ZEBAR SCHOOL FOR CHILDREN

SUBJECT – SCIENCE
CH-15: Our Environment (Notes)

Name _________________ Std /Sec: X______ Roll No.__________

Intext Question-Answers

Q.1. Why are some substances biodegradable and some non-biodegradable? (BBQ-Pg.
257)
A.1 Some substances can be easily degraded and broken down into simple soluble substances by
the action of enzymes secreted by microorganisms called decomposers. Such substances are called
biodegradable. While some substances, mainly the man made substances, cannot be degraded or
broken down into simpler substances through the enzymes secreted by the decomposing microbes.
Hence, these are non-biodegradable substances. Thus some substances are biodegradable and
some non-biodegradable.

Q.2. Give any two ways in which biodegradable substances would affect the environment.
(BBQ-Pg. 257)
A.2
a. The biodegradable such as leaves, kitchen waste, and plant parts can be used as humus after
composting which can enhance soil fertility.
b. The biodegradable substances mainly contain carbon. These substances after decomposition
release that carbon back into the atmosphere.
c. During the decomposition of biodegradable substances, foul smell and some harmful gases are
produced which spread in the environment and make life difficult for the people living in nearby areas.
d. The decomposition material provides an ideal medium for the reproduction and growth of flies,
insects and microbes, which in turn act as vector for several diseases like cholera, typhoid, diarrhoea,
etc.

Q.3. Give any two ways in which non-biodegradable substances would affect the environment.
(BBQ-Pg. 257)
A.3.
a. Pesticides and allied chemicals are non-biodegradable substances. They enter the living body from
the environment through water and food and cause several harmful effects. They also get magnified
biologically through the food chain.
b. During the process of recycling of non-biodegradable substances like plastic and polythene,
carcinogenic toxins are released into the environment which reach the body of humans and other
animals through different sources and cause health problems.
c. They also contaminate soil and water resources as they cannot be decomposed by microorganisms.

Q.4. What are trophic levels? Give an example of a food chain and state the different trophic
level in it. (BBQ-Pg. 261)
A.4. Every step of the food chain where transfer of food and energy occurs is called a trophic level. The
common example of food chain in a terrestrial ecosystem is:
Plants → Deer → Tiger
Plants → first trophic level of the food chain. They are the producers.
Deer → second trophic level of the food chain (it is the primary consumer being a herbivorous
animal, feeds upon plants.
Tiger → third trophic level (it is the secondary consumer as it feeds upon the deer.)

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Q.5. What is the role of decomposers in the ecosystem? (BBQ-Pg. 261)
A.5.
1. Decomposers are different forms of microbes (bacteria and fungi), which act on the dead bodies
of producers and consumers to break the complex organic substances into simpler ones.
2. They absorb some of the substances and release others into the environment to be recycled and
to be used in future by the producers.
3. Thus, decomposers have a very important role in cycling the materials in the biosphere and
maintaining the food chain by making raw materials available to producers. They also make the
soil fertile.

Q.6. What is ozone and how does it affect any ecosystem? (BBQ-Pg. 264)
A.6. Ozone (O3) is a molecule which is made of three atoms of oxygen. It is present in the stratosphere
of the earth’s atmosphere in the form of a protective shield. It contains three oxygen atoms (O 3) which
are formed as a result of photochemical reactions in the environment. Ozone absorbs harmful
ultraviolet (UV) radiations of the sun. In this way, it protects all living beings on the earth.
1. When the ozone layer gets depleted, the UV-radiation reaches the earth and affects plants as well
as animals.
2. It can destroy plants and reduce their photosynthetic process.
3. UV-radiation causes severe effect on microbes, which are important decomposers in our
ecosystem.
4. It can cause skin cancer, cataract and damage the immune system in human beings.

Q.7.How can you help in reducing the problem of waste disposal? Give any two methods. (BBQ-
Pg. 264)
A.7.Disposal of waste materials is a global problem of high magnitude. This problem can be reduced
through:
Sorting out biodegradable and non-biodegradable wastes and then dumping the biodegradable waste
into preplanned sites to be converted into manure or for land filing.
By minimizing the use of disposable items and promoting use of recycled items.
Non-biodegradable materials may be converted into ash through incineration by controlled burning.
Ashes obtained by incineration constitute about 10% of the total mass of the waste material.
Recycling the non-biodegradable waste material.

Chapter End Exercise Question-answers (Pg-264-265)

MCQs
1. (a) grass, flowers and leather, (c) fruit-peels, cake and lime-juice, (d)Cake, wood and grass
2. (b) grass, goat, and human
3. (d) All of the above.

