TMU101- Environmental Studies

ENVIRONMENT, ECOSYSTEM
AND BIODIVERSITY

Prepared by
Mr. Sunil Kumar
Assistant Professor
TMU, Moradabad
 Environmental science
• Environment is a French word – Environner’ –To
surround.
• Everything which is surrounded by us is known as
Environment.
• According to environmental protection act 1986 – it is the
sum of total water, air and land interrelationship among
themselves and human being.
• It includes both living ( Biotic ) and non living ( Abiotic
things
Environmental= Living + Non-living things.
 OBJECTIVES OF ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES:
(a) Creating the awareness about environmental problems among
people.
 
(b) Imparting basic knowledge about the environment and its
allied problems.
 
(c) Developing an attitude of concern for the environment.
 
(d) Motivating public to participate in environment protection
and environment improvement.
 
(e) Acquiring skills to help the concerned individuals in
identifying and solving environmental problems.
(f) Striving to attain harmony with Nature.
 The importance of environmental studies

1. To clarify modern environmental concept like how to

conserve biodiversity.
 
2. To know the more sustainable way of living.
 
3. To use natural resources more efficiently.
 
4. To know the behaviour of organism under natural conditions.
 
5. To know the interrelationship between organisms in
populations and communities.
 
6. To aware and educate people regarding environmental issues
and problems at local, national and international levels.
 Components of environment
 Atmosphere- it is he blanket of gases surrounding
earth.
 Hydrosphere – it is composed of various water bodies
on earth like- oceans, lakes, rivers.
 Lithosphere – it contain various types of soil & rocks.
 Biosphere- it is composed of both all living organism
and interaction with each other.
 Atmosphere
 It composed Nitrogen(N2)=78%, Oxygen(21%), Argon
(Ar)=0.934%, Co2=0.33%, Neon=0.0013% and other gases,
water vapor.
 It sustains life on the earth.
 It balances heat of earth by absorption of IR and UV rays.
 It plays important role in carrying water from the ocean to
the land through hydrological cycle.
 Oxygen supports living beings, CO2 is essential for
photosynthesis of plants.
 Co2 absorb heat and maintain atmosphere warm at night
time.
 Structure of atmosphere
 Troposphere (0 – 18kms) it contain various atmospheric gases,
cloud formation occurs.
 Stratosphere (18 – 50kms)-ozone layer is found in this layer, ideal
flying condition for Aero plane , jet plane. Absorption of U-V rays
take place by ozone layer in this .
 Mesosphere (50 – 85kms)- Lowest temperature in this layer(-90
degree), meteors and shooting star are destructed due to heat and
friction.
 Thermosphere (or) ionosphere (85 – 500kms)- high concentration
of ions are found in this layer, ideal for telecommunication.
 Exosphere ( upto 1600kms)- beyond thermosphere
 Hydrosphere

 It is composed of various water bodies on earth like oceans,

lake, revers etc.
 It ranges (10-20 km) in thickness into earth surface and 12 km
into atmosphere.
The Water Cycle
 Lithosphere
 It represent internal structure of earth surface
 It consist ( crust, Mantle and core)

 Crust-it is 80 km thick , upper layer consist (silicon+ Aluminum.)

Bottom layer consist (silicon+ Magnesium).
 Mantle-it is 2900 km thick, it consist hot rocks which can flow
( Magma). Silicates rocks
 Core- it is 5100 km thick. It consist inner core and outer core.
Outer core- found in liquid state , consist of nickel+ iron , it create
earth magnetic field.
Inner core- found in solid state , it consist solid iron and nickel.
 Scope of environmental studies
 Environment consist large number of area and aspects and
influence living and non living organisms. They are broadly
classified into
1. Natural Resources- their conservation and management.
2. Ecology
3. Biodiversity and its conservation
4. Environmental pollution and control
5.Natural disasters
6. Development
7. social issues in relation to development and environment
8. human population and environments.
 Need for public awareness
 Man has overexploited the natural resource
which leads to many environmental problems
such as acid rain, ozone layer depletion,
green house effect, landslides, cancer, and
other health problems.
 Lack of awareness and less number of people
participation leads to poor pollution
management which leads to climate
instability and unhealthy eco-system
Multidisciplinary Nature of environment
Environment is essentially a multidisciplinary approach and its components
include Biology, Geology, Chemistry, Physics, Engineering, Sociology, Health
Sciences, Anthropology, Economics, Statistics and Philosophy.
It is essentially a multidisciplinary approach. An Understanding of the working of
the environment requires the knowledge from wide ranging fields.
ECOSYSTEM
 An ecosystem is formed by the interaction between
all living(biotic) and non-living things(abiotic).
 it is a region where living organism (biotic) interact
with each other and with their surrounding by
exchanging energy and matter.

