GE 3451 - Environment Science &

Sustainability
 Environment
• Environment – Surroundings (Each & every thing
around us)
• Environmental science is the study of environment,
its biotic (living), abiotic (non-living) components
and their interrelationship.
• Environmental engineering is the application of
scientific and engineering principles to improve and
maintain the environment
• Environmental studies is the process of educating
the people for preserving the quality of
environment
Types of the Environment
 Scope of the Environmental Studies
Environmental study is an important to educate the people for
preserving quality environment
• To get an awareness and sensitivity towards sensitivity to
the total environment and its related problems
• To motivate the active participation in Environmental
Protection and improvement
• To develop skills for identify and solving environmental
problems
• To know the necessity of conservation of natural resources
• To revolve environmental programs in terms of social
economic equal and acetic factors
Importance /Significance of the Environmental Studies

Air we breath
Water we drink
Contaminated by
Food we consume and Industrial Activities
Land we live

• There is no zero pollution industry

• Because of the lack of self discipline and not worrying about
our future generation.
• The valuable resources or polluted

To solve the above problems knowledge of environmental

studies is very important
Importance /Significance of the Environmental Studies

• By environmental studies people will understand the

concept of “Need of development without destruction of
environment”
• By environmental studies, people can gain knowledge of
different types of environment and effects of different
environmental hazards
• Environmental studies inform the people about the effective
role in protecting the environment by demanding changes in
laws and enforcement system
• Environmental studies have direct relation to the quality of
life we live
• Environmental studies develop a concern and respect for the
environment
 Need for Public Awareness
Increasing industrialisation,
Population
Environment Degradation
Urbanization and
Poverty
• The public know about population, natural calamities and
environmental hazards
• People should have thought about importance of keeping
and environment clean and green
• People know about various types of diseases caused by
pollution
• Impacts of deforestation & benefits of afforestation
• Use of organic fertilizers & disadvantages of chemical
fertilizers
• Use of electric vehicles
  What is an Ecosystem?
 Term proposed by British ecologist A. G. Tansley in 1935.

 An Ecosystem is a Natural unit.

 Consisting of all Plants, Animals and Micro- organisms in an area

functioning together with all the physical & chemical (soil, climate,
water and light) factors of the environment.

 An ecosystem is formed by the interactions between all living

and non-living things.

 Eco = the Environment; System = regularly interacting and

interdependent components forming a unified whole.
Ecosystem = an Ecological system;
= A community and its physical environment
treated together as a functional system.

An Ecosystem
It is the study of interactions among organisms

or group of organisms with their environment.

The environment consists of biotic components

and abiotic components.

It is the study of ecosystem.

 A group of organisms interacting among

themselves and with environment.

An ecosystem is a community of different

species interacting with one another and with

their non-living environment exchanging energy

and matter.
 ECOSYSTEM

Natural Artificial/Man engineered

Terrestial Aquatic

Marine Fresh water

Lotic (running water) Lentic (Standing water)

GRASS LAND ECOSYSTEM
FOREST ECOSYSTEM
RUNNING WATER SYSTEM
STANDING WATER SYSTEM
 Abiotic
components

Ecosystem

Biotic
components
 The non-living components (physical, chemical) of an
ecosystem collectively form a community called Abiotic
components (or) abiotic community.

They are useful for the growth &maintenance

of its member
Ex: Air, water, Soil, climate.
They are source of essential nutrients
Ex: Organic substances
 The living organisms (or) living members in an
ecosystem collectively form its community called biotic
components (or) biotic community.
 Based of their nutritional relationship, it is classified
into three types
1. Producers (Autotrophs)
2. Consumers (Heterotrophs)
3. Decomposers (Saprotrophs)
Autotrophic components
producers
 Autotrophs
• An Autotroph is any organism that can
produce its own food supply!

• Autotrophs are also called Producers

• Plants, algae & some bacteria are examples

 Consumers or Heterotrophic components

Herbivores : Animals that eat only plants (vegetarian)

Carnivores : Animals that eat other animals (Non - vegetarian)
Omnivores : Animals that eat both plants &animals
(vegetarian & Non - vegetarian)
• Herbivores are animals
that only eat plants.
• Carnivores are
animals that eat
meat.
• Carnivores will
also eat animals
that eat plants.
• Omnivores will
eat both plants
and animals.
• Some animals
eat both plants
and meat.
• People are
omnivores
• Scavengers are
animals that eat on
dead plants &
animals remains.
 Decomposers or Reducers

They are Decomposers (Bactria , fungi)

Energy flow in ecosystem:
 All organisms must obtain a supply of energy and nutrients from their
environment in order to survive.
 The transformations of energy in an ecosystem begin first with the
input of energy from the sun.
 Because, it is the first step in the production of energy for living things,
it is called “Primary production”.
 Photosynthesis -- Chemical reaction where green plants use water &
carbon dioxide to store the sun’s energy in glucose.
 ENERGY is stored in glucose.
 Glucose is stored as starch in plants
Energy flow in ecosystem: Unidirectional
• The majority of autotrophs are photoautotrophs that harness the
energy of the sun and pass some of this energy onto consumers
through feeding pathways.
• The energy contained within producers and consumers is ultimately
passed to the decomposers that are responsible for the constant
recycling of nutrients.
• Thus, there is a one-way flow of energy through the biotic community
and a cycling of nutrients between the biotic and abiotic components
of the ecosystem
 Energy Flow in Ecosystem
• First law of thermodynamics – energy cannot
be created or destroyed, only transformed
– Can thus construct energy budgets for food
webs that trace energy flow from green
plants to tertiary consumers (and if needed
beyond)
• Second law of thermodynamics – energy
conversions are not 100% efficient and that, in
any transfer process, some energy is lost
Ecological Succession:
 Ecological succession is defined as, “A change in the community in
which new populations of organisms gradually replace existing ones”.
 There are two types of ecological succession:
1) Primary Succession:
 Occurs where there is no soil, e.g. after a volcanic eruption or a glacial
retreat.
 “Pioneer organisms”
 Simple plants first – no or shallow roots.
 Gradual influx of more complicated and larger plants as the habitat
changes
 Unfavorable for life at first.
 Ends with a “climax community” – ecosystem stays constant, provided
there are no changes in abiotic influences.
Examples of Primary
Succession
2) Secondary Succession:
 Community development in the areas that were previously occupied
by a other community.
 Occurs after a disturbance. E.g., loss of trees after disease, Fire or wind,
deforestation etc.
 Conditions are favorable for as soil and nutrients are already present.
 More rapid than primary succession.
 Primary Succession Vs Secondary Succession:

 No soil.  Soil already exists.

 Pioneer species.  Seeds have suitable soil.
 Weathering & conditions.
decomposition  Occurs much faster.
 Humus and sand increase  Climax community.
over time.
 End = climax community.