OUR ENVIRONMENT NOTES

Biodegradable and Non-biodegradable Wastes, Ecosystem, Components of

Ecosystem. The environment includes our physical surroundings like air (or
atmosphere), water bodies, soil (land and all the organisms such as plants, animals,
human beings and micro-organisms like bacteria and fungi (called decomposers).
The waste materials produced by the various activities of man £nd animals are
poisonous to some extent and can be divided into two main groups

1. Biodegradable Wastes: Substances that are broken down by the biological

processes are said to be biodegradable. These substances are decomposed through
the actions of fungi, bacteria, and other living organisms. Temperature and sunlight
also play an important role in the decomposition of biodegradable substances.
For Examples: Food waste, trees leaves, urine and fecal matter, sewage agricultural
residue, paper, wood, cloth, cow-dung etc.

2. Non-Biodegradable Wastes: Substances that are not broken down by biological

processes. These substances may be in solid, liquid or gaseous form. These
substances are inert and simply persist in the environment for a long time or may
harm the various members of the ecosystem.
For Examples: These includes DDT (Di-chloro-di phenyl trichloro ethane-in-phenyl the
cheoro ethane), insecticides, pesticides, mercury, lead, arsenic aluminium, plastics,
polythene bags, glass, radioactive wastes. These non-biodegradable wastes are
major pollutants of the environment.

Harmful effects of biodegradable and Non-Biodegradable Substance

1. The waste destroys the natural beauty and our surroundings become
dirty.
2. Decomposition of these wastes results in the production of foul smell,
which spreads to the surrounding areas.
3. These wastes may also block the drains creating pools of waste, which
becomes the breeding sites of mosquitoes. The latter is carriers of
diseases like malaria and dengue.

Difference between Biodegradable and Non-Biodegradable wastes

Biodegradable wastes Non-Biodegradable wastes

1. The wastes that are broken down 1. The wastes that are not broken down
naturally by microbial action. by the microbes.

2. Biodegradation forms harmless and

2. No such action is possible.
non- poisonous products.

3. They release raw materials back to

3. They do not release raw materials.
nature.

4. They pollute the environment only when

they are produced in quantity beyond the 4. non-biodegradable wastes pollute the

capacity of the environment to degrade environment even in small quantity.

them.

5. Bioconcentration or biomagnifications
5. Bioconcentration does not occur.
occurs when wastes enter food chains.

6. Recycling is possible both naturally or 6. Recycling is possible only through

through human efforts. human efforts.

Ecosystem: An ecosystem is a self-contained unit of living things (plants, animals

and decomposers), and their non-living environment (soil, air and water). For
example; a forest, a pond, a lake, a green land etc.
In an ecosystem, energy and matter are continuously exchanged between living and
non¬living components.
An ecosystem can be both natural or man-made. Some examples of natural
ecosystems are grass land, forest, sea, river, desert, mountain, pond, lake etc.

The desert, grass land and mountains represent the terrestrial ecosystem (land-
based ecosystem).
The ponds, rivers, lakes and sea represent the aquatic ecosystem (water-based
ecosystem). Man-made artificial ecosystems are garden, crop fields, park, aquarium,
etc.

Components of Ecosystem: There are two components of an ecosystem : (i) biotic

component and (ii) abiotic component.
1. Biotic component: It includes three types of organisms :
(a) Producers: All green plants, blue green algae can produce their food (Sugar and
starch) from inorganic substance using light energy (Photosynthesis). Therefore, all
green plants are called producers. They are also called autotrophs.
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 : Phytoplanktons and
Zooplanktons.
The microscopic aquatic plants freely floating on the surface of water are called
phytoplanktons.
The microscopic aquatic animals freely floating on water are called zooplanktons.
The freely floating protozoa are an example of zooplankton.

