Land degradation:
It is a process of deterioration of soil or loss of fertility. Effects of land degradation:
Causes of land degradation:
1. Population:-More land is needed for producing food. fibre and fuel wood. So land to over
exploitation. 2. Urbanisation:-Urbanisation reduces the agricultural land. Urbanisation leads
to deforestation, affects millions of plants and animals. 3. Fertilizers and pesticides: It
affects fertility of the soil and causes land polluti01 4. Damage of top soil:- Increase in food
production generally leads to damage of top soil through. 5. Water logging, soil erosion,
salination and contamination of the soil with indivudual cause land degradation.
Soil erosion:
The process of removal of superficial layer of the soil from one place to
anotheHarmFullAffect Of Soil Erosion : l. Soil fertility decreases due to the loss of top soil
layer. Loss of it's ability to hold water and sediments. 3. Sediments run off can pollute water
and kill aquatic life.
Types oF soil erosion: I. Normal erosion:It is caused by gradual removal of top soil by the
natural process. 2. Accelerated erosion:It is caused by man made activities. The erosion is
much faster than the of soil.
Causes of soil erosion: 1. water water causes soil erosion in the form of rain, run off, rapid
flow and Water. 2. It is an important climatic agent, which carry away the fine particles Of
erosion. 3.BioticAgendOver grazing, mining and deforestation are the major biotic agent
cause 35% of soil erosion is due to over grazing and 30% is due to deforestat
Dam and their effects on Forests and people
1Big dam are often regarded as a symbol of national development. Big dam and river valley
projects have multipurpose uses and have been referred to as "Temples of modern India".
2However, these dams are also responsible for the destruction of vast areas offorest.
3 India has more than 1550 large dams, the maximum being in the state of Maharashtra
(more than 600), followed by Gujarat (more than 250) and Madhya Pradesh (130).
4The highest dam isTehri dam, on river Bhagirathi in Uttarakhand and the largest in terms of
capacity is Bhakra dam on river Satluj in Himachal Pradesh.
5Big dams have been in sharp focus of various groups all over the world which is mainly
because of several ecological problems including deforestation and socioeconomic
problems related to tribal or native people associated with them.
What is Biodevercity:-
The term biodivercity is a combination of two words biology and vevercity The
word originates from the Greek word BIOS = Life and Lation Word DIVECITY =
VERITY or DEFFERENCE the Whole word BIO DEVERCITY generally therefore
mens VARITY of life Biodevercity or biological devercity a sum of all the different
specie of animals plants fungi and microbial organism living on earth and the
varity of habbit in which they live.
Effects of deforestation on biodiversity
The results revealed that deforestation has negative impact on biodiversity in the area. The
impact of deforestation on biodiversity seen in terms of loss of valuable plant species,
reduced plant biomes and extinction of species. r Loss of habitats Illegal wild life trade r
Global climate change
Water resources
Water is vent' important natural resource which forms the basis of life on earth. It is the
most important requirement for the existence of life on other planets. Human beings use
the water in daily life for different purposes. Irrigation, Drinking Wate,r Industry, Energy.
Groundwater
•About 9.86% of the total fresh water resources is in the form of groundwater
and it is about 35-50 times that of surface water supplies. • Till some time back
groundwater was considered to be very pure. •However, of late, even
groundwater aquifers have been found to be contaminated by leachates from
sanitary landfills etc
Floods
•A flood is an overflow of water, whenever the magnitude of flow of water exceeds the
carrying capacity of the channel within its banks
. causes Of Floods
1 Heavy rainfall or sudden release of water from dams often causes floods in the low lying
areas along rivers or coastal areas. 2 Prolonged heavy rainfall can also cause the
overflowing of lakes and rivers resulting in floods 3 Reduction in carrying capacity of river
channels due to accumulation of sediments or obstructions built on flood ways. 4
Deforestation, overgrazing, mining increases the run-off from rains causing floods. 5
Removal of dense forest cover over the hilly area leads to occurrence of floods.
Effects Of Floods
•Water spreads in the low lying areas around the rivers and planes and submerges
them•Plain surfaces get eroded and silted with mud and sand thereby affecting cultivable
land areas. •Destruction of society in some coastal areas also occurs.
