Q:-What is Environment ?
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Environment has been defined in different ways: 'the circumstances,
objects, or conditions by which one is surrounded', 'the aggregate of social and
cultural conditions that influence the life of an individual or community', 'the
complex of physical, chemical, and biotic factors (as climate, soil, and living
things) that act upon an organism or an ecological community and ultimately
determine its form and survival.
Environment, for all of us, constitutes our immediate
surroundings. Individuals, family, communities; religious, educational, economic
and political institutions make our social environment. These institutions are
broadest organizers of individuals. For instance, it is usually from a family
that most key activities of the society are carried out and one learns to become
a member of the society. The values, traditions, norms, customs, arts, history,
folklore, practiced and followed by individuals, who are unified by race,
ethnicity, language, nationality, or religion makes up the socio-cultural
environment.
Our environment also consists of plant and animal life; air,
water, soil, landforms and climate, all constitute the natural environment.
Human-made structures like roads, buildings, bridges, industries,
parks, etc., constitute the built environment or human-made environment.
Q:- What is Ecosystem ?
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Plants, animals and microorganisms are inter-dependent on each
other and on the environment for basic necessities like air, water and
nutrients. These interdependencies lead to interactions within organisms and the
environment. An ecosystem is a community of organisms involved in a dynamic
network of biological, chemical and physical interactions between themselves and
with the non-living components. Such interactions sustain the system and allow
it to respond to changing conditions. An ecosystem includes the various life
forms and also the non-living components, like the air, soil, rocks, water,
etc., and even sun's energy that gets captured by the Plants.
Ecosystems can be of varying sizes and types. A jar of pond water, a
rotting log, grassland, or the entire earth can each be considered an ecosystem.
The world's major ecosystems, classified according to the predominant
vegetation, and characterized by adaptations of organisms to that particular
environment, grouped together are referred to as Biomes (Aquatic, deserts,
forests, grasslands, tundra, etc. Of the many and different kinds of plants and
animals on the earth, certain are naturally and largely found only at a
particular place. For example, cacti are found in deserts, polar bear are found
in the Arctic, and elephants are found in central Africa and India.
Earth’s entire ecosystem is commonly referred as the Biosphere.
Q:- What are the components of Ecosystem?
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There are two 'parts' to every ecosystem; the living (biotic) components like
plants and animals, and the non-living (abiotic) components like air, water,
soil, nutrients and solar energy.
Living components: Living organisms (biotic components) in an ecosystem can be
classified as either producers or consumers, depending how they get their food.
Producers (autotrophs i.e. self-feeders) can make organic nutrients (glucose,
sucrose) they need, using simple inorganic (carbon, nitrogen, hydrogen, oxygen)
compounds and energy from the environment; Green plants on land and algae in
aquatic ecosystems produce their food by the process of photosynthesis.
Consumers (heterotrophs i.e. other-feeders) are those organisms which directly
or indirectly depend on food provided by producers. Consumers, depending on
their food habits, Can be sub-classified into herbivores, carnivores, omnivores
and decomposers. (Decomposers eat dead materials and break them down into
nitrogen, carbon and other simpler inorganic compounds that can be used again by
plants: and animals.)
Non-living components: Non-living (or abiotic components of an ecosystem include
all the physical and chemical factors that influence living organisms-air,
temperature, pressure, pH, water, soil, rocks, etc.
Q:- What are Natural Resources ?
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Natural resources are the earth's natural materials that sustain all
species including human beings. They are goods and services produced by earth's
natural processes, which support all life and all economies. There are no
substitutes for many of the natural resources, such as air, water, and
biodiversity. Humans depend for their needs, necessities, and wants on natural
resources. Every product we use and produce is derived from one or more natural
resources. As a result, our continued existence, as well as the lifestyle we
maintain, is directly related to the abundance, availability, and quality of
these raw materials, as well as our ability to obtain them.
Our health, and the well being of the current and future generations is
inextricably linked to the quality of our air, water, soils and biological
resources. These resources are inseparable from our culture and inspire art and
literature. Natural resources have an intrinsic value, that is, they are
important for their own sake regardless of their economic value.
Q:- Tell me more about forests ?
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A forest is, generally, defined as a plant community predominantly comprised of trees and other woody vegetation.
Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of United Nations defines forest as land with a tree canopy of more than
10 per cent and area of more than 0.5 ha. Forest is determined not only by presence of trees, but also
by the absence of other predominant land uses.
Forests have truly multiple functions. Forests are the homes of a great
diversity of species of plants, animals and other organisms. Many agricultural
plants and domesticated animal species originate in wild relatives which still
inhabit forest lands. Many species in forests provide people with food, timber,
fuelwood, medicine, various other raw materials for industry, and fodder for
animals. In addition to these direct socio-economic inputs, forests and forest
lands perform a variety of complex ecological services such as oxygen
production, carbon dioxide fixation, mineral and water cycles, soil and water
protection, climate regulation and so on. Forests are vital life-support
systems. They create conditions necessary for life by cycling of gases and water
between air and soil. Forest services also include recycling water, protection
of water and soil resources, providing habitat for different flora and fauna,
regulating weather and climate, etc. Besides, forests offer opportunities for
tourism, recreation and inspiration.
Forest Functions:-
Protection of Water Resources:- Forests are like sponges, aiding in percolation,
absorption and retention of rainwater. Through their foliage, craggy bark and
abundant litter, trees and forests decrease the speed of water dispersion and
favour slow but total infiltration of rainwater. The absorbed rainwater is
stored as groundwater in the pores and cracks of rocks. Underground water flows
slowly through rock pores and seeps out into steams and lakes or comes out in
springs and provides water in dry months when it is most needed. Forests prevent
rainwater from rushing into rivers and causing floods or flowing into the seas
and oceans.
Soil Protection:-Forests hold the soil, from being displaced and washed away by
wind and water. The forest canopy slows down the wind while the dense network of
roots help anchor the soil and hold it in place; these characteristics protect
against wind and water erosion, land movement (landslides and falling rocks)
and, the risk of avalanches. This function is especially important on slopy
terrain because moving water causes most soil erosion. Without forest cover, the
soil is washed into rivers, raising riverbeds which can then contain lesser
amounts of water and cannot take the sudden rush of water causing floods.
Without vegetative cover precious topsoil from mountain slopes flows away into
seas.
Climate: Forests stabilize atmosphere and climate. Deforestation releases large
quantities of gases like carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide, which
contribute to the greenhouse effect, leading to a change in the world's climate.
Biological Diversity: Forests contain a diversity of habitats for a wide variety
of plant and animal species. It is this incredible richness or diversity that is
the source of most of our food, spices, clothing and medicines. For every one
species discovered, there are probably a thousand more undiscovered species.
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