Basic Terms & Concepts

Of Environment.
Mr. Atul Parshuramkar
NARAYANA IAS ACADEMY NAGPUR
9850349687
Environment
•Environment is the natural component in which biotic (living)
and abiotic (non-living) factors interact among themselves and
with each other.
•These interactions shape the habitat and ecosystem of an
organism.
•In a biological sense, environment constitutes the physical
(nutrients, water, air) and biological factors (biomolecules,
organisms) along with their chemical interactions (chemical cycles
– carbon cycle, nitrogen cycle etc.) that affect an organism or a
group of organisms.
•All organisms are dependent on the environment to carry out
their natural life processes and to meet their physical
requirements (food, energy, water, oxygen, shelter etc.).
Ecosystem
An ecosystem can be visualised as a functional unit of nature, where
living organisms (producers, consumers, and decomposers) interact
among themselves and also with the surrounding physical
environment.
An ecosystem can be of any size but usually encompasses specific and
limited species. E.g. Aquatic Ecosystem. (This is how ecosystem is
different from Environment)
In the ecosystem, biotic and abiotic components are linked together
through nutrient cycles and energy flows.
Everything that lives in an ecosystem is dependent on the other
species and elements that are also part of that ecological community.
If one part of an ecosystem is damaged or disappears, it has an impact
on everything else.
Classification of Ecosystems
•Forest, grassland and desert are some
examples of terrestrial ecosystems;
pond, lake, wetland, river and estuary
are some examples of aquatic
ecosystems.
•Crop fields and an aquarium are
human-made ecosystems.
Ecology is the study of interactions
between organisms, organisms and the
surroundings occurring within an
ecosystem or environment.
•An ecosystem is a functional unit of
the environment (mostly biosphere).
•An environment is a group of
ecosystems.
Environment ==> Can be almost everything
or a small region.
Habitat ==> Area where an organism lives.
Biosphere ==> The region on earth that
supports life.
Ecosystem ==> Producers, Consumers,
Decomposers and their relationships (tiny
environment). It is the functional unit of the
environment.
Which one of the following is the best
description of the term “ecosystem”?
A community of organisms interacting
with one another
That part of the Earth which is inhabited
by living organisms
A community of organisms together with
the environment in which they live.
The flora and fauna of a geographical area.
Explanation:
•A community of organisms interacting with one
another – no specific term.
•That part of the Earth which is inhabited by living
organisms ==> biosphere.
•A community of organisms together with the
environment in which they live ==> ecosystem.
•The flora and fauna of a geographical area ==>
biodiversity.
Answer: c)
 If a tropical rain forest is removed, it does not
regenerate quickly as compared to a tropical
deciduous forest. This is because
1.the soil of rain forest is deficient in nutrients
2.propagules of the trees in a rain forest have
poor viability
3.the rain forest species are slow-growing
4.exotic species invade the fertile soil of rain
forest.
Explanation:
The soil of rain forest is deficient in nutrients (true): Rainforest ⇒ It
rains almost every day ⇒ The topsoil is continuously washed away
⇒ nutrients are also washed away (leaching of nutrients) ⇒ very
little fertility remains in topsoil ⇒ most of the seeds don’t
germinate for years ⇒ regeneration is very slow (it takes decades).
But the layer below topsoil (sub-soil) is very fertile. Thus, plants
grow very quickly once their roots reach the sub-soil and if they
receive enough sunlight.
Propagules of the trees in a rain forest have poor viability (true):
Propagule ⇒ detachable structure that can give rise to a new plant,
e.g. a bud, sucker, or spore (sexual reproduction in plants). Seed-
bearing plants are more significant than propagules in a rainforest.
•The rain forest species are slow-growing
(false): The plant species in rainforests compete
for sunlight. Hence, they grow as rapidly as
they can.
•Exotic species (non-native) invade
the fertile soil of rain forest: this statement is
wrong as the rainforest soil is heavily leached.
Hence, they are not fertile. But exotic invasive
species are a threat to the rainforests,
especially when the forests are cleared.
Ecotone
An ecotone is a zone of junction or
a transition area between two biomes (diverse
ecosystems).
Ecotone is the zone where two communities meet
and integrate.
For e.g. the mangrove forests represent an ecotone
between marine and terrestrial ecosystem.
Other examples are grassland (between forest and
desert), estuary (between fresh water and salt water)
and riverbank or marshland (between dry and wet).