Management Of Floods
1 Floods can be controlled by constructing dams or reservoirs2 Channel management and
embankments also control floods 3 Encroachment of flood ways should be banned
Types of Droughts
•Droughts are classified into four types: •Meteorological Drought occurs when the total
amount of rainfall is less than 75% of normal rainfall. This drought will be severe if the
rainfall is less than 50% of the normal rainfall •Hydrological Drought occurs when the total
amount of rainfall is less than the average rainfall. It is generally associated with reduction
Difference between Renewable and Nonrenewable Energy Resources:
Renewable Energy Resources
1 Renewable energy resources are Solar energy, Tida energy, Wind energy, Hydro
energy,Biomass, Biofuel, and more. 2 The energy can be used again and again.3 These
energy sources can be used throughout our life.4 Here it has low carbon emission. Why? 4.
because the type of plants produces electricity without burning any substances.
5. These promote a healthy balance in nature. 6. Not major problems in the environment.
7. These are present on earth atmosphere but 8. This is very cheap in nature
Non-renewable Energy Resources
1 Non-renewable energy resource is like coal [Thermal Plant], oil, Nuclear, and more. 2
Non-renewable energy can not be used again and again.3 Non-renewable can not be used
throughout our life at some point it will end which is a major problem.4 It has high carbon
emissions. Because the plants produce electricity by the burning of coal and it has a high
amount of c02. The fuel used in vehicles is also burned out to produce charge and burning
of fuel gives bad amount of c02. 5 But It is not a healthy balance of nature.6 Here it creates
a major problem in the environment like toxic air.7 These are present underground layers
of earth 8 . It is costly in nature.9 But this one is scarce(lnsufficient) in nature. 10 Non-
renewable energy resources are not pollution-free type. Oil ,steel ,aluminum,coal.
MEANING OF ENVIRONMENT
• The word 'environmentr is derived from the old French Word 'environer' which
means to 'surround, enclose, and encircle'. Environment refers to an aggregate of
conditions or surroun Ings In which living ÞgLQgs such as humans,
animals,aÕUþPants live or survive a ongwith non-living things.
• .The biosphere is composed of all living organisms, including; plants and animals.
It is believed that all life exists in the biosphere. Most of the living organisms are
found from up to three meters below ground to thirty meters above it and also in
to 200 meters of the ocean and seas. The biosphere could not survive if it wasn't
for the other spheres as all organisms need water from the hydrosphere, minerals
from the lithosphere and gases from the atmosphere
ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES MEANING AND DEFINITION
Meaning: Environmental studies is a multidisciplinary subject. It employs subject like
chemistry, physics, botany, zoology, physiology, geography, geology, and metrology etc., to
describe the biological and physical nature of our environment. In order to understand how
people, function separately and also s in a group. Consequently, environmental studies
involve understanding of philosophy, ethics, psychology, archaeology, economics and
political science.
Definition: Environmental studies deals with every issue that affects a living organism, It is
essentially a multidisciplinary approach that brings about an appreciation of our natural
world and human impact on its integrity. It is an applied science, as it seeks practical
The scope of environmental studies is very wide and it deals with many areas like
(i) Conservation of natural resources,(ii) Ecological aspects,(iii) Pollution of the surrounding
natural resources,(iv) Controlling the pollution,(v)Social issues connected to it, and
(vi)Impacts of human population on the environment.
study will educate people regarding their duties towards the protection of environment.
Environmental study will help in gaining knowledge about waste management, treatment
and disposal techniques and alert the social responsibility towards control of environmental
pollution and protection.It will generate expansion in conservation of energy by
introducing alternate sources which is very essential as fast depletion of natural resource
are seen. Thus, improved technologies, processes compatible With environment is very
necessary as this Will indirectly help in increasing the economic productivity.It will enable
individuals to understand the environment complexities and help to gain skills to assess the
environmental impact of human activities to achieve sustainable development.Overall,
Environmental study is a key instrument for bringing about the changes in the knowledge,
values, behaviours and lifestyles required to achieve sustainability and stability within and
among countries. At present environmental study is in lime light.Environmental studies are
playing key role for the protection of our mother earth.