Q.4. What will happen if we kill all the organisms in one trophic level?
A.4 If all the organisms in one trophic level are killed, the transfer of food energy to the next trophic
level will stop. This will cause a break in the food chain resulting in ecosystem imbalance.
Consequently, the organisms of the higher trophic level will also die, while the individuals of the lower
trophic level will exhibit enormous growth in their population. Both the conditions will cause ecological
upset.

Q.5. Will the impact of removing all the organisms in a trophic level be different for trophic
levels? Can the organisms of any trophic level be removed without causing any damage to the
ecosystem?
A.5.Yes, the impact of removing all organisms in a trophic level will be different for different trophic
levels. If all the producers are killed, it will cause death or migration of the primary consumers in a
particular ecosystem. Hence subsequent level of consumers will also be affected. If primary

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consumers(herbivores) are removed, organisms of higher trophic level(carnivores) will die, while those
of lower level will show exponential growth resulting into competition for space and nutrients.
Removal of all the organisms in a trophic level will upset the whole ecosystem as all categories of
organisms are linked through food chain and the organisms of one trophic level are dependent on other
trophic level for their survival.

Q.6. What is biological magnification? Will the levels of this magnification be different at
different levels of the ecosystem?
A.6. Biological magnification is defined as phenomenon of accumulation or increase in concentration of
some toxic substances (especially of non-biodegradable substances) at each trophic level.
The level of these harmful substances will go on increasing from one trophic level to the next. For e.g.
When any harmful chemical like DDT, BHC enters in a food chain the concentration of chemical
increases as the trophic level is increased (i.e., next higher level). These chemical, get accumulated
progressively at each trophic level. It is maximum at the top (highest) trophic level. The tertiary
consumers occupy the top trophic level (in most of the food chains) so there is maximum concentration
of the harmful chemicals and they are affected badly.

Q.7. What are the problems caused by the non-biodegradable wastes that we generate?
A.7.
a. Non-biodegradable wastes cannot be broken down into simple substances, hence their volume
keeps on increasing creating the problem of their safe disposal and increase pollution.
b. Some of the non-biodegradable wastes like heavy metals and pesticides enter the food chain and
get biomagnified in the upper trophic levels.
c. Non-biodegradable wastes reduce the soil fertility by changing the natural pH balance which in turn
decreases the crop yield.
d. They also kill some useful microorganisms.

Q.8. If all the waste we generate is biodegradable, will this have no impact on the environment?
A.8. Biodegradable wastes are decomposed by microbes into simpler substances to be used by
themselves and to provide raw materials for producers, but they also have adverse effects on the
environment.
Slow decomposition of biodegradable waste will result in the release of foul smell, harmful gases into
the environment, which when inhaled by human beings may cause irritation, nausea, giddiness etc.
Decomposition waste provides breeding ground for microbes. Abundance of microbes may cause
diseases in animals, plants and human beings.
Increase in the number of microbes in aquatic medium will cause oxygen deficiency in water bodies.

Q.9. Why is damage to the ozone layer a cause of concern? What steps are being taken to limit
this damage?
A.9.Ozone layer is a protective shield around the earth which prevents harmful ultraviolet radiation of
the sun from reaching the earth. Air pollutants like chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), are causing depletion
of ozone layer. This results into greater amount of UV-radiation reaching the earth. Damage to ozone
layer is a matter of concern for us because UV-radiation can upset the ecosystem by affecting
photosynthesis in plants, destroying planktons and decomposer microbes. In human beings, UV-
radiation may cause skin cancer, cataract of eyes and damage to immune system.
Several developed as well as developing nations of the world have agreed to sign and obey the
directions of UNEP (United Nations Environment Programme) to freeze the production of CFCs or to
limit their production to some extent.

Extra Questions:

Q.1. Define environment.

A.1. In general , the environment can be defined as the aggregate of all the physical and biological
world and their influences affecting the life and development of an organism in its natural habitat.

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Q.2. What are two fundamental components of our environment?
A.2. (i)Biotic components: Plants and animals.
(ii) Abiotic components: Air, water, soil etc.

Q.3. What is an ecosystem?

A.3. Any area or unit of nature that includes living organisms and non living substances interacting to
produce an exchange of material between living and non living part is said to be an ecosystem.

Q.4. What do you mean by abiotic factors? Name the important abiotic factors of the
environment.
A.4. Abiotic factors are the non living factors of the environment. The important physical abiotic factors
of the environment are light, temperature, radiation, pressure, current, geomagnetism, fire, tide,
topography etc.

