1. Write in detail about soil resources and their management.

Ans: Soil resources are a vital component of our environment, playing a

crucial role in supporting plant growth, storing water, cycling nutrients, and
providing a habitat for various organisms. Proper management of soil
resources is essential to maintain soil health, productivity, and sustainability.

Here are key aspects of soil resources and their management:

1. Soil Formation: Soil is formed through the weathering of rocks over

time, and its properties vary based on factors such as climate,
topography, parent material, organisms, and time. Understanding
these factors is essential for effective soil management.
2. Soil Classification: Soils are classified based on their physical,
chemical, and biological properties. This classification helps in
assessing soil fertility, drainage, and other characteristics important
for land use planning and management.
3. Soil Conservation: Soil conservation practices aim to prevent soil
erosion, maintain soil structure, and minimize nutrient loss.
Techniques such as contour farming, cover cropping, and
conservation tillage help protect soil resources from degradation.
4. Soil Fertility Management: Maintaining soil fertility is crucial for
sustainable agriculture. This involves practices like adding organic
matter, using fertilizers judiciously, practicing crop rotation, and
adjusting pH levels to ensure optimal nutrient availability for plants.
5. Soil Testing: Regular soil testing is essential to assess nutrient levels,
pH, and other soil properties. This information guides farmers in
making informed decisions regarding fertilization, liming, and other
soil amendments.
6. Soil Health Monitoring: Monitoring soil health indicators such as
organic matter content, microbial activity, and soil structure helps in
assessing the overall health and quality of the soil. This information
can guide management practices to improve soil health.
7. Sustainable Soil Management Practices: Sustainable soil management
practices focus on reducing chemical inputs, promoting biodiversity,
improving water retention, and enhancing soil structure. Techniques
such as agroecology, agroforestry, and precision agriculture
contribute to sustainable soil management.
By implementing effective soil management practices, we can preserve soil
resources for future generations, promote sustainable agriculture, and protect
the environment. It is essential to recognize the value of soil as a finite and
precious resource that requires careful management and conservation efforts.

2. No conventional energy resources are pollution free. Explain with

examples.

Ans: Conventional energy

sources have a variety of impacts on nature and
human society.
India needs to rapidly move into a policy to reduce
energy needs and use cleaner energy production
technologies. A shift to alternate energy
use and renewable energy sources that are
used judiciously and equitably would bring about
environmentally friendly and sustainable
lifestyles. India must reduce its dependency on
imported oil. At present we are under-utilizing
our natural gas resources. We could develop
thousands of mini dams to generate electricity.
India wastes great amounts of electricity during
transmission. Fuel wood plantations need to be
enhanced and management through Joint Forestry
Management (JFM) has a great promise
for the future.
Energy efficient cooking stoves or ‘chulas’ help
the movement of air through it so that the wood
is burnt more efficiently. They also have a chimney
to prevent air pollution and thus reduce respiratory
problems. While over 2 lakh improved
chulas have been introduced throughout the
country, the number in active use is unknown
as most rural people find it to be unusable for
several reasons. TERI in 1995 estimated that in
India 95% of rural people and 60% of urban
poor still depend on firewood, cattle dung and
crop residue for cooking and other domestic
purposes. Biomass can be converted into biogas

3. Explain the forest ecosystem giving an example.

ans: • The non-living or abiotic aspects of the
forest: The type of forest depends upon the
abiotic conditions at the site. Forests on
mountains and hills differ from those along
river valleys. Vegetation is specific to the
amount of rainfall and the local temperature
which varies according to latitude and
altitude. Forests also vary in their plant communities
in response to the type of soil.
• The living or the biotic aspects of the forest:
The plants and animals form communities
that are specific to each forest type.
For instance coniferous trees occur in the
Himalayas. Mangrove trees occur in river
deltas. Thorn trees grow in arid areas. The
snow leopard lives in the Himalayas while
the leopard and tiger live in the forests of
the rest of India. Wild sheep and goats live
high up in the Himalayas. Many of the birds
of the Himalayan forests are different from
the rest of India. Evergreen forests of the
Western Ghats and North East India are
most rich in plant and animal species.
The biotic component includes both the large
(macrophytes) and the microscopic plants and
animals.
Plants include the trees, shrubs, climbers,
grasses, and herbs in the forest. These include
species that flower (angiosperms), and non-flowering
species (gymnosperms) such as ferns, bryophytes,
fungi and algae.
The animals include species of mammals, birds,
reptiles, amphibians, fish, insects and other invertebrates
and a variety of microscopic animals.
As the plant and animal species are closely dependent
on each other, together they form different
types of forest communities. Man is a part
of these forest ecosystems and the local people
depend directly on the forest for several natural
resources that act as their life support systems.
People who do not live in the forest buy forest
products such as wood and paper, which has
been extracted from the forest. Thus they use
forest produce indirectly from the market.
4. Explain the following
a) Nitrogen cycle