Edge Effect – Edge Species
•Edge effect refers to the changes in population or
community structures that occur at the boundary of two habitats
(ecotone).
•Sometimes the number of species and the population density of
some of the species in the ecotone is much greater than either
community. This is called edge effect.
•The organisms which occur primarily or most abundantly in this
zone are known as edge species.
•In the terrestrial ecosystems edge effect is especially applicable
to birds.
•For example, the density of birds is greater in the ecotone between
the forest and the desert.
Ecological Niche
•Niche refers to the unique functional role and position of a
species in its habitat or ecosystem.
•The functional characteristics of a species in its habitat is
referred to as “niche” in that common habitat.
•In nature, many species occupy the same habitat, but they
perform different functions:
1.habitat niche – where it lives, food niche – what is eats or
decomposes & what species it competes with,
2.reproductive niche – how and when it reproduces,
3.physical & chemical niche – temperature, land shape, land
slope, humidity & another requirement.
•Niche plays an important role in the conservation of organisms.
If we have to conserve species in its native habitat, we should
have knowledge about the niche requirements of the specie
Difference between niche and habitat
•The habitat of a species is like its ‘address’ (i.e. where it lives)
whereas niche can be thought of as its “profession” (i.e.
activities and responses specific to the species).
•A niche is unique for a species while many species share the
habitat.
•No two species in a habitat can have the same niche. This is
because of the competition with one another until one is
displaced.
•For example, a large number of different species of insects
may be pests of the same plant, but they can co-exist as they
feed on different parts of the same plant.
 Which one of the following terms describes not only the physical
space occupied by an organism but also its functional role in the
community of organisms?
1.Ecotone
2.Ecological niche
3.Habitat
4.Home range
Explanation:
•Ecotone – zone of transition between two ecosystems. E.g.
grasslands, mangroves etc.
•Habitat – surroundings in which an organism lives (home).
•Home Range – A home range is an area in which an animal lives and
moves on a daily or periodic basis (a little bigger than habitat – home
→ office → home).
 Niche
•Description of all the biological, physical
& chemical factors that a species needs –
to survive, stay healthy & reproduce
•Niche is unique for every species which
means no 2 species can have exact
identical niche
Biome: Natural forests and
grasslands which are connected
with climatic regimes or with the
distribution of sunshine,
temperature and rainfall are
known as biomes
Fossils can include anything that gives an
indication of the existence of prehistoric
organisms. The Latin
word Fossilium means ‘dug out’, which in
earlier times meant to include any traces
of body of animals and plants buried and
preserved by natural causes. George
Curvier (1769-1832) is considered ‘Father
of palaeontology’, who studied fossils
scientifically to develop phylogenies.
What is biomass-
•Biomass is organic matter derived from living, or
recently living organisms. It can be used as a source
of energy and it most often refers to plants or plant-
based materials that are not used for food or feed.
•Biomass can either be used directly via combustion
to produce heat or indirectly after converting it to
various forms of biofuel
•About 32% of the total primary energy use in India
is derived from biomass and more than 70% of the
country’s population depends onit for their energy
needs
Difference between
Wildlife Sanctuary,
Biosphere Reserves and
National Park
Characteristics of Wildlife Sanctuary
1. It is natural area which is reserve by a governmental or
private agency for the protection of particular species.
2. Area is designated for the protection of wild animals.
3. Only animals are conserved, Could be private property
also, outside activities allowed
4. It came under the category called “Protected Areas”.
The Protected Areas are declared under Wildlife
(Protection) Act, 1972.
5. International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has
defined its Category IV type of protected areas
Characteristics of National Park
1. Reserve area of land, owned by
the government.
2. Area is protected from human
exploitation, industrialization and
pollution.
3. No cutting, Grazing allowed,
Outside Species Allowed
4. It came under the category called
“Protected Areas”. The Protected Areas are
declared under Wildlife (Protection) Act,
1972.
5. Conservation of 'wild nature' for posterity
and as a symbol of national pride.
6. International Union for Conservation of
Nature (IUCN), and its World Commission
on Protected Areas, has defined its
Category II type of protected areas.
Characteristics of Biosphere Reserve
1. Notified areas which cover a larger area
of land which may cover multiple National
Parks, Sanctuaries and reserves as well.
