely:

Biotic Components

Abiotic Components

The biotic and abiotic components are interrelated in an ecosystem. It

is an open system where the energy and components can flow
throughout the boundaries.
1. Biotic Components:
• Biotic components refer to all life in an ecosystem. Based on nutrition, biotic
components can be categorised into autotrophs, heterotrophs
and saprotrophs (or decomposers).
Producers include all autotrophs such as plants. They are called autotrophs as
they can produce food through the process of photosynthesis. Consequently,
all other organisms higher up on the food chain rely on producers for food.
Consumers or heterotrophs are organisms that depend on other organisms for
food. Consumers are further classified into primary consumers, secondary
consumers and tertiary consumers.
• Primary consumers are always herbivores that they rely on producers for food.
• Secondary consumers depend on primary consumers for energy. They can
either be a carnivore or an omnivore.
• Tertiary consumers are organisms that depend on secondary consumers for
food. Tertiary consumers can also be an omnivore.
Decomposers include saprophytes such as fungi and bacteria. They directly thrive
on the dead and decaying organic matter. Decomposers are essential for the
ecosystem as they help in recycling nutrients to be reused by plants.
2. Abiotic Components: are the non-living component of an
ecosystem. It includes air, water, soil, minerals, sunlight,
temperature, wind, altitude, etc.
Elaborate on
the functions
• Organic Interdependence
of
• Energy Transfer (Food Chain,
Environment. Food Web, & Food Pyramid)
of the • Equilibrium of Ecosystem
Environment • Dynamism of Environment
• Geo-Chemical Cycles
 a) Organic Interdependence:
• The interactions of an organism with its environment are
vital to its survival, and the functioning of the ecosystem as a
whole.

I. Plants: plays the role of Producers, since they are

autotrophs (Producing their own food). They use solar
energy to perform Photosynthesis. This process converts
simple inorganic matter like carbondioxide, water and
other nutrients into complex substances like carbohydrates
and sugar which helps in the growth and sustenance of
plants.

II. Animals: Plays the role of Consumers being hetrotrophs,

they do not produce their own food rather depends on
plants for their food directly or indirectly. Based on the
nature of food the animals are categorised into 3 types:
Herbivores, Carnivores and Omnivores.
• Micro organisms plays the role of Reducers. Bacteria and Fungi
assist in the process of decomposition. They break down the dead
organic matter and return to soils. They are therefore termed as
‘MICRO-Consumers’
B) Energy Transfer: takes place through Food Chain. All plants and
animals gets the energy transferred from Sun. Plants uses sunlight
to make food by photosynthesis and movement of energy takes
place in the form of food from one form of life to another.
Food Chain:
1. Grass Cattle Man.
2. Insects Hen Frog Snake .
3. Planktons Small Fish Big Fish Man.
 Trophic Levels of Food Chains:
• The feeding positions in a food chain or web are called trophic
levels. The different trophic levels are defined in the Table below.
Examples are also given in the table. All food chains and webs
have at least two or three trophic levels. Generally, there are a
maximum of four trophic levels.
Trophic Level Where it gets food Example

1st Trophic Level: Producer Plants make food

Makes its own food

2nd Trophic
Consumes producers Mice eat plant seeds
Level: Primary Consumer
3rd Trophic Level: Secondary
Consumes primary consumers Snakes eat mice
Consumer
4th Trophic Level: Tertiary Consumes
Hawks eat snakes
Consumer secondary consumers
• Trophic Level 1: In any Ecosystem is madeup of Green plants. And therefore they
are known as ‘PRODUCERS’ in the Food Chain.
• Trophic Level 2: is made up of ‘PRIMARY CONSUMERS’ which are organisms
consuming green plants for their survival. The animals in this group are
Herbivores animals like cows, rabbits, goats and insects like caterpillars, honey
bees etc.
• Trophic Level 3: comprises of ‘SECONDARY CONSUMERS’ to feed on the primary
consumers or the herbivores animals and are called as Carnivores like Lion,
Snakes, Fox, cats etc.
• Trophic Level 4: are called as ‘TERTIARY CONSUMERS’ and are the top carnivores
animals which feed on the secondary consumer. E.g., Tigers, lions etc
• Trophic Level 5: are called as ‘QUATERNARY CONSUMERS’ which feed on tertiary
consumers. They are placed at the top of the levels and called as PREDATORS.
They feed on Preys.
• When any organism dies DETRIVORES
like vultures, worms and crabs eat them
up. The rest are broken down by the
decomposers like bacteria, and fungi
and returns the nutrients to the soil and
thus the exchange of energy continues
in the ecosystem.
 1. Food Chain:

The sun is the ultimate source of energy on earth. It provides the energy required
for all plant life. The plants utilise this energy for the process of photosynthesis,
which is used to synthesise their food.

