BIOLOGY

CLASS X
CH-15 OUR ENVIRONMENT
NOTES & QUESTION-ANSWERS

Environment: It is the surrounding in which a living organism is able to survive and reproduce and hence is
able to grow and develop to its best.

Ecosystem: An ecosystem is formed when the living organisms of an area together interact with the non –
living components of the environment.

Types of ecosystem

Terrestrial Aquatic

Natural Artificial Natural Artificial

-Forests -Parks -Ponds -Aquarium
-Grasslands -Gardens -Lakes -Dams
-Mountains -Zoo -Rivers -Wells
-Deserts -Crop Fields -Oceans
-Seas

Components of an Ecosystem

Biotic Abiotic
-Plants -Soil
-Animals -Moisture
-Microorganisms -Water
-Temperature
-Sunlight
-Air
 Biotic Components

Producers Consumers Decomposers

Producers:
These are organisms which prepare their own food in the presence of sunlight and chlorophyll by utilizing CO2,
H2 O and minerals from their surroundings. (These are basically the autotrophs) E.g.: Green plants, blue green
algae.
Consumers:
Primary: These organisms directly depend upon the producers for their nutrition (herbivores). e.g.: cow, deer,
rabbit, grasshopper.
Secondary: These are flesh eating animals which depend on primary consumers for their nutrition (carnivores).
e.g.: dogs, cats, birds, frog.
Tertiary: These organisms depend upon secondary consumers for their nutrition (top carnivores). e.g.: vultures,
big cats, polar bear, crocodile.
Decomposers: These organisms act upon the dead organic matter of plants and animals and convert the
complex substances present in them into simpler ones which are again utilized by the plants for their growth and
development. e.g.: fungi and bacteria.
 FOOD CHAIN

Food chain is a representation of a series of organisms where one organism is eating another organism and is
also being eaten by higher levels of organisms.
Trophic levels: The various steps or levels of a food chain are called as trophic level.

Energy flow in a food chain:

-One percent (1%) of the total solar energy is captured by the green plants and this energy is converted into food
energy (chemical energy)
-The plants utilize most of this energy (90%) for their own growth and development and also some amount of
energy is lost into the environment as heat.
-So an average of 10% of energy is available to be passed on to the next trophic level (Ten Percent Law)
 Solar energy

Grass Deer Lion

(1000J) (100J) (10J)

-A food chain is considered to be more efficient when it consists of less no. of trophic levels as the energy lost
at each level is so great that very little amount of usable energy remains to be used by the subsequent levels.
-So, if a food chain has four to five trophic levels then it will be less efficient than a food chain having 3 levels
as the amount of energy available at the 3rd trophic level will be more than the amount of energy available at the
5th level. (Hence, it is said that a vegetarian consumes more energy as compared to a non-vegetarian person)

Green plant Primary consumer Secondary consumer

(1000J) (100J) (10J)
(Herbivore) (Carnivore/ omnivore)
Vegetarian
(100J)

Energy flow in a food chain indicates:

1. Flow of energy in a food chain is unidirectional -The energy that is captured by the autotrophs does not
revert back to the solar input and the energy which passes to the herbivores does not come back to autotrophs.
2. As energy is transferred from one trophic level to another there is a decrease in the amount of energy
available to the successive trophic level (because of 10% law)

Nutrient flow in a food chain:

The nutrient flow is cyclic because once the animal or the plant dies the organic matter present in them is acted
upon by the decomposers and the complex substances present in them are broken down into simpler forms
which are then given back to the soil to be utilized by the soil again for their own growth and development.
Grass Deer Lion
Utilized by

Soil When they die

Acted upon by the decomposers

Complex substances are broken into simpler one

 Food Webs

In nature each organism is being eaten by two or more different kinds of organisms which are in turn are being
eaten by several other organisms. So instead of a straight line food chain, the relationship is seen as a series of
branching lines called as a food web.
 Food chain Food Web
1. It is a straight line chain. 1. It is a series of branching lines which
link many food chains together.
2. In a food chain one organism consumes only 2. In a food web generally each organism
one organism at a time. is being eaten by 2 or more other kinds of
organisms which in turn eaten by
many other organisms.
3. There is only one organism at one trophic level. 3. There can be many organism at a single
trophic level.
4. It consists of a maximum of 4 to 6 population of different 4. It consists of numerous population of
species. different species.

BIOLOGICAL MAGNIFICATION

1. To protect our crops from pest and disease, several chemicals are sprayed into the soil and on the plants.
Excess amount of these chemicals are washed away into water bodies and the soil while irrigating the
crops. From the soil, these chemicals are absorbed by the plants along with water and minerals. Also,
these chemicals are taken up by various aquatic plants and animals from the water bodies.

2. Since these chemicals are non-degradable i.e. they cannot be broken down into simpler substances, they
get accumulated at each trophic level.

