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ENVIRONMENT - Coggle Diagram
ENVIRONMENT
Flow Of Energy
the food we eat acts as a fuel to provide us energy to work. thus the interactions among various components of the environment involves flow of energy from one component of the system to another. from autotrophs (those who capture energy present in sunligth and convert it into chemical energy) the energy goes to the heterotrophs and decomposers
- since so little energy is available for the next level of consumers, food chains generally consist of only 3 or 4 steps. the loss of energy at each step is so gr8 that very little usable energy remains after 4 trophic levels
- there are generally a greater no. of individuals at the lower trophic levels of an ecosystem the greatest no. is of the producers
- therefore 10% can be taken as the average value for the amount of organic matter that is present at each step and reaches the next level of consumers
- the length and complexity of food chains vary gr8ly each organism is generally eaten by 2 or more other kinds of organisms which in turn are eaten by several other organisms
- when green plants are eaten by primary consumers, a great deal of energy is lost as heat to the environment, some amount goes into digestion and in doing work and the rest goes towards growth and reproduction. an average of 10% of the food eaten is turned into its own body and made availabe for the next level of consumers.
- The green plants in a terrestrial ecosystem capture about 1% of the energy of sunlight that falls on thier leaves and convert it into food energy.
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OZONE DEPLETION
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function- at the higher levels of atmosphere, ozone shields the surface of the earth from ultraviolent (UV) radiation from the sun
Formation
ozone at the higher levels of atmosphere is a product of UV radiation acting on O2 molecule. the higher energy uv radiaitons split apart some molecular O2 into free O atoms these atoms then combine with the molecular O2 to form ozone
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Depletion of O3 causes
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- weakening of the immune system
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- even kills the Phytoplankton- the minute aquatic plant life
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Food Chain
involves the transfer of energy from one organism (level) to another by the process of eating and being eaten.
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TROPHIC LEVEL
- Tertiary Consumers (large carnivores)
- Secondary Consumers (small coarnivores)
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- Primary Consumers (herbivores)
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Ecosystem
All the interacting organisms in an area together with the non-living constituents of the environment form an Ecosystem.
Abiotic components
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consists
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Climatic factors
temperature, humidity, rainfall etc.
Biotic components
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PRODUCER
organisms which can synthesis their own food by Photosynthesis i.e. make organic substance (starch) using inorganic substances (CO2 and H2O) in presence of sunlight and chlorophyll
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CONSUMER
organisms which consume the food produced, either directly from producers or indirectly by feeding on other consumers are the consumers
Herbivores
grass eating eg. rabbits, hens
Carnivores
flesh eating eg. lions, tigers
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DECOMPOSERS
microorganisms break-down the dead remains and waste products of organisms (complex organic substances) into simple inorganic substances that go into the soil and are used up once more by the plant.
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Natural
forests, lakes, ponds, grasslands
Man-made (artificial)
gardens, crop-fields, park, aquariums
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BIOLOGICAL MAGNIFICATION
The progressive accummulation of harmful chemicals in the bodies of living organisms as the food chain progresses is called BIOLOGICAL MAGNIFICATION
CAUSES
- use of several pesticides and other chemicals to protect our crops from diseases and pets
- chemicals are either washed down into the soil or into the water bodies.
- from the soil these are absorbed by the plants along with water and minerals
- from the water bodies these are taken up by aquatic plants and animals
SOLUTIONS
- if we use only plant and its products, we can reduce the intake of pesticides
- we can use water filters to purify the water
- the other alternatives are to avoid foods contaminated with chemicals like cold-drinks
- we can encourage farmers to use biodegradable pesticides
As human beings occupy the top level in any food chain, the max concentration of these chemicals get accummulated in our bodies
Environment
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organisms live together and interact with the other organisms as well as with their non-living/ physical surroundings
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