Carnivorous animals feed on herbivorous animals

that live on plants. When animals defecate,
this waste material is broken down by worms
and insects mostly beetles and ants. These small
‘soil animals’ break the waste material into
smaller bits on which microscopic bacteria and
fungi can act. This material is thus broken down
further into nutrients that plants can absorb and
use for their growth. Thus nutrients are recycled
back from animals to plants. Similarly the bodies
of dead animals are also broken down into
nutrients that are used by the
plants for their growth. Thus
the nitrogen cycle on which
life is dependent is completed.
Nitrogen fixing bacteria and
fungi in soil gives this important
element to plants, which
absorb it as nitrates. The nitrates
are a part of the plant’s
metabolism, which help in
forming new plant proteins.
This is used by animals that
feed on the plants. The nitrogen
is then transferred to carnivorous
animals when they
feed on the herbivores. Thus our own lives are closely interlinked to soil
animals, fungi and even
bacteria in the soil. When we think of food webs,
we usually think of the large mammals and other
large forms of life. But we need to understand
that it is the unseen small animals, plants and
microscopic forms of life that are of great value
 for the functioning of the ecosystem.
b)Oxygen cycle

Oxygen is taken up by plants and animals

from the air during respiration.
The plants return oxygen to the atmosphere
during photosynthesis. This
links the Oxygen Cycle to the Carbon
Cycle. Deforestation is likely to gradually
reduce the oxygen levels in our
atmosphere. Thus plant life plays an
important role in our lives which we
frequently do not appreciate. This is
an important reason to participate in
afforestation programs.

5. Write a note on energy cycle

Ans: The energy cycle is based on the flow of energy

through the ecosystem. Energy from sunlight is
converted by plants themselves into growing
new plant material which includes leaves, flowers,
fruit, branches, trunks and roots of plants. Since plants can grow by converting
the sun’s
energy directly into their tissues, they are known
as producers in the ecosystem. The plants are
used by herbivorous animals as food, which
gives them energy. A large part of this energy is
used up for day to day functions of these animals
such as breathing, digesting food, supporting
growth of tissues, maintaining blood flow
and body temperature. Energy is also used for
activities such as looking for food, finding shelter,
breeding and bringing up young ones. The
carnivores in turn depend on herbivorous animals
on which they feed. Thus the different plant
and animal species are linked to one another
through food chains. Each food chain has three
or four links. However as each plant or animal
can be linked to several other plants or
animals through many different linkages,
these inter-linked chains can be
depicted as a complex food web. This
is thus called the ‘web of life’ that shows
that there are thousands of interrelationships
in nature.
The energy in the ecosystem can be depicted
in the form of a food pyramid or
energy pyramid. The food pyramid has
a large base of plants called ‘producers’.
The pyramid has a narrower middle
section that depicts the number and biomass
of herbivorous animals, which are
called ‘first order consumers’. The apex
depicts the small biomass of carnivorous
animals called ‘second order consumers’.
Man is one of the animals at the
apex of the pyramid. Thus to support
mankind, there must be a large base of
herbivorous animals and an even greater
quantity of plant material. When plants and animals die, this material
is returned to the soil after being
broken down into simpler substances by
decomposers such as insects, worms,
bacteria and fungi so that plants can
Energy Cycle absorb the nutrients through their roots. Animals excrete waste
products after digesting
food, which goes back to the soil. This links the
energy cycle to the Nitrogen cycle.
6. Give classification of ecosystem

Ans: categorized based on various criteria. Here are the main types:

1. Natural Ecosystems:
o Terrestrial Ecosystems: These ecosystems exist on land and cover
approximately 25-30% of Earth’s total land area. They are
influenced by factors like water availability, sunlight, and
atmospheric gases.
 Forest Ecosystems: Encompass various types of forests,
such as tropical rainforests, temperate forests, and boreal
forests.
 Grassland Ecosystems: Found in regions with moderate
rainfall, grasslands support grasses and herbivores.
 Desert Ecosystems: Characterized by low precipitation and
extreme temperature variations.
o Aquatic Ecosystems: These ecosystems occur in water bodies and
can be further divided:
 Freshwater Ecosystems: Include lakes, rivers, ponds, and
wetlands.
 Marine Ecosystems: Found in oceans, seas, and estuaries.
2. Man-Made (Artificial) Ecosystems:
o These ecosystems result from human intervention and
modification of natural environments. Examples include:
 Urban Areas: Cities, towns, and industrial zones.
 Agricultural Fields: Cultivated lands for crop production.
 Reservoirs and Dams: Artificial water bodies created for
various purposes.
3. Ecological Hierarchy:
o Ecologists classify ecosystems at different scales:
 Micro-Ecosystems: Small, homogeneous sites (e.g., a pond).
 Meso-Ecosystems: Landscape mosaics (e.g., a forested
region).
 Macro-Ecosystems: Larger units (e.g., ecoregions).

Remember, each ecosystem plays a vital role in maintaining ecological balance

and supporting life. Whether natural or man-made, understanding and

conserving these systems are crucial for our planet’s well-being. 🌿🌎

7. Define Air pollution. Describe in details the sources and effect of Air
pollution
Ans:

CAUSES
• One of the main causes of air pollution is the release of carbon dioxide into
the atmosphere, this
happens because of Deforestation and fossil fuel burning
• Sulfur dioxide is another air polluter and is released into the atmosphere by
the burning of
sulfur containing compounds of fossil fuels. Sulfur oxides are very dangerous to
humans at a
high concentration. Sulfur in the atmosphere is responsible for acid rain
• Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) also contribute to air pollution by reducing the
amount of ozone
the stratosphere. CFCs come from a variety of places such as:
• the burning of plastic foam items
• leaking refrigerator equipment
• spray cans
NATURAL AIR POLLUTANTS
• Natural air pollutants can include:
– Smoke from wild fires
– Methane released from live stock
– Volcanic eruption
8. Define water pollution. Describe in detail the sources and effect of water
pollution.
Ans:

WATER POLLUTION:
CAUSES
• Factors that contribute to water pollution can be categorized into two
different groups
– Point sources
– Non-point sources
• Point sources are the easiest to identify and control
• Non point sources are ambiguously defined and harder to control
POINT SOURCES
• Some point sources of water pollution include
– Waste products from factories
– Waste from sewage system
– Waste from power plants
– Waste from underground coalmines
– Waste from oil wells
• They are called point sources because they are direct sources of water
pollution and can be
reduced and monitored
NON-POINT SOURCES
• The term non-point source encompasses a large range of sources such as:
– when rain or snow moves through the ground and picks up pollutants as it
moves
towards a major body of water
– the runoff of fertilizers from farm animals and crop land
– air pollutants getting washed or deposited to earth
– storm water drainage from lawns, parking lots, and streets
9. Define noise pollution. Describe in detail the sources, effect and control
measures of noise pollution
Ans:

NOISE POLLUTION –
Causes –
 Means of Transportation,
 Industries
 Home Appliances
 Means of Recreation
 Social & religious activity
 Defense equipment
 Mining
Effect –
 At the level of audible sound
 At the level of physiology
 At the level of behavior
10. What is Population explosion? Methods of controlling Population?
Ans:

Population explosion means rapid increment in population in a short time. The

famous economist
Malthus was first to give attention towards population explosion

Population explosion or over population denotes a situation in which the

number of people living in a
country rapidly exceeds its carrying or sustaining capabilities. It is not just the
quantity of people but
the ratio of it in connection with the natural or artificial resources at hand.
Population explosion can
occur due to a number of reasons such as a step-up of birth rates, down slope
of mortality rates with the advent of modern medical sciences, a simultaneous
increase in immigration and decrease in
emigration and so on.
The methods to control population explosion