3. Human beings occupy the top most level in any food chain. Hence the maximum concentration of
these chemicals get accumulated in the human body and cause many health problems. This
phenomenon is called biological magnification.
 ECOLOGICAL PYRAMIDS

It is the graphical representation of an ecological parameter sequence wise present as various trophic level of
food chain.

There are 3 types of ecological pyramid

1. Pyramid of Number: This pyramid represents the number of individuals per unit area at various
trophic levels of a food chain. The number of organisms at the producer level is maximum while those at
the tertiary level are the least.

2. Pyramid of Biomass: Biomass is the amount of organic matter present in living organism. Hence this
pyramid represents the biomass present per unit area at different trophic levels of a food chain.

3. Pyramid of Energy: This pyramid represents the amount of energy contained at different trophic
levels in a food chain.
ACTIVITIES OF MAN AFFECTING THE ENVIRONMENT

1. Ozone depletion

What is ozone?
Ans. It is a molecule which is made up of 3 atoms of oxygen O3 and this ozone is present at the higher levels of
the atmosphere & protects the earth from the harmful ultraviolet radiations of the Sun.

Causes of ozone depletion

*Release of CFC (chlorofluorocarbons) from refrigerators, AC, aerosol sprays, fire extinguishers etc.

Effects of ozone depletion

As the ozone is being depleted the ultraviolet radiation penetrate into the earth and causes-
1. Many harmful diseases in human beings like cancer & eye problems.
2. It also destroys the life cycle of the plants.

Prevention: Many programs have been launched to prevent the use of CFC’S. e.g.: In 1987 UNEP (United
Nation Environment Program me) launched a program to stop the production of CFC’S.
 2. Garbage Disposal

Types of waste produced in our environment

Biodegradable Non-Biodegradable

1. These waste products can be broken into simpler 1. The waste products can’t be broken down into
ones by the action of microbes. simpler substances.
2. These products do not cause harm to the environment 2.These substances cause harm to the environment
if present in less amount. e.g.: vegetable, animal, wastes, even if they are present in lesser amounts. e.g.: CO2,
sewage. SO2, metal, plastic, pesticides, fertilizers.

Why have the use of non biodegradable wastes increased in the environment?
Ans. 1. Increased population which has lead to industrialization & urbanization.
2. Changes in the method of packing. With the improvement in our lifestyles there have been greater
amounts of wastes been produced most of which are non-biodegradable.

Better Methods of Garbage Disposal

1. Separating the bio-degradable and non-biodegradable wastes and throwing them into separate bins so that bio
degradable waste can be utilized to prepare manure and bio- gas and the non-biodegradable waste can be sent
for recycling and reuse.
2. Factories & Industries while disposing their wastes must treat them properly to bring down their toxic levels
so that they don’t pollute the water bodies and the soil.
3. House hold and kitchen wastes like vegetable peel, paper can be used as manures, compost and biogas
NCERT IN-TEXT QUESTIONS SOLVED (pg-262, 260 and 264)
1. Why are some substances biodegradable and some non-biodegradable?
Ans. Substances which can be decomposed and broken down to simpler substances by micro-organisms acting
on it is called bio-degradable and those substances which cannot be acted upon by microorganisms and are not
broken down into simpler substances are called non-biodegradable substances.
2. Give any two ways in which bio-degradable substances would affect the environment.
Ans. Two ways in which bio-degradable substances would affect the environment are:
(i) During decomposition of the substances lot of foul smell spreads in the surrounding areas.
(ii) The place where these bio-degradable substances are present with some moisture becomes breeding
ground for insects like mosquitoes, housefly which are vectors in carrying parasites that cause different
diseases.
3. Give any two ways in which non-biodegradable substances would affect the environment.
Ans. (i) The non-biodegradable substances get accumulated and don’t get decomposed hence it remains in the
ecosystem and causes pollution, chokes the system of many animals and kill them.
(ii) These substances due to accumulation cause water and soil pollution e.g., pesticides, detergents,
polythene.
4. What are trophic levels? Give an example of a food chain and state the different trophic levels in it.
Ans. The various levels or a stage in a food chain at which the transfer of food takes place is called trophic
level, e.g., food chain.
Grass → Grasshopper → frog → snake → peacock
 Grass — Producer — I Trophic level
 Grasshopper — Primary Consumer (Herbivores) — II Trophic level
 Frog — Secondary Consumer (Carnivores) — III Trophic level
 Snake — Tertiary Consumer (Carnivores) — IV Trophic level
 Peacock — Quaternary Consumer/Apex Predator (Carnivores) — V Trophic level.