STRUCTURE OF ECOSYSTM
An ecosystem is the basic unit of the field of the scientific study Of nature. According to this
discipline, an ecosystem is a physically defined environment, made up of two inseparable
components. Every ecosystem has its own structure. The structure of an ecosystem is
determined by its stability climax development and its evolution. Each ecosystem has a
definite type of tropic structure or tropic levels and every levels.The main structural
components of ecosystems are The 1 Biotope (Abiotic): A particular physical environment
with specific physical characteristics such as the climate, temperature, humidity,
concentration of nutrients or pH. The 2 Biocenosis (Biotic): A set of living organisms such as
animals, plants or micro-organisms, that are in constant interaction and are, therefore, in a
situation of interdependence.(a) Producers: All autotrophs (plants) are encompassed ' in
producers, as they can produce food through the process of photosynthesis.(b) Consumers:
Consumers are heterotrophs as they depend on other for food. Consumers are further
classified into primary consumers (Depend on Producers), secondary consumers (Depend
on Primary Consumers) and tertiary consumers (Depend on Secondary Consumers or both
primary as well secondary i.e., Omnivorous):(c) Decomposers: Decomposers are
saprophytes such as fungi and bacteria. They directly thrive on the dead and decaying
organic matter. Decomposers are essential for the ecosystem as they help in recycling
nutrients to be reused by plants.
FUNCTIONS OF ECOSYSTEM
•The key functional aspects of ecosystems are energy flow, food chains and food webs,
biogeochemical cycling, ecosystem development, and ecosystem regulation and stability.
The abiotic components help in the synthesis of organic components that involves the
exchange of energy.
Food Chains and Food Webs
Food chain is a linear sequence of organisms, which starts from producer organisms and
ends with decomposer species. Food chain is also defined as 'ia chain of organisms, existing
in any natural community, through which energy is transferred". Food chain is structured
differentlyIn a certain food chain, each organism gets energy from the one at the level
below. In a food chain, there is reliable energy transfer through each stage. All the energy
at one stage of the chain is not absorbed by the organism at the next stage. The food chains
are of two' types,i.e. (a) Grazing food chain and (b) Detritus food chain.(a)Grazing Food
Chain: The food chain that starts from green plants constitute the grazing food chain.
Green plants -+ herbivores -+ first order carnivores -+ second order carnivores Some
examples of grazing food chain in an ecosystem would be:Grass -+ Rabbit -+ Fox
Phytoplanktons -+ Zooplanktons's Fish -+ Man
(b) Detritus Food Chain: The principal energy •input is not green plants but dead organic
matter. These are called detritus food chains.Example of such a forest floor food chain is:
Dead leaves
Food Webs
Food chain and food web form an integral part of this ecosystem" Food web is a
connection of multiple food chains. The word 'webb means network. Food web can
be defined as 'a network of interconnected food chains so as to form a number of
feeding relationships amongst different organism of a biotic community. Food chain
follows a single whereas food web follows multiple paths. From the food chain, we
gett0characteristics of the food web are: (a) the presence of high number O species,
(b) the higher levels of connectivity among species, (c) occurrence of the significantly
longer food chains In an ecosystem, all living organisms depend on each other for
food, which develops a food chain and, in this way, they survive and reproduce. But
organisms cannot depend on only one type of food chain so they have to interact
with another type of food chain which eventually leads to the formation of a food
web. All types of food chains have sunlight, producer, consumer, and decomposer as
its components.
FOREST ECOSYSTEM
A terrestrial environment dominated by trees growing in a closed canopy is known as
Forest. A forest ecosystem consists of biotic factors viz., plants, animals and
microorganisms that live in coordination with the •abiotic factors (light, soil,
nutrients, minerals, water) of the environment.
The organisms existing in the forest's ecosystem are categorized as biotic
components that are Producers, Consumers and Decomposers and abiotic
components refer to inorganic materials like air, water, and soil, both biotic and
abiotic components are interdependent on each other for survival.
Grassland Ecosystem
The UNESCO defines grassland as "land covered with herbaceous plants with less
than 10 per cent tree and shrub cover" and "wooded grassland as 10-40 per cent
tree and shrub •cover".Grasslands are highly dynamic ecosystems that include
vegetation that is mainly dominated by grass or grass-like plants. These can be in the
form of natural and semi-natural pastures, woodlands, scrub and steppe formations
(Intermediate areas between forests and deserts made up of small grasses),
Grasslands occur where rainfall is usually low and/or the soil depth and quality is
poor. Low rainfall prevents the growth of a large number of trees and shrubs in
abundance but is sufficient to support the growth of grass cover during the monsoon.
