Documente Academic
Documente Profesional
Documente Cultură
illustrate
the
organization
of
an
CO2 + 2H2O
O2 + H2O
( Carbon dioxide ) ( Water )
( Oxygen ) ( Water )
CH2O +
( Carbohydrates )
FOOD CHAIN:
The transfer of food energy from the producers
( plants ) through a series of organisms (Herbivores,
Carnivores) successively with the repeated activities
of eating and being eaten is known as food chain. In
an ecosystem(s), one organism is eaten by the
second which in turn is eaten by the third and so on...
This kind of feeding relationship is called food chain.
Examples of food chain:
1. Grass
Grasshopper
Frog
Snake
Hawk.
2. Grass
Mouse
Snake
Hawk.
3. Grass
Rabbit
Man .
4. Grass
Mouse
Hawk.
5. Plant leaf
Caterpillar
Sparrow
Hawk.
Zooplanktons
Zooplanktons
Small
Fish
Algae
Bacteria
Fish
Man
FOOD WEB:
Food web is a net work of food chains where different
types of organisms are connected at different trophic
levels so that there are a number of options of eating
and being eaten at each trophic level. ( A trophic level
refers to an organisms position in the food chain ) .
Grasshopper
Hawk
2. Grass
Hawk
Grasshopper
Lizard
3. Grass
4. Grass
5. Grass
Hawk
Rabbit
Mouse
Mouse
Hawk
Hawk
Snake
ECOLOGICAL PYRAMID:
In an ecological pyramid the huge number of tiny
individuals form at the base and a few large
individuals occupy the top / apex . This formation is
known as ecological pyramid.
Hence,
all producers (micro & macro plants) belong to
the I trophic level;
all primary consumers belong to II trophic
level and
organisms feeding
on these
belong to the
III trophic level and so on.
consumers
Frogs
Snakes
Zooplankton
Fish
Birds / deer
Parasites
Tree
Birds
eagle
Hyper
Biotic components
include Producers, consumers and Decomposers.
Producers: Three major life forms of Autotrophs play a
significant role in grass production.
They are
(a)
macrophytes ( sea weeds, sea grass,
spartina,Thalassia, marsh
grass, nagrove trees ).
(b) Phytoplankton and .
(c) Benthic flora(algae ).
Consumers include a number of zooplankton, oysters,
crabs and some species of fishes capable of surviving
in estuarine conditions form primary, secondary ,
tertiary consumers of the estuarine ecosystem.
Decomposers include bacteria and fungi which
actively take part in the breaking down the complex
and dead organic matter ( Fungi of actinomycites ).
ENERGY RESOURCES
Growing Energy Needs,
The term energy means capacity to do work . Energy
can neither be created nor destroyed but
transformed from one form to other . Energy is
closely related to force. When a force causes an
object to move, energy is being transferred from the
force to is
kinetic
energy.
Energy
present
in a number of forms such as
mechanical, thermal, chemical, biological energy
etc.. Energy production and utilization have become
essential to carry out many activities in modern life.
Energy is one of the important requirements that a
country needs for its economic growth. At the same
time, energy production has its impact on
environment due to pollution and finally affects the
quality of life of people. The energy is used for the
following purposes:
LAND RESOURCES
Land is the major part of the lithosphere. Land is made
up of soils / rocks and are considered as very important
resources of earth. Land plays a major role for growth of
crops, vegetation, forests etc., Soils are formed due to
disintegration of rocks by various physical processes
like change in temperature, pressure, blowing wind and
flow of water.
The top layer of soil consists of mixtures of Humus
( dead leaves & plants ),some of the living organisms
and Inorganic components which supply nutrients to the
soil.
Soil fertility depends on inorganic matter, organic
matter, water, air and a variety of micro-organisms viz.,
bacteria, fungi, which help in the decomposition of
LAND AS A RESOURCE
Land is a very valuable resource. It provides food,
fiber, wood, medicine and other biological materials
needed for food. Soil is a mixture of inorganic
materials and (rocks and minerals) and organic
materials (dead materials and plants). Top soil is
classified as a renewable resource as it is
continuously regenerated by natural processes at a
very slow rate. However, if the rate of erosion is faster
than the rate of renewal, the soil becomes a nonrenewable
resource.
Uses of land resources
Land provides food, wood, minerals, etc
Land nurtures plants and animals that provide us
food and shelter
Land may be used as watershed or reservoir.
Land acts as a dustbin for the wastes generated by
LAND DEGRADATION
Land degradation is the process of deterioration of soil
or loss of fertility of soil.
EFFECTS OF LAND DEGRADATION
Soil texture and structure are deteriorated
Loss of soil fertility due to loss of valuable nutrients
Increase in water logging, salinity, alkalinity and
acidity problems
Loss at asocial,economic and biodiversity level
CAUSES OF LAND DEGRADATION
Population: With the increase in population, more
land is needed for producing food, fibre, and fuel wood
leading to increasing pressure on the limited land
resources. Therefore the land gets degraded due to
over exploitation
SOIL EROSION
Soil erosion is the process of removal of superficial
layer of soil. Soil erosion removes soil components
and litter.
HARMFUL EFFECTS OF SOIL EROSION
1. Soil fertility is lost
2. Loss of soil ability to hold water and sediment
3. Sediment runoff can pollute water courses and kill
aquatic life
TYPES OF SOIL EROSION
4. Normal erosion: This is caused by the gradual
removal of topsoil by natural processes. The rate of
erosion is slow.
5. Accelerated erosion: This is caused by man made
activities. In this case, the rate of erosion is much
DESERTIFICATION
Desertification is a progressive destruction or
degradation of arid or semi-arid lands to desert.
Desertification leads to conversion of range-lands or
irrigated croplands to desert like conditions in which
agricultural productivity falls. Desertification is
classified by devegetation, depletion of
groundwater, salination and soil erosion.
EFFECTS OF DESERTIFICATION
Almost 80% of the productive land in the arid and
semi-arid regions is converted into desert.
Approximately 600 million people are threatened
by desertification.
CAUSES OF DESERTIFICATION
Desertification: The process of denuding and
degrading a forest land initiates the formation of a
desert. Lack of vegetation prevents the rainfall from
soaking into the ground resulting in poor recharge of
groundwater. Eventually this results in soil erosion
and loss of fertility.
.
Water
management:
Over-utilization
of
groundwater, particularly in the coastal regions,
results in saline water intrusion into aquifers thereby
making water unfit for irrigation.
Mining and quarrying: These activities are
responsible for loss of vegetative cover and
denudation of extensive land area leading to
desertification.
Climate change: Climate change manifests in the
form of failure of monsoons, irregular monsoons and
frequent droughts thereby leading to desertification
Pollution: Excessive use of fertilizers and pesticides
to increase yield and disposal of toxic wastes into land
leads to desertification.