During this biological process, light energy is converted into chemical energy and
is passed on through successive levels. The flow of energy from a producer, to a
consumer and eventually, to an apex predator or a detrivore is called the food
chain.

Dead and decaying matter, along with organic debris, is broken down into its
constituents by scavengers. The reducers then absorb these constituents. After
gaining the energy, the reducers liberate molecules to the environment, which can
be utilised again by the producers.
 2. Ecological Pyramids

An ecological pyramid is the graphical representation of the

number, energy, and biomass of the successive trophic levels of
an ecosystem. Charles Elton was the first ecologist to describe
the ecological pyramid and its principals in 1927.

The biomass, number, and energy of organisms ranging from the

producer level to the consumer level are represented in the form
of a pyramid; hence, it is known as the ecological pyramid.

The base of the ecological pyramid comprises the producers,

followed by primary and secondary consumers. The tertiary
consumers hold the apex. In some food chains, the quaternary
consumers are at the very apex of the food chain.
The producers generally outnumber the primary consumers and
similarly, the primary consumers outnumber the secondary
consumers. And lastly, apex predators also follow the same trend as the
other consumers; wherein, their numbers are considerably lower than
the secondary consumers.

For example, Grasshoppers feed on crops such as cotton and wheat,

which are plentiful. These grasshoppers are then preyed upon by
common mice, which are comparatively less in number. The mice are
preyed upon by snakes such as cobras. Snakes are ultimately preyed on
by apex predators such as the brown snake eagle.
 FOOD WEB
Food Web:
• The word ‘web’ means network. Food web is a network of
interconnected food chains. It comprises all the food chains
within a single ecosystem. It helps in understanding that plants
lay the foundation of all the food chains.
• A food chain cannot stand isolated in an ecosystem. The same
food resource may be a part of more than one chain. This is
possible when the resource is at the lower tropic level.
• A food web comprises all the food chains in a single ecosystem. It
is essential to know that each living thing in an ecosystem is a
part of multiple food chains.
• Food webs are significant tools in understanding that
plants are the foundation of all ecosystem and food
chains, sustaining life by providing nourishment and
oxygen needed for survival and reproduction. The food
web provides stability to the ecosystem.
• The tertiary consumers are eaten by quaternary
consumers. For example, a hawk that eats owls. Each
food chain ends with a top predator and animal with no
natural enemies (such as an alligator, hawk, or polar
bear).
 All living things must remain in balance, or equilibrium,
also known as homeostasis. Our bodies maintain a
balance of many things such as temperature. If we are
too hot we sweat and if we are too cold we shiver. Our
temperature must remain in equilibrium.

Even larger collections of living things

like ecosystems must be in balance too. An ecosystem is
a collection of living and non-living things in an area.

c) EQUILIBRIUM
OF ECO-SYSTEM Too many or too few of a species can cause a population
crash, where species in an ecosystem die off.

Eco-systems are self-regulating(controlling). The insects

increases in the rainy season due to increased growth of
vegetation. When insects increase there are more frogs
as well as more snakes to hunt them. This keeps the
number under check in the eco-system.
 • All the components of environment
are dynamic. They do not remain
constant in location or in form. Biotic
and Abiotic components interact with
physical and chemical changes.
• They keep on undergoing changes in
d) Dynamism location and form. However, they
once again attain their original form &
in position.
Environment: • They follow a CYCLE and such cycle
operates in the environment so they
distribute material and maintain the
ecological balance i.e., Water Cycle,
Carbon Cycle, Nitrogen Cycle, are
some of the examples of Geo-
chemical cycles.
 Geochemical Cycles
• All elements in the earth are recycled time and again.
The major elements such as oxygen, carbon, nitrogen,
phosphorous, and sulphur are essential ingredients that
make up organisms.
• Biogeochemical cycles refer to the flow of such chemical
elements and compounds between organisms and the
physical environment. Chemicals taken in by organisms
are passed through the food chain and come back to the
soil, air, and water through mechanisms such as
respiration, excretion, and decomposition.
• As an element moves through this cycle, it often forms
compounds with other elements as a result of metabolic
processes in living tissues and of natural reactions in the
atmosphere, hydrosphere, or lithosphere.
• Such cyclic exchange of material between the living
organisms and their non-living environment is called
Biogeochemical Cycle.
 The evaporation of water from ocean, rivers, lakes,
and transpiring plants takes water in the form of
vapors to the atmosphere. This vaporized water
subsequently cools and condenses to form cloud and
water. This cooled water vapor ultimately returns to
the earth as rain and snow, completing the cycle.

