Chapter: Our Environment

The environment includes our physical surroundings like air (or atmosphere), water bodies, soil (land) and all the
organisms such as plants,animals,human beings & micro-organisms like bacteria and fungi (called decomposers).
The waste materials produced by the various activities of man and animals are poisonous to some extent and can be
divided into two main groups :
1. Biodegradable wastes:Those waste materials which can be broken down to non-poisonous substances in nature
in due course of time by the action of microorganisms like certain bacteria, are called biodegradable wastes.Eg-
Cattle dung,compost, animal bones ; Leather ; Tealeaves ; Wool;Paper ; Wheat ; Wood ; Hay ; Cotton ; Jute ; Grass ;
Fruit and Vegetable peels ; Leaves, Flowers, and Cake, etc.
2. Non-biodegradable wastes:The waste materials which cannot be broken down into non-poisonous or harmless
substances in nature are called non-biodegradable wastes.Eg- D.D.T. (Dichloro Diphenyl Trichloroethane), Plastics;
Polythene bags; Ball-point pen refill; Synthetic fibres; Glass objects; Metal articles like Aluminium cans; Iron nails;
Silver foil and Radioactive wastes.
NOTE: It is due to the property of decomposer organisms of being specific in their action that some waste materials
are biodegradable whereas others are non-biodegradable.
Ecosystem : An ecosystem is a self-contained unit of living things (plants, animals and decomposers), and their non-
living environment (soil, air and water).
Types of Ecosytem : 👉👉👉👉👉👉👉👉👉👉👉👉👉👉👉

Components of an Ecosystem:
1. Abiotic Components : The abiotic components of an
Ecosystem are the non-living things present in an ecosystem
including the physical environment like soil, water and air
alongwith the inorganic substances like carbon dioxide,
nitrogen, oxygen,water, phosphorus, sulphur, sodium,
potassium, calcium and other elements present in them.
2. Biotic Components: The biotic component of an
ecosystem are the living things present in an ecosystem
Which is a community of organisms (like plants and animals),

Another type of producers and consumers which are extremely small. These are called planktons. Planktons are very
minute or microscopic organisms freely floating on the surface of water in a pond, lake, river or ocean. Planktons
are of two types :
1) Phytoplanktons : The microscopic aquatic plants freely floating on the surface of water are called
phytoplanktons.Eg- free-floating algae.
2) Zooplanktons: The microscopic aquatic animals freely floating on water are called zooplanktons.Eg-freely-floating
protozoa , a very-very small fish
FOOD CHAINS
The sequence of living organisms in a community in which one organism consumes another organism to transfer
food energy, is called a food chain. Some common Examples of food chain in different ecosystem:
Terrestrial or Grassland Food Chains:
1) Grass → Grasshopper → Frog → Snake → Hawk
2) Grass → Deer → Lion
Forest Food Chain:
1) Acorns → Squirrel → Owl → Fox
2) Grass → Rabbit → Fox → Tiger
Desert Food Chain:
1) Cactus → Desert Mouse → Snake → Hawk
Aquatic or Ocean or Sea food chains:
1) Phytoplanktons→ Zooplanktons → Small fish → Large fish → Shark
2) Phytoplanktons→ Zooplanktons → Fish → Crane → Hawk.
Pond or River Food chain.
1) Algae → Protozoa → Small Fish → Big Fish
FOOD WEB :The inter-connected food chains in an ecosystem which makes a network of relationships between
various species, is called a food web.
Trophic Level: The various steps in a food chain at which the transfer of food (or energy) takes place are called
trophic levels.
(i) The plants are producers (or autotrophs) and constitute the first trophic level.
(ii) Herbivores (which feed upon plants) constitute the second trophic level.
(iii ) Carnivores (that feed upon herbivores) constitute the third trophic level.
(iv) Large carnivores or Top carnivores (which feed upon small carnivores), constitute the fourth trophic level.

Diagrams to show various trophic levels in a food chain Diagrams to show various trophic levels in a food chain
The trophic levels in a food chain can also be represented by pyramid of numbers
The base of this pyramid is formed by producers (plants) and the top of this pyramid
is formed by the highest order consumers (or top carnivores).

