Our Environment

Grasshopper (primary consumer) ------ Frog (secondary consumer).

Edaphic factors are abiotic components; defined as 'ecological influences properties of the soil brought about by the physical and chemical characteristics'.

The total biomass is greatest at the producer level.

The process in which a harmful chemical enters the food chain and gets concentrated at each level is called biological magnification.

The presence of fecal coliform bacteria in aquatic environments indicates that the water has been contaminated with the fecal material of man or other animals.

Non-biodegradable materials are generally made up of inorganic compounds. Plastics such as polyethylene, rayon, nylon are a few examples.

Due to eutrophication the BOD (biological oxygen demand) increases.

An energy pyramid is always upright because the total amount of energy available for utilization in the layers above is less than the energy available in the lower levels. This happens because according to the 10% law of energy transfer, only 10% of the total energy is transferred from one trophic level to another.

Carbon dioxide belongs to a group of compounds known as greenhouse gases because of their ability to trap and reflect the sun's radiation back to earth.

The primary greenhouse gases in the earth's atmosphere are water vapour, carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide and ozone.

The captured energy by autotrophs do not reverts back to the solar input.

Eutrophication is characterized by excessive plant and algal growth due to the increased availability of one or more limiting growth factors needed for photosynthesis such as sunlight, carbon dioxide and nutrient fertilizers. This can be a problem in marine habitats such as lakes, as it can cause algal blooms.

Crop fields are artificial or human-made ecosystems.

Ozone hole is a region of marked thinning of the ozone layer in high latitudes, chiefly in winter, attributed to the chemical action of CFCs and other atmospheric pollutants. The resulting increase in ultraviolet light at ground level gives rise to an increased risk of skin cancer.

If volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are present in the atmosphere, the equation changes entirely. Highly reactive VOCs oxidise nitrogen oxide into nitrogen dioxide without breaking down any ozone molecules in the process. This leads to a proliferation of ozone near ground level and dense smog formation.
Photochemical smog, as commonly seen in the Los Angeles basin, is mainly composed of ozone and nitrogen dioxide. If volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are present in the atmosphere, the equation changes entirely. Highly reactive VOCs oxidise nitrogen oxide into nitrogen dioxide without breaking down any ozone molecules in the process. This leads to a proliferation of ozone near ground level and dense smog formation.