Climate factors - class-IX

Biotic factors of an ecosystem include all plant and animal species present in there. The abiotic factors include a physical environment in which they can survive. It includes light, temperature, humidity and other climatic condition as well as physical factors like soil. Thus, the correct answer is D. 

Pedology is the study of soils in their natural environment. It is one of the two branches of soil.

Edaphology is the branch of soil science that studies the influence of soil on living organisms, particularly plants. It focuses on how soil properties affect biological systems and how organisms interact with the soil environment.

Herbaceous plants are plants with very flexible stems. Woody plants include trees and shrubs. These are the plants present in the terrestrial ecosystem. They convert solar energy into chemical energy through photosynthesis in which carbon dioxide and water are used in presence of sunlight to synthesize nutrients such carbohydrates in the form of glucose and release oxygen into the atmosphere. Since plants form the base of the terrestrial ecosystem they are the producers.

• Abiotic components: These are non-living components of the environment and consist of two things, materials and energy (that may be light or chemical energy). Materials include land, air, water, minerals, salts, atmospheric gases, rainfall, temperature etc.
• Biotic components: These are living components of the environment and divided into autotrophic and heterotrophic components. An autotrophic component is the producers or green plants while heterotrophic component includes consumers (primary, secondary and tertiary consumers) and decomposers (microbes).

Nitrogen (N2) makes up approximately 78% of the Earth's atmosphere, making it the most abundant gas in our environment.

Rising sea levels directly threaten coastal cities and low-lying land areas due to increased flooding, erosion, and saltwater intrusion.

Because the Earth is a sphere, the Sun can only illuminate one half of its surface at any given time, while the other half remains in darkness.

The salt concentration of the sea is 3.5 %, which means it is about 30-35 ppm. So, this means that there are 35 gms of seawater for every 1 liter of water.

Development Alternatives is a well-known Indian NGO that has been involved in environmental research and the publication of reports regarding the state of the environment in India.

When the Environmental Lapse Rate (ELR) is less than the Adiabatic Lapse Rate (ALR), the atmosphere is stable, a condition referred to as sub-adiabatic.

Reaeration is the process by which oxygen is replenished in water. Turbulence (often described as turbidity or agitation) increases the surface area contact between air and water, facilitating oxygen transfer.

• Various environmental factors can be divided majorly into climatic factors, edaphic factors and biotic factors.
  
• The factors which relate to structure and composition of soil are called edaphic factors. Soil composition, organic matter, soil water, soil air and soil organisms are examples of edaphic factors.
• Humidity, rainfall and wind velocity are climatic factors.
• Examples of biotic components include animals, plants, fungi, and bacteria.
  
• So the correct option is B.

Carbon dioxide is a greenhouse gas. It has the ability to trap sunlight and thus causes the increase in the temperature of Earth surface. If the situation on the Earth was with a lesser amount of $CO _2$, the temperature would have been very little. More pollution will cause the release of more $CO _2$ to the atmosphere causing global warming. 

Limited or no sunlight in deeper waters keep the temperature lower in the regions making it suitable for fishes when surface water become warm due to increasing in average global temperature. Likewise, higher latitudes maintain lower temperatures due to the angle of irradiance. Salinity does not affect the temperature range of water bodies. Thus, the correct answer is E.

The abiotic components which are recycled without any involvement of the gaseous form are known as the sedimentary cycle. The element is present in the form of salts as rocks in the geosphere which is taken up by the plants and then transferred to the animals. The phosphate is generally transferred and used in the form of ATP by the living cells. There is no form of phosphorus present in the atmosphere.

The abiotic components which are recycled without any involvement of the gaseous form are known as the sedimentary cycle. The element is present in the form of salts as rocks in the geosphere which is taken up by the plants and then transferred to the animals. The phosphate is generally transferred and used in the form of ATP by the living cells. The remaining abiotic components including sulphur, carbon, oxygen and hydrogen. 

Small animals have a large surface area relative to their volume, causing them to lose body heat very rapidly in cold environments. Therefore, they are rarely found in polar regions because the energy cost to maintain body temperature is too high.

Most animals and plants cannot maintain a constant internal environment (homeostasis) in the face of changing external conditions; they are conformers, not regulators.

The Siberian city of Yakutsk is the coldest in the world. It was -89.8$^0$C temperature in 1947. Coldest Temperature in North America was -62.8$^0$C in 1949. The temperature of Mt. Everest, Himalayas in 1954 was -36$^0$C. Antarctica's lowest temperature was recorded in 1982 and was -89.2$^0$C. 

