our environment

• Human activities produce a lot of waste materials that cause pollution of air, water, and soil when thrown into the environment
• Waste materials are categorized into biodegradable and non-biodegradable types
• Biodegradable wastes are decomposed by microorganisms into harmless substances, while non-biodegradable wastes are not decomposed by microorganisms
• Ecosystems consist of living organisms, non-living components, and their interactions
• There are two types of ecosystems: natural ecosystems formed by nature and artificial ecosystems formed by humans
• Components of an ecosystem include biotic (living) components like producers, consumers, and decomposers, as well as abiotic (non-living) components like air, water, soil, minerals, sunlight, and temperature
• A food chain is the flow of food energy from one organism to the next, starting with a producer (plants) and ending with a carnivore
• A food web is a group of interconnected food chains where an organism gets food from more than one group of organisms
• Energy flow in trophic levels involves a 10% transfer of food energy from one level to the next, with 90% of energy lost to the environment
• Biological magnification occurs when harmful chemicals like insecticides and pesticides accumulate at higher trophic levels, posing risks to organisms, including humans
• Human activities such as the use of chemicals like CFCs can deplete the ozone layer, leading to environmental issues like skin cancer
• Proper garbage disposal methods include landfills, recycling, biogas production, composting, incineration, and sewage treatment