Q.5. What is a food chain?

A.5. A food chain is an energy sequence of links or trophic levels of living organisms in an ecosystem
in which one organism consumes another organism to transfer food and energy.

Q.6. What is a food web?

A.6. The inter-connected food chains operating in an ecosystem which establish a network of
relationships between various species, is called a food web.

Q.7. What are producers?

A.7. Producers are those living members of an ecosystem which are capable of synthesizing food from
inorganic or organic substances. They are autotrophs. They are largely green plants which synthesis
food by the process of photosynthesis.

Q.8. What are the two major ecosystems classified on the basis of habitat?
A.8. On the basis of habitat, ecosystems classified into the following two types:
Aquatic ecosystem – including marine, estuarine and fresh water
Terrestrial ecosystem – including forest, grass land and desert

Q.9. Differentiate between natural and artificial ecosystem.

A.9. When an ecosystem is self regulatory under natural conditions without any major interference by
man, then it is called a natural ecosystem.
When an ecosystem is maintained artificially by man by addition of energy and/or planned
manipulation, natural balance is disturbed or altered regularly then it is called an artificial ecosystem.

Q.10. Arrange the following in trophic levels in accordance with five steps of food chain.
Man, grass, insect, tiger, frog
A.10. Grass(T1) – Insect (T2) – Frog (T3) – Man (T4) – Tiger (T5)

Q.11. Rearrange the following according to their trophic level in a food chain:
Phytoplankton, fish, crocodile, zooplankton
A.11. Phytoplankton – zooplankton – fish – crocodile

Q.12. Distinguish between biodegradable and non-biodegradable substances.

A.12.
Biodegradable: Non-biodegradable:
(i) They can be broken into simplest form (i) They cannot be broken by biological
by biological processes. processes.
(ii) They do not produce more pollution. (ii) They produce more pollution.
(iii) They remain for less time in (iii) They remain for a long time in the
environment. environment.
(iv) After decomposition, they form (iv) They cannot be decomposed but can
compost or bio-gas. be recycled to form new products.

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Q.13. How are ecological pyramids useful in studying the trophic level in an ecosystem?
A.13. Ecological pyramids are graphical representations of the trophic structure in an ecosystem where
basal, mid and top tiers show the parameter values for producers, herbivores and carnivores. Through
ecological pyramids, we can study the number of individuals (pyramid of number), dry weight of living
organisms (pyramid of biomass) and rate of energy flow (pyramid of energy) at successive trophic
levels.

Q.14.The flow of energy in food chain is unidirectional. Why?

A.14. Flow of energy is acyclic (non-cyclic) and follows 10% law. Only solar energy can enter in the
food chain at producer level .A major part of it is lost and only about 10% is available for use by the
next trophic level. Similarly in the next trophic level also ,an average 10% energy is available for the
next trophic level. The energy of the last trophic level is lost in the environment and cannot re-enter the
food chain at any trophic level. Thus energy can enter the food chain only at the producer trophic level
and keeps getting lost progressively. Hence flow of energy is unidirectional.

Q.15. Length of food chains in an ecosystem is generally limited to three or four trophic levels.
Why?
Q.15. Energy flow is always unidirectional, moving successively through trophic levels. Solar energy is
received and trapped by autotrophs which passes to primary, secondary and tertiary consumers.
During energy transfer from one trophic level to successive trophic level, 90% of energy is lost. Thus,
after three or four trophic levels, negligible amount of energy is left to be passed to the next trophic
levels. That is why length of food chains is limited to three or four trophic levels only.

Q.16. What is land filling? How is it beneficial?

A.16. Land filling is a method of waste disposal in which solid wastes from urban areas are dumped in
low lying areas and compacted by rolling with bulldozers. They are then covered with a layer of soil.
Some of the benefits of land filling are as under:
1. It reduces greenhouse gas emissions.
2.It helps in reducing air pollution.
3.It also serves as a source of renewable energy.

Q.17 State differences between food chain and food web.

A.17
Food Chain Food web
1. It consists of a single unit of food 1.It is a complex formed by several units
relations. of food relations.
2.Only one type of organism is used as 2.An organism can use two to several
food by a particular type of organism. types of organisms as food.
3.A disturbance in food chain is difficult to 3. A disturbance is overcome after some
overcome. time.
4.It does not help in restoring population 4.A food web helps in increasing
of endangered species. population of endangered species.