ECOLOGY
 Ecology deals with the study of living organism in their
natural home interacting with their surrounding .
 Study of ecosystem is also known as ecology.
 COMPONENT OF
ECOSYSTEM

Biotic Abiotic
(Living) (Non living)
 ABIOTIC COMPONENTS

It include Physical and chemical component of

environment.
 Physical component- Sunlight, rainfall, Wind, soil
 Chemical component- Inorganic substances, e.g.,
sulfur, boron, tend to maintain biogeochemical cycle
through ecosystems.
Organic compounds, carbohydrates, lipids, such as
proteins, and other complex molecules, form a link
between biotic and abiotic components of the
system.
 BIOTIC COMPONENTS
It consist all living organisms of an ecosystem.
Classification of Biotic components are:
AUTOTROPHS
Organisms that produce their own food from
an energy source, such as the sun, and
inorganic compounds. Like plants
HETEROTROPHS
Organisms that consume other organisms as a
food source.
MEMBERS OF BIOTIC COMPONENTS

 PRODUCERS.
 CONSUMERS.
 Primary Consumers
 Secondary Consumers
 Tertiary Consumers
 DECOMPOSERS.
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 Tropic Levels
A tropic level is the position occupied by an
organism in a food chain. The feeding position in
an ecosystem is called tropic levels.

 Producers - First tropic level.

 Primary consumers - Second tropic level.
 Secondary consumers - Third tropic level.
 Tertiary consumers - Top tropic level.

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FOOD CHAIN IN ECOSYSTEM
 It is the feeding relationship between the living organism in the
ecosystem .
 In any food chain flow of energy take place unidirectional.

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 FOOD WEB
 When food chains are linked together with each
other to form a complex network is called food
Web.
 Complex network of food chains are called food
web.

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 ENERGY FLOW IN ECOSYSTEM
 Energy is defined as the capacity to do work. For
living organisms, it is the basic force responsible for
running all the metabolic activities. The flow of
energy from producer level to top consumer level is
called energy flow.
 The flow of energy in an ecosystem is unidirectional.
It flows from producer level to consumer level.
 The process of energy flow involves transfer of
energy from autotrophs to various components of
heterotrophs and help in maintaining bio diversity.
 The main source of energy in the ecosystem is
sunlight. About 80% of energy is lost during flow of
energy from one tropic level to the next one.

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ECOLOGICAL
SUCCESSION
In a particular area, one community of species may
be replaced by another community; the progressive
replacement of one community by another till the
development of stable community in a particular area
is called as ecological succession.
TYPES OF SUCCESSION
1. Primary succession.
If an area in any of the basic
environments (such as terrestrial, fresh-water or
marine) is colonized by organisms for the first time,
the succession is called primary succession.

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Primary secession
2. Secondary succession.
If the area under colonization has been cleared
by whatsoever agency (such as burning, grazing,
clearing, felling of trees, sudden change in climatic
factors, etc.) of the previous plants, it is called
secondary succession.

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 Significance of food chains and food
webs
1. Energy flow and nutrient cycling takes place through them.
2.They maintain and regulate the population size of different
tropic levels, and thus help in maintaining ecological balance.

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 Ecological Pyramids
Graphical representation of various trophic levels from
producers to consumers is called ecological pyramids.

Types of Ecological Pyramids

The ecological pyramids may be
of following three kinds

 Pyramid of number.
 Pyramid of biomass.
 Pyramid of energy.

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 Pyramid of number
It represents the numbers of individuals at
each trophic levels. Its shape can be upright ,partly
upright and inverted.

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 Pyramid of biomass
It is based upon the total biomass (organic matter) in each tropic
level in food chain
It can be upright ( grassland) or inverted (pond ecosystem)

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Pyramid of energy

Amount of energy present at each tropic

levels is considered as pyramid of energy.
It is always upright.

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 Classification of Ecosystems
 Terrestrial Ecosystems -which encompass
the activities that take place on land
 Aquatic ecosystems - the system that exists in water
bodies
Terrestrial ecosystem
 Forest ecosystem
 Desert ecosystem
Grassland ecosystem
Aquatic ecosystem
 Marine ecosystem
 Fresh water
ecosystem
 Estuarine ecosystem
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 FOREST ECOSYSTEM
Undisturbed areas with moderate to high
average annual rain precipitation tend to be
covered with forest, which contains various
species of trees and smaller forms of
vegetation.
There are three important types of forests are
 Tropical rain forests.
 Temperate deciduous forests.
 Coniferous forests.