5. What is the role of decomposers in the ecosystem?

Ans. Decomposers i) breakdown the complex organic substances like plant’s and animal’s dead body and
converts them into simpler inorganic substances. ii) Complete bio-geochemical cycle. iii) Cleans environment
iv) Provide nutrients to the plants.
All the elements that is present in the body on which decomposers act is released back to the nature.
Decomposers maintain balance in the nature and play an important role in the environment.
6. What is ozone and how does it affect any ecosystem?
Ans. Ozone is a molecule of oxygen with 3 atoms its formula is O3. The ultra violet radiations split oxygen into
free oxygen atoms, these atoms combine with the molecular oxygen to form ozone.

Ozone Ecosystem:
At ground level ozone is poisonous but at higher level it is very useful as it protects all living organisms
from harmful UV radiations of the sun. It doesn’t allow the ultra violet radiations to enter the surface of the
earth. The UV radiations cause ionizing effect that leads, to skin cancer in human beings.
7. How can you help in reducing the problem of waste disposal? Give any two methods.
Ans. To reduce the problem of waste disposal we can
(i) Segregate the bio-degradable waste from non-biodegradable waste before dumping it.
(ii) Remove all materials which can be recycled and send it for recycling. e.g., paper, glass, metal,
rubber.
 QUESTIONS FROM NCERT TEXTBOOK (pg- 264 and 265)
1. Which of the, following groups contain only biodegradable items?
(a) Grass, flowers and leather
(b) Grass, wood and plastic
(c) Fruit-peels, cake and lime juice
(d) Cake, wood and grass
Ans. (a), (c) and (d).
2. Which of the following constitute a food-chain?
(a) Grass, wheat and mango (b) Grass, goat and human,
(c) Goat, cow and elephant (d) Grass, fish and goat,
Ans. (b) Grass, goat and human
3. Which of the following are environment friendly practices?
(a) Carrying cloth-bags to put purchases in while shopping
(b) Switching off unnecessary lights and fans
(c) Walking to school instead of getting your mother to drop you on her scooter
(d) All of the above
Ans. (d) All of the above
4. What will happen if we kill all the organisms in one trophic level?
Ans. If all the organisms in one trophic level are killed then (i) all the organisms of next trophic level which are
dependent on these are killed. Next trophic levels will not get food to eat and the entire food chain gets
disturbed. (ii)At the same time the organisms at the lower trophic level will reproduce and the population will
increase in abundance there by, disturbing the ecosystem.
5. Will the impact of removing all the organisms in a trophic level be different for different trophic levels? Can
the organisms of any trophic level be removed without causing any damage to the ecosystem?
Ans. The impact of removing all the organisms in a trophic level will be same. If the organisms of any trophic
level be removed it will certainly damage the ecosystem.
For example,
Grass → Grass hopper Frog → Snake → Peacock
In this, if all grasshoppers are killed/ removed frogs will strive and grass will reproduce in abundance.
If snakes are removed then the number of frogs will increase which will disturb the entire ecosystem.
6. What is biological magnification? Will the levels of this magnification be different at different levels of the
ecosystem?
Ans. The pesticides and chemicals are absorbed by plant from the soil and enter the food chain. Being non-
biodegradable they accumulate progressively at each trophic level. As human occupy the top level of any food
chain, the maximum concentration of chemicals is found in our bodies. This is called biological magnification.
The level of magnification will be different at different trophic levels, the maximum concentrations will be at
the highest trophic level and the chemical will be less at lower trophic levels.
7. What are the problems caused by the non-biodegradable waste that we generate?
Ans. (i) As the non-biodegradable waste cannot be broken down into simpler forms hence they keep on
accumulating in nature causing water pollution, so water becomes unfit for drinking. Soil pollution leads to loss
of soil fertility.
(ii) They cause diseases.
(iii) They also cause biological magnification.
(iv)They cause stoppage of flow of water in drains.
8. If all the waste we generate is bio-degradable, will this have no impact on the environment?
Ans. If all the waste we generate is bio-degradable and is managed in such a way that it is allowed to
decompose then it will have minimum or no impact on the environment.
9. Why is damage to the ozone layer a cause for concern? What steps are being taken to limit this damage?
Ans. Ozone layer in the stratosphere is very helpful in shielding harmful UV rays. In the absence of ozone layer
heavy damage to organism may occur. It may cause diseases like skin cancer, cataract, reduced crop production
etc.
The damage is limited by UNEP (United Nations Environment Programme), it has forged an agreement
to freeze for CFC production in 1986. CFC– Chlorofluorocarbons used as refrigerants and in fire extinguishers.
Steps to limit this damage are:
(i) Use of aerosol spray; room fresheners, hair sprays which do not use chlorofluorocarbons as
propellants.
(ii) Buy air-conditioning and refrigeration equipment that do not use CFCs as refrigerant and regular
maintenance to prevent refrigerant leakage.
(iii) Chemical fertilizers used in agriculture should be replaced with organic ones.
(iv)Burning of plastic and rubber products should be avoided.