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Our Environment
Environment includes all of the external factors affecting an organism. These factors may
be other living organisms (biotic factors) or nonliving variables (abiotic factors), such as
temperature, rainfall, day length, wind, and ocean currents.
What happens when we add waste to our environment?
• Some of this waste may be broken down by Biological processes (eg. Saprophytes
like fungi and bacteria) and this waste is called BIODEGRADABLE.
Examples: plant and animal waste, vegetable peels etc.
• Some of this waste will not be broken down by Biological Processes and this waste is
called NONBIODEGRADABLE.
Examples: Polythene bags, plastics, metal objects etc. Non biodegradable
substances can be
harmful to the environment.
Autotrophs (producers)-are organisms that can manufacture the organic compounds they
need as nutrients from simple inorganic compounds obtained from their environment. In
most terrestrial ecosystems, green plants are the producers. In aquatic ecosystems, most of
the producers are phytoplankton, consisting of various species of of floating and drifting
bacteria and protist.
Some producers , mostly specialized bacteria, can extract inorganic compounds from their
environment and convert them into organic nutrient compounds without the presence of
sunlight. These producers are called chemosynthesis.
Most animals are part of more than one food chain and eat more than one kind of food in
order to meet their food and energy requirements. These interconnected food chains form a
food web.
• A food web extends the food chain concept from a simple linear pathway to a
complex network of interactions.
• Food webs show how many animals are interconnected by different paths.
• FOOD WEBS show how plants and animals are connected in many ways to help
them all survive.
Transfer of Energy in Food Chains: Energy and organic compounds are passed from one
trophic level to the next. What is the efficiency of the transfer? In a highly efficient transfer
almost all of the energy would be transferred -- 80% or more. In a low efficiency transfer
very little energy would be transferred -- less than 20%. In a typical food chain, not all
animals or plants are eaten by the next trophic level. In addition, there are portions or
materials (such as beaks, shells, bones, etc.) that are also not eaten. That is why the transfer of
matter and energy from one trophic level to the next is not an efficient one.
One way to calculate the energy transfer is by measuring or sizing the energy at one trophic
level and then at the next. Calorie is a unit of measure used for energy. The energy transfer
from one trophic level to the next is about 10%. For example, if there are 10,000 calories at
one level, only 1,000 are transferred to the next. This 10% energy and material transfer rule
can be depicted with an ecological pyramid that looks like this:
To summarize: In the flow of energy and inorganic nutrients through the ecosystem, a few
generalizations can be made:
1. The ultimate source of energy (for most ecosystems) is the sun
2. The ultimate fate of energy in ecosystems is for it to be lost as heat.
3. Energy and nutrients are passed from organism to organism through the food chain as
one organism eats another.
4. Decomposers remove the last energy from the remains of organisms.
5. Inorganic nutrients are cycled, energy is not.
Biological magnification
Biomagnification, also known as bioamplification, or biological magnification is the
increase in concentration of a substance, such as the pesticide DDT, that occurs in a food
chain as a consequence of:
• Food chain energetics
• Low (or nonexistent) rate of excretion/degradation of the substance.
Biological magnification is the tendency of pollutants to become concentrated in successive
trophic levels. Often, this is to the detriment of the organisms in which these materials
concentrate, since the pollutants are often toxic. Biomagnificationoccurs when organisms at
the bottom of the food chain concentrate the material above its concentration in the
surrounding soil or water. Pollutants
that biomagnify have another characteristic. Not only are they taken up by the producers, but
they are absorbed and stored in the bodies of the consumers. This often occurs with
pollutants soluble in fat such as DDT
The "best" example of biomagnification comes from DDT. This long-lived pesticide
(insecticide) has improved human health in many countries by killing insects such as
mosquitoes that spread disease. On the other hand, DDT is effective in part because it does
not break down in the environment. It is picked up by organisms in the environment and
incorporated into fat. Even here, it does no real damage in many organisms (including
humans). In others, however, DDT is deadly or may have more insidious, long-term effects.
In birds, for instance, DDT interferes with the deposition of calcium in the shells of the bird's
eggs. The eggs laid are very soft and easily broken; birds so afflicted are rarely able to raise
young and this causes a decline in their numbers.
Waste Disposal
Every year, millions of tons of "trash“ are generated.. Less than one-quarter of it is
recycled; the rest is incinerated or buried in landfills. With a little forethought, we
could reuse or recycle more than 70 percent of the landfilled waste, which includes
valuable materials such as glass, metal, and paper. This would reduce the demand
on virgin sources of these materials and eliminate potentially severe environmental,
economic, and public health problems.
The Eco friendly mantra is
REDUCE REUSE RECYCLE
3. Why does the same enzyme not break down everything that we eat?
4. Animals like cows can digest cellulose , but humans cannot. Give reasons.
5. Comment on the statement “we will not get any energy if we eat coal.”
10. Why does a food chain normally consist of only 4-5 steps?
11. How is the ‘flow of energy’ different from the ‘flow of nutrients’ in an
ecosystem?
12. Wheat , meat and humans will have varying amounts of pesticide residues in
involved.
13. How much solar energy is captured by the green plants? Trace this energy in
a food chain till it reaches the lion. The other members of the food chain are
plants and deer. The plants are receiving 1000,000 joules of energy from the
sun.