The most Important points of Our Environment (part-1).
1. Environment is defined as sum total of all conditions and influences that affect the development and life of organisms.
2. The interplay of material cycles and energy flows in natural eco-systems is self sustaining and self correcting. However, this equilibrium is sensitive to external stimuli such as human activities promoted by socio-economic goals. Increasing demands and aspirations of human society create a rising demand for goods and services. Thus humans impose changes on natural eco-systems and this creates conflicts between human goals and natural processes.
3. Pollution is an undesirable change in the physical, Chemical or biological characteristics or air, water and soil that may harmfully affect the life or create a potential hazard for any living organisms. Pollutants are Substances which cause pollution.
4. Biodegradable pollutants are those pollutants which can be decomposed by microbes (microorganisms) with the help of various enzymes over a period of time. The biodegradable substances become pollutants when that are present in large quantities and are not degraded at right time due to any reason. Non-biodegradable substances are those which microbes, present in nature, are not able to breakdown into simpler forms.
5. Eco-system: The living world needs inputs of energy and matter. These are exchanged between living and non-living components. Thus, living organism (both plants and animals) and physical components (such as soil, temperature, water, sunlight, etc.) of an area together form a functional unit. This functional unit comprising living and non-living components form a functional unit. This functional unit comprising living and non-living components form a functional system known as eco-system. In short Eco-system is the whole biotic community (living organisms) in a given area plus it's abiotic environment (physical factors such as temperature, rainfall, wind, soil and minerals). Eco-system can be as large as a forest, or small as a pond or lake. This functional system may be natural as forest or may be artificial (man-made). e.g., a crop field or an aquarium.
6. Biome: A major eco-system which includes all the eco-systems present in a geographical area is called biome.
7. Biosphere: It is the largest unit of organisation of life. It includes all the biomes of the world i.e., terrestrial, aquatic or aerial where the life exists. It is supported by lithosphere, up to 5 km below sea level; hydrosphere, the bodies of water on, inside and near the surface of the earth; and atmosphere, up to 7-8 kms in the air above sea level. Biosphere is a single large self-sustaining biological system.
8. Biotic components of an eco system are linked as food chains. Food chains are interlinked to form complex food webs. In any eco-system, various living organisms are arranged in a definite sequence according to their food habits. Plants are producers which are eaten by herbivores, which in turn are eaten by Carnivores. This transfer of food energy from the source in plants through a series of organism with repeated eating and being eaten is known as a food chain in an eco-system. Under natural conditions in the same eco-system there generally operate a number of linear food chains at a time. These chains are interlinked with each other at several points. This interlocking pattern of a number of food chains forms a web-like arrangement which is called a food web.
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