Hydrological A part of rain seeps down to collect as ground water

in porous rocks. The rest of water flows towards lakes
(Water) Cycle and seas.

It is once again evaporated by solar heat to begin

another cycle.
 Carbon Cycle

• Carbon enters into the living world in the form of

carbon dioxide through the process of
photosynthesis as carbohydrates. These organic
compounds (food) are then passed from the
producers to the consumers (herbivores &
carnivores). This carbon is finally returned to the
surrounding medium by the process of respiration
or decomposition of plants and animals by the
decomposers. Carbon is also recycled during the
burning of fossil fuels.
• The Carbon cycle is the second most important
cycle and involves a movement of chemical carbon
from the environment into living organism and
then back to the environment.
 Nitrogen Cycle

Nitrogen Cycle circulates nitrogen. It reaches the

environment as waste or in dead bodies. When
organism break down proteins, they produce
nitrogeneous waste, fungi and other
decomposers break down proteins stored in
dead organism to produce nitrogen.

Nitrogen is present in the atmosphere in an

elemental form and as such it cannot be utilized
by living organisms. This elemental form of
nitrogen is converted into combined state with
elements such as H, C, O by certain bacteria, so
that it can be readily used by the plants.
 OXYGEN CYCLE
• This biogeochemical cycle moves through
the atmosphere, the lithosphere and the
biosphere. Oxygen is an abundant element
on our Earth. It is found in the elemental
form in the atmosphere to the extent of
21%.
• Oxygen is released by the plants during
photosynthesis. Humans and other animals
inhale the oxygen exhale carbon dioxide
which is again taken up by the plants. They
utilise this carbon dioxide in photosynthesis
to produce oxygen, and the cycle continues.
 Environment’s Influence on Man:
• Man and environment relationship is as old as
the evolution of mankind. Since the evolution
of man, the physical elements of the planet
earth, such as terrain, soil, water, climate, flora
and fauna formed man’s environment. During
that time man was a typically a ‘physical man’
because of his limited wants, requirements,
Man- and total dependence on nature.
• The Environment has greater impact as Man’s
Environment basic needs are all determined by climate.
Relationship • His Occupation is found in the region and
consequently industrialization is also
determined by nature.
• The availability of resources on this earth is
determined by natural forces and has
tremendous influence on human life and his
very existence on planet earth.
• In Short, Human survival is completely
depended on the environment.
Man’s Influence on the Environment:
• On Account of the advancing and
sophisticated technology, man has
become more powerful than in the past.
• As per the wish of man, he can change
the landscape to his own convenience.
• He has almost become a master of
nature!
• In his tryst towards so called progress
and growth every nation us modifying
and exploiting the natural environment
to suit their individual needs and greed.
• This has resulted in major environmental
concerns viz.,
• Rapid exploitation of renewable resources like forest, fisheries,
land etc beyond their natural capacity to regenerate.
• Extinction of some species of plant & animal life.
• Faster use of energy resources.
• Growth of unplanned infrastructure in coastal areas, putting stress
on fragile ecosystem.
• High levels of Green House Gases emissions and faster pace of
Global Warming.
• Use of Chemicals for increasing the food production on the earth,
but in the process causing major health risks, environmental
contamination.
• Increasing industrialization causing a major problem of water, soil
and air pollution.
• Degradation of soil.
• Deforestation.
 SCOPE OF ENVIRONMENTAL
STUDIES

• Developing an awareness about the total environment and its related

problems.
• Motivating people for active participation in environmental protection
and improvement.
• Developing skills for active identification and development of solutions of
environmental problems.
• Imbibe and inculcate the necessity for conservation of natural resources.
• Evaluation of environmental programmes in terms of social, economic,
ecological and aesthetic factors.
• Scope of environmental study is very wide and It deals with areas like
Conservation of natural resources, ecological aspects, pollution of the
surrounding natural resources, controlling the pollution, impact of human
population on the environment.
For any queries Connect with me on: [email protected]

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