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 Tropical rain forests
 They are found near the equator.
 These forests have a warm annual mean temperature.
 These forests have high humidity and heavy rainfall
almost daily.
 These forests consists of broadleaf ever green plants.
 These trees have larger surface on their leaves that
allows them to collect more sunlight and do
photosynthesis extensively.
 Tropical rain forests have wide varieties of species.

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 Temperate Deciduous forests
 Temperate deciduous forests can be found in the eastern part
of the United States and Canada, Europe ,China and Japan
 Winter, spring and summer. Winters are cold and summers
are
warm
 Temperate deciduous forests have a great variety of plant
species. Most have three levels of plants .
 Conifers like spruce, fir and pine trees can also be found
mixed in with the hardwood trees in this biome.
 There is great diversity of life in this biome. Insects,
spiders, slugs, frogs, turtles and salamanders are common.

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 Coniferous forests
 The temperate coniferous forest includes areas
South America, New Zealand North America, northwest
Europe and Iceland and southern Japan
 Many softwood trees such as fir, pine, spruce, and hemlock.
 Most animals are herbivores, however some carnivores and
omnivores are thrown in. Animals in Coniferous Forests
include the red fox, moose and owl
 Coniferous Forests are the largest land Biome of the World.
 A Conifer is a tree that produces its seeds in cones. The Pine
tree is the most common example. Conifer leaves conserve
water with the thick, waxy layer that covers their leaves, also
known as needles

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 Structure (components) and function of forest ecosystem
I. Abiotic components:
The abiotic components are physical ( inorganic and organic substances)
components found in soil and atmosphere. (E.g. Temperature, light, rain
fall)
II. Biotic components:
1. Producers: The plants absorb sunlight and produce food through
photosynthesis.(e.g. Trees, shrubs and ground vegetation)
2. Consumers: a) Primary consumers: They directly depend on the plants
for their food.(e.g.. Ants, flies, insects, mice, deer)
b) Secondary consumers: They directly depend on the
herbivores for their food. (e.g. Snakes, birds, fox)
c) Tertiary consumers: They depend on the primary
carnivores for their food.(e.g. .Tiger, lion)
3. Decomposers: Rate of decomposition in tropical and subtropical forests
is more rapid than in the temperate forests. (e.g. Bacteria and fungi).

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 GRASSLAND ECOSYSTEM
 Grasslands are regions with enough average annual
rain precipitation to allow grass to grow extensively.
But drought and fire does not allow trees to grow
taller.
 Grasslands are rich biological communities of
grasses, seasonal flowering plants and open savannas.
 Great Plains of central North America, Russia, and
South American are some of the important grasslands
in the world

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There are three types of
grasslands
 A. Tropical grasslands
 B. Temperate grasslands
 C. Polar grasslands
Tropical grasslands
They have warm temperature year around with
two prolonged dry seasons. They are the shelter for
animals like zebras, giraffes, black rhino, and African
elephant. Savanna grassland in Africa is good
example for tropical grassland.

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Tropical grassland

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Temperate grasslands
Winters are too cold, summers are hot and dry,
annual precipitation is less and falls unevenly through
the year. Drought, fire and overgrazing inhibits the
growth of trees and bushes. The soil in temperate
grassland is fertile since grass die and decomposes to
for organic manure. Prairies in Canada, Pampas in
South America and Veldt in Africa are examples for
temperate grasslands
Polar grasslands
It is also known as arctic tundra.
They occur in arctic polar ice caps. The land is
covered with ice and show. Winter is very
dark, long and cold
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Temperate grassland

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Polar grassland

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 Seasonal cycles of temperature and precipitation
contributes to abundant vegetative growth that
enriches and protects the soil of the grasslands.
 There is enough water to support small crops to do
photosynthesis
 Grasslands have few trees because inadequate
rainfall, large daily and seasonal temperature ranges
and frequently grass fires kill woody seedlings.
Major impacts on grasslands are
 Conversion of grasslands into cropland
 Overgrazing of grasslands by livestock
Exploitation of polar grassland by oil, water
and air pollution

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 Structure and function of the grassland Ecosystems:
I.Abiotic components: These abiotic components
are supplied by CO2 (Nutrients C,H,O,N,P,S,etc.)
II. Biotic components:
1.Producers: They produce food.(Grasses, forbs
and shrubs)
2. Consumers:
a) primary consumers: They depend on grasses for
their food.(Cows, buffaloes, deer, sheep, etc.,)
b) secondary consumers: They feed on herbivores.
(Snakes, lizards, birds, jackals, fox, etc.,)
c) Tertiary consumers: They feed on secondary
consumers.(Hawks, eagles, etc.,)
3.Decomposers: Fungi andbacteria (decompose the
dead organic matter.