(b) Consumers: They are organisms which consume other organisms or their
products as their food. All animals belong to this category. The consumers depend
upon producers for their food directly or indirectly. They get their food by eating
other organisms or their products. For example, man, goat, deer, fish, lion, cow,
buffalo, etc., are common consumers.
The consumers can be classified into the following types :

 Herbivores.
 Carnivores.
 Parasite.
 Omnivores.
(i) Herbivores: These are organisms (animals) which get their food by eating the
producers (or plant) directly. Herbivores are also called first order consumers. Some
common examples of herbivores are : deer, rabbit, rat, squirrel, goat, cattle, etc.

(ii) Carnivores: These are organisms (animals) which consume other animals.
Therefore, carnivores feed on the flesh of herbivores. These are also called primary
carnivores or second order consumers. Some common examples are snake, wild cat,
jackal, frog, some birds, fishes, etc.
There are animals which prey upon primary carnivores. They are called second order
consumers or third order consumers. For example, owl, peacock, tiger, lion, etc., are
some second order carnivores and may be eaten by third order carnivores. The
carnivores which are not preyed upon further are called top carnivores. For example,
lion is a top carnivore.

(iii) Omnivores: The organisms which feed on both plants and animals are called
omnivores. Human beings are common example of omnivores because they eat
both plants (For example; pulses, grams, oilseeds, fruit, etc.) and animal products
(milk, meat, egg, etc.).

(c) Decomposers: Fungi and bacteria which break down (decompose) the dead
plants, animals complex compounds into the simpler one. The decomposers help in
the replenishment of natural resources. These are also known as microorganism or
saprotrophs. These are also called reducers.

Importance of Decomposers

 Decomposers help in disposing of the wastes and dead bodies of plants

and animals. Therefore, they clean the environment and create space for
a living of newer generations of organisms.
 The decomposers release minerals and other raw materials trapped in
organic matter. These are picked up by plants. This also helps to
maintain the fertility of soil.
 The decomposers produce some acids which are useful in solubilization
of some minerals.
 Decomposers help in recycling the materials in the biosphere so that,
the process of life may go on and on like an unending chain.

2. Abiotic Components: These are non-living components of an ecosystem. These

include the physical environment.

 Edaphic factors like soil texture, topography, water, and air.

 Inorganic substances like carbon dioxide, nitrogen, oxygen, water,
phosphorus, sodium, potassium, and calcium. These are involved in the
cyclic of materials in the ecosystem.
 Organic compounds like proteins, carbohydrates, and lipids. These
largely form the living body and link the abiotic and biotic components.
Climatic factors: These are sunlight temperature, pressure humidity, moisture,
rainfall, etc. these factors affect the distribution of the organisms.

Functions of an Ecosystem

 Ecosystem indicates available solar energy and the efficiency of an

ecosystem to trap the same.
 It gives information about the available essential minerals and their
recycling periods.
 It provides knowledge about the web of interactions and inter-
relationship among the various population as well as between the
population and the abiotic environment.
 It helps human beings to know about conservation of resources,
protection from pollution and inputs required for maximizing
productivity.
 In the ecosystem, two processes of energy flow and biogeochemical
cycles (nutrients movement) proceed side by side. The energy flow is
unidirectional while the movement of nutrients is cyclic.

Food chain, Food web, Trophic levels. Flow of energy ten percent law, Depletion of
the ozone layer, Biological magnification. Mode of waste disposal.

Food Chain: The sequence of living organisms in a community in which one

organism consumes another organism to transfer food energy, is called a food chain.
A food chain is unidirection where transfer of energy takes place in only one
direction.
OR
Food chain is sequential process which represents “who eats whom”.
OR
Food chain refers to an arrangement of different biotic groups in a sequence of
energy transfer. These biotic groups are producer herbivores, carnivores.
For example, T1(Grass) → T2(Deer) → T3(Lion)

