Ecology Lec:3

COMPONENTS OF ENVIRONMENT
Another, more generalized, classification of various components of environment
may bedone in the following way:

a. Physical Environment or Physical component of environment

b. Biological environment or Biological component of environment

c. Social environment or Social component of environment

Physical environment refers to all abiotic factors or conditions like soil,

minerals, temperature, light, rainfall, etc. It comprises of atmosphere, lithosphere
and hydrosphere.

Biological environment includes all biotic factors or living forms like plants,
animals and micro-organisms.

Social Environment includes an individual’s social, economic and political

condition wherein he lives. The moral, cultural and emotional forces influence the
life and nature of individual behaviour.

Kurt Lewin adds another dimension to the components of environment. He says

that although physical, biological and social environment are common to the
individuals in a specific situation, yet every individual has his own psychological
environment, in which he lives. Kurt Lewin has used the term ‘life space’ for
explaining psychological environment. The Psychological environment enables us
to understand the personality of an individual. Both the person and his goals form
psychological environment.

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A. Physical Environment
The main physical components of the environment are:

a. The Atmosphere or the air

b. The Hydrosphere or the water

c. The Lithosphere or the rocks and the soil

d. The Biosphere or the living communities taken together. This component is

sometimesstudied as a separate type of environment and is known as
Biotic- environment.

1- The Atmosphere (atmos=air; sphere=orbit, area)

It refers to the mantle of gases which surround our planet. It is a complex mixture
of a number of gases, water vapors and a variety of fine particulate material. It
consists of about 5.15 x 1015 metric tons of gas which exerts a pressure of about
1 kg per sq.cm. on earth’s crust. Most of these gases are compressed in the
lowermost layer. Pressure decreases due to lowering concentration of gases as
we move upward. It also acts as a blanket that makes life possible on the earth by
regulating temperature, absorbing toxic gaseous wastes, filtering harmful solar
rays and facilitating water cycle.

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 The thin layer of gases that envelops the Earth is held in place by the planet’s
gravity. Dry air consists of approximately 78% Nitrogen, 21% Oxygen, 1% Argon
and other inert gases. Other gases present in earth’s atmosphere are referred to as
trace gases. Air also contains a variable amount of water vapor and suspensions of
water droplets and ice crystals seen as clouds. Many natural substances such as
dust, pollen, spores, volcanic ash, etc may also be present in tiny amounts in air.
The ozone layer of the Earth’s atmosphere plays an important role in depleting the
amount of ultraviolet (UV) radiation that reaches the surface.

Table 1.1 Composition of earth's atmosphere

Atmospheric gases Relative abundance(in percentage)

Nitrogen 78.08
Oxygen 20.95
Argon 00.93
Carbon dioxide 00.03
Neon 00.0018
Helium 00.00052
Methane 00.00015
Krypton 00.0001
Hydrogen 00.00005
Nitrous oxide 00.00005
Xenon 00.000009
Ozone 00.000007

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 • Structure or layers of the atmosphere: The Atmosphere is divided into
different layers which show different patterns of temperature.

1- Troposphere: It is the lower most region of atmosphere which is in contact

with earth’s surface is called troposphere. It extends up to a height of 20km
above the equator and about 8km above the poles. The temperature in this layer
drops with height and becomes as lower as -80°C at its upper limit. It is very
important layer of the atmosphere and all weather changes take place in this
layer. The tropopause is the boundary between the troposphere and
stratosphere.

2- Stratosphere: This is the layer next to troposphere. It is about 30km in

thickness and is very important zone of atmosphere as it contains the vital ozone
layer. Temperature in this zone rises as with height from-80°C to 0°C at its upper
extremity. This rise in temperature is due to the formation of Ozone from atomic
and elemental Oxygen and absorption of the heat by the Ozone gas. The boundary
between the stratosphere and mesosphere is called as the stratopause.

3- Mesosphere: This zone is about 40km in thickness. This region is

characterized by a gradual decline in temperature from 0°C to -90°C at its upper
end. It is the layer where most meteors burn up upon entering the atmosphere.

4- Thermosphere: The thermosphere extends upwards to a height of several

hundred kilometers till the outermost limits of the earth’s atmosphere.
Temperature in this zone rises with height. The temperatures in the
thermosphere may range from 500°K to 2000°K.

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5- Ionosphere: Most of the constituents in this layer are in ionized form and
temperaturerises with height.

6- Exosphere: the outermost layer of the atmosphere which is very rarefied. It

extends even beyond thermosphere.

7- Ozonosphere: The ozone layer is contained within the stratosphere. It is mainly

located in the lower portion of the stratosphere from about 15–35 km (9.3–21.7
mi; 49,000–115,000 ft), though the thickness varies seasonally and
geographically. About 90% of the ozone in our atmosphere is contained in
the stratosphere.

Fig. 1: Layering and temperature-pressure pattern in atmosphere

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 B. The Hydrosphere (hydro=water; sphere=domain, area)

Hydrosphere refers to the total mass of water on the earth. The hydrosphere
includes water that is on the surface of the planet, underground, and in the air. It,
thus, can be liquid, vapour or ice. Liquid water on the earth exists on the surface
in the form of oceans, lakes and rivers. It also exists below ground—as
groundwater, in wells and aquifers. Water in vapour form is most visible as clouds
and fog. The frozen part of Earth’s hydrosphere is ice that is found in glaciers, ice
caps and icebergs. This frozen part of the hydrosphere is also known as the
cryosphere.

Of the total estimated water about 95% is locked in the lithosphere and only about
5% is in free circulation. Out of this free water 99% is in oceans. Major portion of the
earth’s crust (about 71%) is occupied by water. Oceanic water is saline. Its salinity
average salinity is around 35 parts per thousand (or 3.5%). In fact very small amount
of fresh water is available for human use.

Fig. 2 Hydrosphere component of environment

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 1.2.1c The Lithosphere (lithos=roack;sphere=area, domain)

The earth is divided into various regions or layers from its innermost center to its
outer surface. The innermost layer is called as Core, whereas middle region is
named as Mantle and the outermost part of the earth is known as Crust.

The lithosphere refers to the solid, outer part of the earth. It includes the brittle
upper portion of the mantle and the crust. It is bounded by the atmosphere above and
the asthenosphere (a part of the upper mantle) below. The lithosphere is the most
rigid of Earth’s layers and extends from the surface of the earth to a depth of about 70–
100 km. There are two types of lithosphere viz. oceanic lithosphere (which is under
oceans) and continental lithosphere (which is open or terrestrial landmass). Entire
lithosphere is composed of several crustal plates known as tectonicplates which keep
floating on the molten material below them. Movements of these tectonic plates bring
about various changes on earth’s surface such as earthquakes, volcanic activity and
continental drifts.

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