The government cannot ignore or shelve the problem of population explosion,

for it is a rot and entire
development of the country depends on how effectively it is stemmed. This
awareness made our
governments, both at the centre and in the states, to think about the adopt
official programme to
educate public opinion and reduce the birth rate so that the population can fit
in well with the evolving
pattern of developing economy.
The Family Planning as an official programme was launched with much fanfare
in 1952. The
government is still trying to educate the people. All government agencies and
institutions mobilized all
their resources to attain the goal of planned families. The propaganda
machinery was geared up with
the help of public media. The people were reminded of the advantages of
small families, of healthy and
happy children and of the need for eradicating the age-old poverty. The
parents were persuaded to go
in for sterilization after the births of two children, for the contraceptive were
not always found to be
safe and full-proof. Many parents, especially the educated, came forward to
see things in the new light
and were amenable to persuasion. However, many others resisted, at places
quite violently, and refused
to see reason. The government was very serious about making the programme
a success. The state
governments also came forward to help the center in its bid to achieve success

(a)Environmental health

Environmental is the surrounding in which we all live but these days this
environment is being
  polluted day by day. This is causing grave health problems to the
human being Industrialization
 use of modern technologies, westernized life style has spoiled the
natural balance of the
 environment. Hence we have to environmental health problems.
Here are some major points which
 deal with the environmental issues and are very necessary in present
scenario –
 - Saving powers – Wastage of electricity must be checked. The non-
conventional energy
 resources & solar energy could be used.
 - Environmental education – Every citizen from his childhood must be
aware of the
 environmental issues.
 - Check population – It is the need of the hour because increasing
population demands for more
 energy supply.
 - Stop wars & violence – Due to wars & violence, the environmental
pollution increases. The
 danger of use of nuclear weapons also increase which the
possibilities of war.
 - Less use of vehicles – The urbanization caused a by-product i.e.
increasing number of vehicles.
 These vehicles pollute the environment very badly.
 - Deforestation – The plants absorb the environmental pollutants and
cause raining. But
 excessive deforestation caused severe problems.
 - Laws & legislations for industries – The industrialization is a
consequence of development. But
 this also causes pollution to every level. Tough rules must be made
against the pollution caused
 by the industry.
 - Worldwide efforts – This is the need of the hour that the whole
world must came along against
 pollution and to protect the environment
11.What is Biodiversity?

Biological diversity deals with the degree of

nature’s variety in the biosphere. This variety can
be observed at three levels; the genetic variability
within a species, the variety of species within
a community, and the organisation of species
in an area into distinctive plant and animal communities
 constitutes ecosystem diversity
(a) value of diversity

The economic values are divided as follows:

1. Direct values: These are assigned to the products harvested by people and
2. Indirect values: These are assigned to benefits provided by biodiversity that
do not involve
harvesting or destroying the resources.
Direct values (also known as use values and commodity values) can often be
readily calculated by
observing the activities of representative groups of people, by monitoring
collection points for normal
products and by examining import/export statistics. Direct values can be
further divided as follows:
(a) Consumptive use value: This can be assigned to goods such as fuelwood
and game that are
consumed locally and and do not figure in national and international market.
(b) Productive use value: This is assigned to products that are harvested from
the wild and sold in
commercial markets. Both at national and international levels.
Indirect values are assigned to biodiversity that provide economic benefits to
people without
consumption of the resource. Such benefits include water quality, soil
protection. recreation, education,
scientific research, regulation of climate and producing future option for
human society. Indirect
values could be further divided as follows:
(a) No consumptive use value: This includes ecosystem productivity,
protection of water
resources, soil protection, climate regulation, waste disposal, species
environmental
monitoring etc.
(b) Option value: This value of a species is its potential to provide an economic
benefit to human
society at some point in the future. The growing biotechnology industry is
finding rare species
to tackle pollution, and fight problems of cancer, AIDS etc.
(c) Existence value: This is assigned to protect wildlife. People value
charismatic animals such as
lion, panda, birds etc, in a direct way to contribute money to conservation
organisation.
 Governments also spend money on conservation.
(b) Conservation of biodiversity

Wildlife conservation is the practice of protecting endangered plant and animal

species and their
habitats. Among the goals of wildlife conservation are to ensure that nature
will be around for future
generations to enjoy and to recognize the importance of wildlife and
wilderness lands to humans.
Many nations have government agencies dedicated to wildlife conservation,
which help to implement
policies designed to protect wildlife. Numerous independent non profit
organizations also promote
 various wildlife conservation causes.