Examples of Food Chains: Simple food chain operating in a grass land or forest
Grass(Producer) → Deer(Herbivore) → Lion(Carnivore)
In this food chain, grass represent the producers (first tropic level). Grass synthesize
their own food by the process of photosynthesis. Grass is eaten up by deer, which
represents the herbivores or the primary consumers. Deer in turn is consumed by
lion, the carnivores or the secondary consumers.
A food chain in grassland which has four steps is :
Grass(Producers) → Insect(Herbivores) → Frog(Carnivores) → Eagle(Secondary
Carnivore)

Significance of Food Chains

  The study of food chains helps in understanding food relationships and
interactions among the various organisms in an ecosystem. The food
chains, transfer energy and materials between various living
components of an ecosystem.
 The food chains transfer energy and materials between various living
components in an ecosystem or biosphere.
 The food chains give dynamicity to an ecosystem or biosphere.
 The movement of toxic substances like pesticides, weedicides, etc.,
through food chains, can prove very harmful.

Food Web: The inter-connected food chains operating in an ecosystem which

establish a network of relationship between various species, are called a food web.
In a food web, one organism may occupy a position in more than one food chain. An
organism can obtain its food from different sources and in turn, may be eaten up by
different types of organisms.

Trophic Levels: The various steps in the food chain at which the transfer of food (or
energy) takes place is called trophic levels.
There is a gradual decrease in the amount of energy transfer from one trophic level
to the next trophic level in a food chain.

So only 10% of energy is transferred to next trophic level while 90% of energy is used
by present trophic level in its life processes.
The various trophic levels are given below :

 The plant or the producers constitute the first trophic level.

 The herbivores or primary consumers form the second trophic level.
 Carnivores or secondary consumers make up the third trophic level.
 Large carnivores or the tertiary consumers which feed upon the small
carnivores constitute the fourth trophic level.

Flow Open Energy

Energy is used and conveyed from one trophic level to another in a food chain. This
is called flow of energy. Green plants capture about 1% of the solar energy incident
on the Earth through the biochemical process of photosynthesis. A part of this
trapped energy is used by plants in performing their metabolic activities and some
energy is released as heat into the atmosphere. The remaining energy is chemical
energy stored in the plants as ‘carbohydrates’. When plants are eaten up by
herbivores, the chemical energy stored in the plants is transferred to these animals.
These animals (herbivores) utilize some of this energy for metabolic activities, some
energy is “released as heat and the remaining energy is stored. The process of
energy transferred is similarly repeated with carnivores and so on.

Ten percent law: Ten percent law states that only 10 percent of the energy entering a
particular trophic level of organisms is available for transfer to the next higher
trophic level.

For example, Suppose 1000 J of solar energy is received by green plants, then only
1% of solar energy available on earth is utilized by plants. So only 10 J (1% of 1000
J) is trapped by plants and the rest 990 J of energy is lost to the environment. So,
plants utilizes only 10 J of energy. Next, only 10% of the 10 J energy of plant, that is,
1 J, is available to the herbivore animal while 9 J is lost to the environment. Again,
just 10% of the 1 J of energy of herbivore animals is utilized by carnivore animals.
Thus, carnivore animals have only 0.1 J of energy while 0.9 J is lost to the
environment.

Environmental Problems: Changes in the environment affect us and our activities

change the environment around us. This led to the slow degradation of the
environment that arose many environmental problems. For Example; depletion of the
Ozone Layer and waste disposal.

Depletion of Ozone Layer: Ozone (O3) layer is largely found in the stratosphere
which is a part of our atmosphere from 12 km -50 km above sea level. This region is
called ozonosphere. Ozone is deadly poisonous at the ground level.
Ozone is formed as a result of the following photochemical reaction.

Ozone layer is a protective blanket around earth which absorbs most of the harmful
U.V. (Ultraviolet) radiation of the Sun, thus, protecting the living beings of the Earth
from health hazards like skin cancer, cataract in eyes, weaken immune system,
destruction of plants etc. The decline of Ozone layer thickness in Antarctica was first
discovered in 1985 and was termed as OZONE HOLE.