Figure :Pyramid of Numbers Showing Various trophic levels

 TRANSFER OF ENERGY IN FOOD CHAINS
About 1% of the sun's energy falling on the leaves is used by the plants in the process of photosynthesis and stored
as chemical energy of food.
Important points about the transfer of energy in the ecosystem :
1.Energy is not created in the ecosystem. Energy is only converted from one form to another.
2.There is a continuous transfer of energy from one trophic level of organisms to the next trophic level in a food
chain.
3. At each trophic level of organisms, some of the energy is utilized by the organisms for their metabolic activities
like respiration, and for growth.
4. A part of the energy at each trophic level (like producers, herbivores and carnivores) is utilized for the functioning
of decomposers.
5.There is a loss of energy at each energy transfer in various trophic levels of organisms which goes into the
environment and remains unutilized.
NOTE: 1) The same materials are used again and again, the materials are not lost from the environment. So, the
flow of materials like water, carbon and nitrogen, etc., in the ecosystem is said to be cyclic.
2) The flow of energy in the ecosystem is said to be unidirectional because the energy lost as heat from the living
organisms of a food chain cannot be reused by plants in photosynthesis.
Ten Per Cent Law
According to ten per cent law, only 10 per cent of the energy entering a particular trophic level of organisms is
available for transfer to the next higher trophic level.
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.
DEPLETION OF OZONE LAYER
1) Ozone molecule is made up of 3 atoms of oxygen combined together.
2) Ozone is also a gas but it is poisonous in nature (if inhaled).
3) Ozone is formed high up in the atmosphere by the action of ultraviolet radiation on oxygen gas.

4) The free oxygen atoms thus produced are very reactive. One oxygen atom reacts with an oxygen molecule to form
an ozone molecule :

At a height between 15 kilometres and 60 kilometres, there is a layer of ozone gas (O3) in the upper atmosphere.
NOTE:
1) This ozone layer is very important for the existence of life on earth because it absorbs most of the harmful
ultraviolet(UV) radiations coming from the sun and prevents them from reaching the earth.Ultraviolet(UV) rays can
cause skin cancer and it UV rays can also damage immune system by lowering the body’s resistance to diseases.
2) The depletion of ozone layer is due to the use of chemicals called chlorofluorocarbons. This happens as follows :
Chlorofluorocarbons (CFC) are the chemicals which are widely used in refrigeration (refrigerators and air
conditioners) as a coolant; in fire extinguishers and in aerosol sprayers. Chlorofluorocarbons released into the air
react with ozone gas present in the ozone layer and destroy it gradually. Due to this, the ozone layer in the upper
atmosphere has become thinner, allowing more ultraviolet rays to pass through it to the earth and thus damaging
the vegetation.
Garbage Management
Garbage management is the process of disposing of waste properly so that it doesn't harm the environment. The
process includes collecting, transporting, treating, analyzing, and disposing of waste. Some of the important modes
of waste disposal are :
1. Recycling: We can reform glass, plastic, metal and paper objects and convert them into useful substances.This
process is called recycling.
2. Composting : 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, and used as manure.
3. Vermicomposting: Vermicomposting is the process of using worms for the degradation of organic matter into
nutrient-rich manure. Worms consume and digest the organic matter. The by-products of digestion which are
excreted out by the worms make the soil nutrient-rich, thus enhancing the growth of bacteria and fungi. It is also far
more effective than traditional composting.
4. Incineration : It refers to the process of converting waste to ash by burning it at a very high temperature (greater
than 1000°C).As a result, the volume of waste is reduced. The high temperature and enormous heat kill the
germs that cause various contagious diseases.Incineration takes place in a furnace known as an incinerator. All
the organic matter present in the waste is eliminated as carbon dioxide and water. The ash that remains
is periodically removed and disposed of at a landfill.
5. Sanitary Landfill(Dumping) : In this process, the waste that cannot be reused or recycled are separated out and
spread as a thin layer in low-lying areas across a city. A layer of soil is added after each layer of garbage. the area is
declared unfit for construction of buildings for the next 20 years.
6. Sewage treatment: Sewage treatment is the final step in returning used water to the environment. There
are three stages of sewage treatment: primary, secondary, and tertiary. The solids are first separated from the
wastewater. The dissolved biological matter is slowly converted into a solid mass using water-borne bacteria.