OUR ENVIRONMENT

• A SERIES OF ORGANSIMS FEEDING ON ONE ANOTHER AT VARIOUS BIOTIC LEVELS IS CALLED FOOD CHAIN
• GARDEN IS AN ARTIFICIAL ECOSYSTEM
• VARIOUS LEVELS IN A FOOD CHAIN WHERE TRANSFER OF FOOD TAKES PLACE IS CALLED TROPIC LEVELS
• DECOMPOSERS RECYCLE DEAD MATTER BY USING IT AS SOURCE OF FOOD
• ENERGY FLOW IN THE BIOSPHERE IS UNIDIRECTIONAL
• BIOGEOCHEMICAL CYCLES ARE ALSO KNOW AS NUTRIENT CYCLES
• SUBSTANCES THAT CAN BE BROKEN DOWN INTO SIMPLER SUBSTANCES BY THE ACTION OF MICROORGANISMS ARE CALLED BIODEGRADABLE SUBSTANCES
• SUBSTANCES THAT CANNOT BE BROKEN DOWN INTO SIMPLER SUBSTANCES BY BIOLOGICAL PROCESSES IS CALLED NON-BIODEGRADABLE SUBSTANCES
• ENZYMES ARE SPECIFIC IN THEIR ACTION
• MICROORGANSIMS HAVE THE ENZYMES TO BREAKDOWN ANIMAL AND PLANT PRODUCTS
• BUT DO NOT HAVE THE ENZYME TO BREAKDOWN PLASTICS, GLASS CANS
• BIODEGRADABLE SUBSTANCES AFFECT THE ENVIRONMENT IN 2 WAYS : HARMFUL AND USEFUL WAYS
• BIODEGRADABLE WASTES ARE HARMFUL: BIODEGRADABLE SUBSTANCES ARE HARMFUL WHEN THEY ARE ACCUMULATED IN LARGE AMOUNTS AND ARE NOT DEGRADED AT THE RIGHT TIME. THESE CAN BE BREEDING GROUNDS FOR INSECTS SUCH AS MOSQUITOES WHICH CAN CAUSE HARMFUL DISEASES
• BIODEGRADABLE SUBSTANCES ARE USEFUL: DECOMPOSERS BREAKDOWN COMPLEX ORGANIC MOLECULES PRESENT IN DECAYING MATTER INTO SIMPLER SUBSTANCES AND LIBERATE P,O,N,C INTO THE BIOSPHERE WHICH ARE RECYCLED AGAIN.
• NON-BIODEGRADABLE SUBSTANCES CAN ONLY CAUSE HARMFUL EFFECTS
• PLASTICS ARE NON-BIODEGRADABLE SUBSTANCES THAT CANNOT BE DIGESTED BY ANY KIND OF DECOMPOSERS
• NON BIODEGRADABLE SUBSTANCES CANNOT BE DECOMPOSED AND MAY PASS ALONG THE FOOD CHAIN FROM CROPS TO OTHER ORGANISMS
• NON BIODEGRADABLE SUBSTANCES ARE TOXIC AND CAN POLUTE SOIL, LAND AND WATERBODIES
• ALL THE INTERACTING ORGANISMS IN AN AREA TOGETHER WITH NON-LIVING CONSTITUENTS IN THE ENVIRONMENT FORMS AN ECOSYSTEM
• ECOSYSTEM CONSISTS OF 2 COMPONENTS
• THE 2 COMPONENTS ARE BIOTIC AND ABIOTIC
• BIOTIC COMPONENTS OF THE ECOSYSTEM: PRODUCERS, CONSUMERS AND DECOMPOSERS