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 DESERT ECOSYSTEM
 Deserts are dry places with unpredictable and infrequent
precipitation. A desert is an area where evaporation exceeds
precipitation.
 Daily and seasonal temperature of the desert will vary since
desert has very little moisture to absorb and store sun
radiation.
 Deserts with less than 2.5 cm of precipitation supports
almost zero vegetation.
 Deserts with 2.5 to 5.0 cm precipitation have thin (scanty)
vegetation(less than 10% of the ground is covered).
 Seasonal leaf production, water-storage tissues and thick
epidermal layer help to reduce water loss.
 A combination of low rainfall and different average
temperatures creates tropical, temperate and cold deserts.

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 TROPICAL TEMPERAT COLD DESERTS
DESERTS E
DESERTS
Temperature is Day time temperature Winters are too cold,
high around year is high in summer & summers are too hot
low in winter
There is very little There is Precipitation is too
rainfall during 1 or more precipitation low
2 months of a year. than
tropical deserts
These driest places It consists of drought Small shrubs
on the earth have resistant shrubs, cacti
few plants along and other succulents*
with wind blown and few animals
sands and rocks
Ex: Sahara in Mojave in south Gobi desert in China
Africa California
Structure and functions of the desert ecosystems:
I. Abiotic components: Temperature water, sunlight, rainfall, etc.
The temperature is very high and low rain fall & low nutrient
cycling.
II Biotic components:
1. Producers: Shrubs, bushes
In deserts mostly Succulent (e.g., cacti) plants are found
available. They have water inside them to stay alive.
2.Consumers: Squirrels, mice, rabbits, reptiles.
These animals dig holes in the ground to live in. Most of
the animals can extract water from the seeds they eat.
3.Decomposers: Fungi and bacteria
Desert has poor vegetation with a very low amount of
dead organic matter.

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 AQUATIC (Water) ECOSYSTEMS
Freshwater Ecosystems
Wetlands:
Once considered useless, disease ridden places (e.g., malaria and
yellow fever)
Provide many benefits to society:
 Fish and wildlife habitats
 Natural water quality improvement
 Flood storage
They also are a source of substantial biodiversity in supporting
major groups of organisms numerous species from all of the
from microbes to mammals

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Lakes
 Littoral zone
light penetrates to thebottom, allowing
aquatic plants to grow.
 Limnetic zone
the open water area where light does not
generally penetrate all the way to the bottom.
 Euphotic zone
the layer from thesurface down to thedepth
where light levels become too low for
photosynthesis.
 Benthic zone
the bottom sediment

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Major threats to lakes:
 An overabundance of nutrients
 An overabundance of sediment
 Metals and other organic chemicals such as
polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs)

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 Structure and function of aquatic
ecosystem
I. Abiotic components: Temperature, light proteins, O2
II. Biotic components:
1. Producers: They are green plants, may be submerged, free
floating and amphibious plants. phytoplanktons, algae and
flagellates
2. Consumers: a) Primary Consumers
( Zooplanktons) Cilictes, protozoans, etc., - They feed
on phytoplankton.
b) Secondary consumers (carnivores)Insects and small
fishes. – They feed on zooplankton.
c) Tertiary consumers: Large fishes like game fish - They
feed on smaller fish.
3.decompose the dead
Decomposers: plants fungi
Bacteria, and animals.
and actinomycetes.- They 77
ESTUARIES
 They are bays or partially enclosed bodies of brackish
water that form where river enter into ocean.
 Estuaries contain rich sediments carried down
river, forming mudflats that act as home for many
aquatic lives.
 The combination of certain physical factors makes
them very protective and of high species diversity.
 Delta, broad, shallow deposits of river borne sand and
mud, can be part estuary zone.
 a steady flow of nutrients makes delta biologically
rich.
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Structure and function of Estuarine Ecosystem:
I.Abiotic components:
Temperature, pH, sodium and potassium salts and
various nutrients.
II.Biotic Components:
a)Producers: marsh grasses,
seaweeds, seagrasses and phytoplankton
b)Consumers: Oysters, crabs, seanirds,
small fishes.
C) Decomposers: Bacterias, fungi and
actenomycetous.

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