OUR ENVIRONMENT

The biotic and abiotic factors which surrounds any living organism is called its
environment.

Organisms and physical surroundings interact with each other and maintain a balance in
nature. All the interacting organisms in an area together with the non-living constituents
form an ecosystem.
- Biotic components: Include all living organisms.
- Abiotic components: Include physical factors like temperature, rainfall, wind, soil,
and minerals.
- Natural ecosystems: Forests, ponds, lakes etc.
- Humanmade (artificial) ecosystems: Gardens, crop-fields, aquarium etc.
• Aquarium is a self-sustaining system because it includes biotic factors (fishes,
aquatic plants, animals, etc.) and abiotic factors (free space, water, oxygen &
food).
• Organisms can be grouped as producers, consumers, and decomposers.
• Producers: They make food from inorganic compounds. E.g., Green plants and
some bacteria.
• Green plants make organic compounds (sugar & starch) from inorganic
substances using the solar radiant energy in presence of chlorophyll. It is called
photosynthesis.
• Consumers: Organisms that directly or indirectly depend on the producers for
food. They consume the food from producers or by feeding on other consumers.
Types of Consumers:
o Herbivores: E.g., Grasshopper, Rabbits, Deer etc.
o Carnivores: E.g., Frog, Tiger, lion etc.
o Omnivores: E.g., Human, bears, birds, dogs etc.
o Parasites: E.g., Roundworms, tapeworms, leech etc.
o Decomposers: They break-down dead remains & waste products of organisms
(complex organic substances) into simple inorganic substances.
o Inorganic substances go into the soil and are used up by the plants.
- If the aquarium is not cleaned, fishes and plants will be died. The
microorganisms (bacteria & fungi) break-down the dead remains and waste
products of organisms.

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 - If decomposers are absent, the garbage, dead animals and plants will not
decompose.
- It leads to accumulation of organic materials thereby causes pollution.

Food Chains and Webs

- A food chain is the series of organisms feeding on one another or organisms taking
part at various biotic levels.
- Each step or level of the food chain forms a trophic level.
o Autotrophs (producers): First trophic level.
o Herbivores (primary consumers): Second trophic level.
o Small carnivores (secondary consumers): Third trophic level.
o Larger carnivores (tertiary consumers): Fourth trophic level.

- The food is a fuel to provide energy. Thus, the interaction among various components
involves flow of energy.
- Autotrophs capture solar energy and convert into chemical energy.
- From autotrophs, energy goes to heterotrophs and decomposers.
- The study of flow of energy reveals that
• Green plants in a terrestrial ecosystem capture about 1% of the solar energy that
falls on their leaves and convert it into food energy.

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• When primary consumers eat green plants, a lot of energy is lost as heat, some are
used for metabolism, growth, and reproduction. About 10% of the food is turned
into body.
• It is the average amount of organic matter present at each step. It reaches the next
level of consumers.
• Food chains generally consist of only 3 or 4 steps since so little energy is available
for the next trophic level.

• There are generally so many individuals at the lower trophic levels. Producers are
in greatest number.
• Each organism is generally eaten by two or more kinds of organisms which in
turn are eaten by several other organisms. This series of branching relationship of
food chains is called a food web.

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Energy flow diagram shows the following features:
1. Energy flow is unidirectional. It does not revert back from autotroph to the Sun or
consumer to autotroph.
2. Energy available at each trophic level gets diminished progressively due to loss of
energy at each level.

Biological Magnification
Bio amplification or biological magnification
- The increasing concentration of a substance, such
as a toxic chemical, in the tissues of organisms at
successively higher levels in a food chain.
- Some harmful chemicals may enter the bodies
through the food chain.
- E.g., Pesticides and other chemicals are washed down
into the soil or water.
- From the soil, plants absorb them.
- From the water bodies, aquatic plants & animals take
up them. Thus, they enter the food chain.
- The non-degradable chemicals get accumulated at
each trophic level. This is called biological
magnification.
- Thus cereals, vegetables, fruits & meat contain
pesticide residues. Their concentration is maximum
in human body because humans occupy the top level
in any food chain.

- Methods to reduce intake of pesticides:

▪ Minimise the use of chemical pesticides.
▪ Wash fruits & vegetables thoroughly before use.
▪ Use organic fruits and vegetables.

Ozone Layer and its Depletion

- Ozone (O3) is a deadly poison. However, at the higher levels of the atmosphere,
ozone shields the earth surface from dangerous ultraviolet (UV) radiation from
the Sun.
- UV radiation causes harmful effects such as skin cancer.

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 - At the higher levels of the atmosphere, the higher energy UV radiations split some
O2 into free oxygen (O) atoms. They combine with O2 to form ozone (O3).
O2 = O + O
O + O2 → O3
- In 1980s, the amount of ozone began to drop sharply. It was due to chemicals like
chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) which are used as refrigerants and in fire
extinguishers.
- In 1987, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) made an
agreement to freeze CFC production at 1986 level. It is now mandatory to make
CFC-free refrigerators.
- Other ozone depleting substances: Hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), halons
- The size of the ozone hole has reduced in recent years.

MANAGING THE GARBAGE, WE PRODUCE

• Garbage are the unwanted materials that people have thrown away.
• In organisms, specific enzymes are needed to break-down a particular substance.
• So, if we eat coal, we do not get energy.
• Similarly, bacteria or other saprophytes have no enzymes to break down
artificial materials like plastics.
• Substances that are broken down by biological processes are called
biodegradable.
• E.g., Fruits, vegetables, leaves, meat, paper, rubber etc.
• Substances that are not broken down by biological processes are called non-
biodegradable.
• They are inert and persist for a long time or may harm the ecosystem.

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 • E.g., Plastics, glass, nylon

- There are biodegradable plastics such as Polylactic acid, Polyhydroxyalkanoates,

Polybutylene succinate etc.
- At home and classroom, there are various biodegradable and non-biodegradable
wastes produced. They have to be collected separately and treated properly.
- The local body (panchayat, municipal corporation, resident welfare association) have
mechanisms to treat biodegradable & nonbiodegradable wastes separately.
- Improvements in lifestyle and changes in attitude have generated much amount of
waste material.
- Changes in packaging have resulted in much of our waste becoming non-
biodegradable.
- Disposable plastic cups are non-biodegradable. An alternative was kulhads,
(disposable clay cups).
- But making these result in the loss of the fertile topsoil. Now disposable paper-cups
are used.
- It is better than plastic cups because it is biodegradable and do not affect the property
of drinks in the cup.
- Electronic & electrical wastes (e-wastes) include mobile phones, computers,
televisions etc.
- They contain dangerous chemicals such as mercury, lead, cadmium, polybrominated
flame retardants, barium, and lithium.
- They cause damage to brain, heart, liver, kidney, and skeletal system.