2. Areas are meant for conservation of
biodiversity of a specific area.
3. Three areas: Core, Buffer & Marginal.
No outside Species allowed Conservation
& research purpose.
4. It is internationally recognized within the
framework of UNESCO’s Man and Biosphere
(MAB) programme and nominated by national
governments.
5. The Ministry of Environment and Forest
provides financial assistance to the respective
State governments for conservation of
landscape and biological diversity and cultural
heritage.
What Is Eutrophication?
Eutrophication is the process in which a water body
becomes overly enriched with nutrients, leading to
plentiful growth of simple plant life. The excessive
growth (or bloom) of algae and plankton in a water
body are indicators of this process. Eutrophication is
considered to be a serious environmental
concern since it often results in the deterioration of
water quality and the depletion of dissolved oxygen
in water bodies. Eutrophic waters can eventually
become “dead zones” that are incapable of
supporting life.
Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD):
•The amount of oxygen required by bacteria to break
down the organic matter present in a certain volume of
a sample of water, is called Biochemical Oxygen Demand
(BOD).
•The amount of BOD in the water is a measure of the
amount of organic material in the water, in terms of how
much oxygen will be required to break it down
biologically.
•Clean water would have BOD value of less than 5 ppm
whereas highly polluted water could have a BOD value of
17 ppm or more.
Chemical Oxygen Demand
•It is another measure of the oxidizable
organic compounds in water. In this
method, organic materials are oxidized to
CO2 with dichromate in acidic solution.
•However, COD is less specific, since it
measures everything that can be
chemically oxidized, rather than just levels
of biodegradable organic matter.
Bio-accumulation
•It is the process of increase in the
concentration of toxic elements within the
body of particular organism (i.e. it refers to
how an element first made an entry into
the food chain) and in general the
concentration of such pollutants become
higher in the body of the organism
compared to the external environment like
air, water etc.
Biomagnification:
•Biomagnification refers to increase in
concentration of the toxicant at successive
trophic levels.
•This happens because a toxic substance
accumulated by an organism cannot be
metabolised or excreted, and is thus passed
on to the next higher trophic level.
•This phenomenon is wellknown for mercury
and DDT.
What is Bioremediation?
Bioremediation is a biotechnical
process, which abates or cleans up
contamination. It is a type of waste
management technique which involves
the use of organisms to remove or
utilize the pollutants from a polluted
area
Biodegradation is defined as the
biologically catalyzed reduction in complexity of
chemical compounds [1]. Indeed, biodegradation is
the process by which organic substances are broken
down into smaller compounds by living microbial
organisms [2]. When biodegradation is complete, the
process is called "mineralization". However, in most
cases the term biodegradation is generally used to
describe almost any biologically mediated change in
a substrate [3].
•Frontier forests are large, relatively intact forest ecosystems. A
frontier forest must meet the following criteria:It is primarily
forested.
•It is large enough to support viable populations of all species
associated with that forest type even in the face of natural disasters
of a magnitude to occur once in a century.
•Its structure and composition are determined mainly by natural
events, and it remains relatively unmanaged by humans, although
limited human disturbance by traditional activities is acceptable.
•In forests where patches of trees of different ages occur naturally,
the landscape shows this type of heterogeneity.
•It is dominated by indigenous tree species.
•It is home to most, if not all, other plants and animals that typically
live in this forest.
An invasive alien species is an
alien species which becomes
established in natural or semi-
natural ecosystems or habitats. It
is an agent of change and
threatens native biological
diversity (IUCN, 2000).
Green GDP is a term used generally
for expressing GDP after adjusting for
environmental damage. The System of National
Accounts (SNA) is an accounting framework for
measuring the economic activities of production,
consumption and accumulation of wealth in an
economy during a period of time. When
information on economy’s use of the natural
environment is integrated into the system of
national accounts, it becomes green national
accounts or environmental accounting.
Green GDP Vs GDP
To calculate green GDP net natural capital
consumption, including resource depletion,
environmental degradation, and protective and
restorative environmental initiatives is subtracted
from traditional GDP. These calculations can also
be applied to the net domestic product (NDP),
which deducts the depreciation of produced
capital from GDP. In each case, it is required to
convert the resource activity into a monetary
value, since it is in this manner that indicators are
usually expressed in national accounts.
Consider the following statements:
1.Green GDP considers the environmental
factors.
2.GDP is same as NDP.
