1.What are trophic levels ?
Give an example of food chain and state the different trophic levels
in it.
Answer:
Trophic Levels : The various steps in a food chain at which the transfer of food (or energy) takes
place are called trophic levels.
Example : A food chain operating in a grassland is given below :
Grass → Insects → Frog → Birds
In this food chain
Grass represents first trophic level.
Grasshopper represents second trophic level.
Frog represents third trophic level.
Eagle represents fourth tropic level.
2. What is the role of decomposers in the ecosystem ?
Answer:
(i) Decomposers help in decomposing the dead bodies of plants and animals and hence act as
cleansing agents of the environment.
(ii) Decomposers also help in putting back the various elements of which dead plants and
animals are made, back into the soil, air and water for reuse by the producers like crop plants.
(iii) They help in recycling of the nutrients.
(iv) They decompose dead remains thereby providing space for new life to settle in the
biosphere.
3. Why are some substances biodegradable and some non-biodegradable ?
Answer:
The microorganism like bacteria and other decomposer organisms (called saprophytes) present
in our environment are specific in their action. They break down the materials or products made
from natural materials (say, paper) but do not break down man-made materials such as plastics.
That is why some waste materials are biodegradable, whereas others are non-biodegradable.
4. Give any two ways in which biodegradable substances would affect the environment.
Answer:
They may produce foul smell during decomposition process.
They may produce some harmful gases such as ammonia, methane, carbon dioxide, etc., which
can further-cause global warming.
5.
Give any two ways in which non-biodegradable substances would effect the environment.
Answer:
(i) They cause air, water and soil pollution.
(ii) They may cause bio-magnification in the food chain and end up in humans.
6. What is ozone and how does it affect any ecosystem ?
Answer:
Ozone (O3) is an isotope of oxygen, i.e., it is a molecule formed by three atoms of oxygen.
At the higher levels of the atmosphere, ozone performs an essential function. It shields the
surface of the earth from ultraviolet (UV) radiations from the sun. These radiations are highly
damaging to organisms. Ultraviolet rays can cause skin cancer.
7. How can you help in reducing the problem of waste disposal ? Give any two methods.
Answer:
(i) Recycling : The solid wastes like paper, plastics and metals, etc. are recycled.
(ii) Preparation of Compost: Biodegradable domestic wastes such as left over food, fruit and
vegetable peels and leaves of potted plants, etc. can be converted into compost by burying in a
pit dug into ground
8. What will happen if we kill all the organisms in one trophic level ?
Answer:
The food chain would end and ecological balance would be affected.
If the herbivores are killed, then the carnivores would not be able to get food and would die.
If carnivores are killed, then the population of herbivores would increase to unsustainable level.
9. Will the impact of removing all the organisms in a trophic level be different for different
trophic levels ? Can the organisms of any trophic level be removed without causing any damage
to the ecosystem ?
Answer:
Yes, the impact of removing all the organisms in a trophic level will be different for different
trophic levels. For example, on removing producers; herbivores would not be able to survive or
they would migrate and ecosystem would collapse. If herbivores are removed, producers would
grow unchecked and carnivores would not get food. If carnivores are removed, herbivores would
increase to unsustainable levels and could destroy the producers. If decomposers are removed,
the dead animals would pile up due to which the environment would become polluted. Thus to
maintain the balance of the ecosystem the presence of organisms is necessary at each trophic
level.
9. What is biological magnification ? Will the levels of this magnification be different at different
levels of the ecosystem ?
Answer:
Biological magnification : The increase in concentration of harmful chemical substances like
pesticides in the body of living organisms at each trophic level of a food chain is called
biological magnification.
Yes, levels of bio-magnification would increase as the trophic level increases and would be the
highest for topmost trophic level. It would affect their biological process such as growth,
reproduction, etc.
10. What are the problems caused by the non-biodegradable wastes that we generate ?
Answer:
The problems caused by the non-biodegradable wastes are :
If the quantity of non-biodegradable matter increases in the nature then bio-magnification of
poisonous chemicals in our body increases.
If the non-biodegradal waste keeps on increasing there will not be left any substance for new
organisms.
The increasing quantity of non-biodegradable waste will cause imbalance of ecosystem.
11. If all the waste we generate is biodegradable, will this have no impact on the environment ?
Answer:
If all the waste we generate is biodegradable, it will also have impact on the environment. If it is
disposed off properly, the problem of air, water and soil pollution can be lessened to an extent.
There would be less health problems and humans would be disease-free.
But if it is not disposed off properly, it will affect the environment adversely.
12. In the following food chain, plants provide 500 J of energy to rats. How much energy will be
available to hawks from snakes?
Plants → Rats → Snakes → Hawks (AI 2017)
Answer:
In an ecosystem, only 10% of energy is transferred from one trophic level to next, i.e. 10 percent
law and rest is dissipated into the environment. Therefore, if plants (being producers-1st trophic
level)-transfer 500 J of energy to rats (2nd trophic level) then rats would transfer 50 J of energy
to snakes (3rd trophic level) which in turn will transfer only 5 J of energy to hawks (4th or last
trophic level) in a food chain.
13. In the following food chain, 100 J of energy is available to the lion. How much energy was
available to the producers?
Plants → Deer → Lion
Answer:
As per 10% law of flow of energy in an ecosystem only 10% of energy is received by the next
trophic level. Hence, in the given food chain : If 100 .J of energy is available to lion, the plants or
producers have 10,000 J of energy available to them.
14. Why do producers always occupy the first trophic level in every food chain?
Answer:
Producers are the green plants that can manufacture food using CO2 and H2O in the presence
of sunlight, i.e., they are autotrophs. They serve as a source of food for all non-producers or
consumers directly or indirectly. Hence, producers occupy the first trophic level in a food chain.
15.The depletion of ozone layer is a cause of concern. Why?
Answer:
Ozone layer is the ozone rich area in the stratospheric layer of atmosphere which acts as a
protective shield by preventing harmful UV radiations from entering the Earth surface. Hence,
the depletion of ozone layer is a cause of concern.
16. Why is excessive use of CFCs a cause of concern?
Answer:
CFCs or Chlorofluorocarbons are potent compounds that release active chlorine in the
atmosphere which reacts with ozone molecules present there to convert them to oxygen. This
results in thinning of ozone layer. Hence, excessive use of CFCs is a cause of concern.
The harmful effects of ozone depletion on man, animals and plants includes :
Incidences of skin cancer and
Damage to eye sight, photoburning as well as increased incidences of cataract in eyes.
Damage to immune system and hence lowering the body’s resistance to disease.
Increased embryonic mortality.
10-25% decline of photosynthesis in plants.
Global warming.