They can, therefore, be called as ecosystems that occur in areas with low rainfall;
somewhere in between deserts where there is very scanty rainfall and forests where
there is plenty of rainfall.Grassland ecosystem always begins with grasses as the
primary producers and consumers like insects, reptiles, grazing animals, birds,
rodents, many other herbivores form the secondary consumers and of course tertiary
consumers like humans which consumes them in the form of crops. Many rare
species such as The Bengal Florican, One-horned Rhinoceros, Pygmy Hog, Hispid
Hare, Wild Buffalo, Hog Deer, Swamp Deer in Terai grassland, the Great Indian
Bustard in dry, short graéslands, the Lesser Florican in monsoonal grasslands of
western India, and the Nilgiri Tahr in the shola grasslands of the Western Ghats are
some examples of animals and birds that thrive in the grasslands.
Desert Ecosystem
Deserts occupy 17% of the land, occurring in the regions with an
2nnual rainfall of less than 25 cm. Desert and semi arid lands have highly ;pecialized
and sensitive ecosystem. The flora and fauna here need to to extremely high
temperatures, low or no rainfall thus facing xtrerne weather conditions. Depending
upon the wide range of iemperatures and weather conditions, desert is classified into
four types: hot, semiarid, coastal, and cold. Hot deserts experience extreme warm
temperatures throughout the year, Semiarid deserts experience similar conditions to
hot deserts, but with tittle less extreme temperature, Coastal deserts are cooler than
hot and semiarid deserts, Cold deserts are similar in temperature to coastal deserts,
however, they rec eive more annual precipitation in the form of snowfall.The Thar
Desert, also known as the Great Indian Desert, is a large, arid region in the
northwestern part of the Indian subcontinent that covers an area of 200,000 km2 and
forms a natural boundary between India and Pakistan. Due to the diversified habitat
and ecosystem, the vegetation, human culture, and animal life in this arid region are
very rich in contrast to the other deserts of the world.
In the desert ecosystem biotic components are categorized as Producers, Consumers
and Decomposers.
Aquatic Ecosystem
Aquatic ecosystems are present in a water body that covers mo re than 70% of Earth
ts surface, The aquatic ecosystem provides the habitat for various animals, plants,
and microbes that are water dependent5' These can be further divided into two
types, namely:Freshwater Ecosystem: The freshwater ecosystems are of the following
three basic types: Lentic - which includes standing water bodies like ponds, lakes,
ditches, seasonal pools, basin marshes, Lotic - which includes rapidly flowing water
bodies like creek, rivers, brook, streams, spring, and Wetland which includes water
bodies which contains large varieties of animals and plants. These have no salt
content in contrast with the marine ecosystem.Marine Ecosystem: The marine
ecosystem includes seas and oceans. These have a more substantial salt content and
greater biodiversity in comparison to the freshwater ecosystem.
Ocean Ecosystem
The ocean ecosystem covers most of the earth's surface and is home to millions of
plants and animals. Understanding the ocean ecosystem is important for children, as
it affects everyone. Ocean ecosystems also known as Marine ecosystem is defined
by their unique biotic (living) and abiotic (nonliving) factors. Biotic factors include
plants, animals, and microbes; important abiotic factors include the amount of
sunlight in the ecosystem, the amount of oxygen and nutrients dissolved in the water,
proximity to land, depth, and temperature. Marine ecosystem is classified into three
zones depending on amount of sunlight received. The topmost part of a marine
ecosystem is the euphotic zone, where most marine life inhabits here as sufficient
light reaches here, it extends down as far as 200 meters (656 feet) below the surface.
Below the euphotic zone is the dysphotic zone, which can reach from 200 to as deep
as 1/000 meters (656 to 3,280 feet) below the surface. At these depths, sunlight is
still available, but only enough to facilitate some photosynthesis. Below the dysphotic
zone lays the aphotic zonet which does not receive any sunlight.
Case studies of Ocean Ecosystem: Oceans are very vast that much Of it has not yet
been carefully explored. A million or more as yet Undiscovered species might live in
its waters. Around 300,000 different marine, or ocean, species have been identified
which makes about 15 Percent of all known plants and animals on the planet.