Which of the following statements is correct?
1.A) Only 1
2.B) Only 2
3.C) Both 1 & 2
4.D) None of the above
Answer: A
Biosphere Reserves are large areas of bio diversity
where flora and fauna are protected. These regions of
environmental protection roughly correspond to IUCN
Category V Protected areas. The Indian government has
established 18 Biosphere Reserves of India, which
protect larger areas of natural habitat (than a National
Park or Wildlife Sanctuary).
Biosphere Reserves of India often include one or more
National Parks or sanctuaries, along with buffer zones
that are open to some economic uses. Protection is
granted not only to the flora and fauna of the protected
region, but also to the human communities who inhabit
these regions, and their ways of life.
THREE FUNCTIONS: CONSERVATION, DEVELOPMENT, AND
LOGISTIC SUPPORT
Each biosphere reserve is intended to fulfill three basic functions,
which are complementary and mutually reinforcing:
•Conservation of Biodiversity – to contribute to the
conservation of landscapes, ecosystems, species and genetic
variation.
•Sustainable Development – to foster economic and human
development which is socio-culturally and ecologically
sustainable.
•Support for Logistics – to provide support for research,
monitoring, education and information exchange related to local,
national and global issues of conservation and development
Core area: includes protected areas, as they act
as reference points on the natural state of the
ecosystems represented by the biosphere
reserves. Information from these core areas may
be used to assess the sustainability of activities, or
the maintenance of environmental quality, in
surrounding areas. Managers of the core areas
may contribute resources to projects developed
with residents, businesses and other partners of
the biosphere reserve
Buffer zone: surrounds or is contiguous to the core area.
Activities are organized so they do not hinder the
conservation objectives of the core area, but rather help
to protect it. The buffer zone might be an area for
experimental research, or may involve ways to manage
natural vegetation, agricultural land, forests, fisheries or
ranchland to enhance overall quality of production while
conserving natural processes and biodiversity. This zone
may also accommodate education, training, tourism, and
recreation facilities. In many biosphere reserves the
buffer zone is regarded as an area in which human use is
less intensive than what might be found in the transition
zone
Transition Zone, or Area of Cooperation: the large
outer area of a reserve where people live and work, using
the natural resources of the area in a sustainable manner.
The term ‘area of cooperation’ underscores the role of
cooperation as the main tool to achieve the objectives of
the biosphere reserve. It is here that the local
communities, conservation agencies, scientists, civil
associations, cultural groups, businesses and other
stakeholders agree to work together to manage and use
the area in a sustainable way that will benefit the people
who live there.
CARBON TAX
It is an indirect tax levied on the carbon content of
the fuel. As most of the fuels contain
hydrocarbons and carbon dioxide is released
when they are burnt. And they are taxed
Depending on their release of carbon dioxide. It is
a cost effective tool to reduce greenhouse gas
emissions in the atmosphere. It is a kind of
Pigovian tax ( tax on negative externalities). it is
based on the ‘polluter pay’ principle
Govt’s across the world give away US$ 550 billion
subsidies annually. This will have
a regressiveimpact of carbon taxes can be
addressed by using tax revenues to favour low-
income groups. Finland is the first country in the
world to impose the carbon tax. And some other
countries came out with certain measures on these
lines. But there is a too much opposition to
environmental regulations like carbon tax by the
firms
Consider the following statements.
1.Carbon tax is based on the polluter pay
principle
2.Carbon tax is pigovian tax
3.Finland is the first country to impose.
Which of the above is/are correct regarding
carbon tax?
A) 2 only
B) 1, 2 only
C) 2, 3 only
D) All of the above
Answer: D
THE MAN AND THE BIOSPHERE
PROGRAMME (MAB) of UNESCO
was establi-shed in 1971 to promote
interdisciplinary approaches to
management, research and
education in ecosystem conservation
and sustainable use of natural
resources.
The MAB programme’s primary achieve-ment is the
creation of the World Network of Biosphere
Reserves since 1977. This World Network is more than a
listing - biosphere reserves exchange knowledge and
experiences on sustainable development innovations
across country and continent borders - they exist in more
than 100 countries all across the world. Biosphere
reserves are areas that are supposed to develop
innovative approaches, test them and share the results;
more importantly to combine many different approaches
in a vast diversity of policy and management fields,
towards a balanced relationship between mankind and
nature.