A larger human population can't be maintained on the same amount of cultivated land because after 2-3 yields of any crop the soil generally loses its fertility. Therefore, other lands have to be cultivated. So the correct option is "False".

Crop field is considered as man-made(anthropogenic or artificial) ecosystem. Natural ecosystem is developed in nature without human involvement, e.g., forest, ocean, etc.

• Abiotic components: These are non living components of environment and consist of two things, materials and energy (that may be light or chemical energy). Materials include water, minerals, salts, atmospheric gases etc.
• Biotic components: These are living components of environment and divided into autotrophic and heterotrophic components. Autotrophic component is the producers or green plants while heterotrophic component includes consumers (primary, secondary and tertiary consumers) and decomposers.

Matching the regions: Eastern Himalayas (Sikkim to NEFA), Western Himalayas (Kumaon to Kashmir), Gangetic Plain (UP to Bihar and Bengal), and Malabar (Gujarat to Kanyakumari).

The products of ecosystem processes which have environmental aesthetic and indirect economic value are named as ecosystem services. Soil formation and soil protection are the major ecosystem services accounting for nearly 50% of their total worth. Plant cover protects the soil from drastic changes in temperature. There is little wind or water erosion as soil particles are not exposed to them. The soil remains spongy and fertile. There are no landslides and no floods. The plant cover of natural ecosystem absorbs polluting gases, causes settling of suspended particulate matter, removes CO2 and releases O2. Purified air becomes available. There is no overall depletion of nutrients as the same as repeatedly circulated and recirculated. This keeps the fertility of soil intact.

According to Wien's Displacement Law, the wavelength of peak emission is inversely proportional to the temperature. If the temperature increases, the peak wavelength shifts to a shorter value.

The temperature of the surface waters varies mainly with latitude. The polar seas (high latitude) can be as cold as -2 degrees Celsius (28.4 degrees Fahrenheit), while the Persian Gulf (low latitude) can be as warm as 36 degrees Celsius (96.8 degrees Fahrenheit).
Temperature varies in ponds and lakes seasonally. During the summer, the temperature can range from $4^0$C near the bottom to $22^0$C at the top. During the winter, the temperature at the bottom can be $4^0$C, while the top is $0^0$C (ice).

At the North Pole, the Sun rises at the spring equinox (March 21) and sets at the autumnal equinox (September 23), resulting in six months of daylight followed by six months of darkness.

Sulphur and nitrogen are essential nutrients for the synthesis of proteins and other biological molecules required for growth in all living organisms. Other options like transpiration or photosynthesis are specific physiological processes that do not directly explain the fundamental need for these elements.

The thermosphere is too high for balloons and radiosondes, and satellites orbit within it, making direct temperature probes difficult due to the low density of air. Scientists instead infer the temperature by observing the drag effects on satellite orbits, which are directly influenced by the density and temperature of the thermosphere.

Ecological succession is the process of change in the species structure of an ecological community over time. It is primarily initiated by climatic factors (like temperature and rainfall) and biotic factors (like the introduction of pioneer species or human activity).

In the northern hemisphere, south-facing slopes receive more direct sunlight throughout the day, leading to warmer temperatures and a longer growing season. Conversely, north-facing slopes receive less direct sunlight, resulting in cooler conditions and a shorter growing season.

An ecotype is a distinct population within a species that has adapted to specific local environmental conditions. These adaptations are genetically fixed, meaning they are inherited and persist even if the organism is moved to a different environment.

In ecology, the environment is divided into biotic factors (living components) and abiotic factors (non-living components). Abiotic factors include things like sunlight, temperature, water, and soil.

Mean annual temperature is calculated by subtracting the lowest recorded temperature from the highest recorded temperature of the of the day. It can vary depending on the weather and climate of an area.

Plants growing on the forest floor (understorey) are adapted to lower Sunlight intensity or are shade loving. This is because, the dense canopy does not allow enough light to penetrate through and reach the forest floor. Light is the limiting factor for these plants and therefore, they are adapted to survive under low light conditions. Moisture availability and related adaptations are not of consideration. Thus, the correct answer is option B.

Fossils are the remains of living creatures, both plants, and animals, or their tracks. These are found in sedimentary rock. Sedimentary rock is composed of strata. The term rock strata refer to stacked-up layers of sedimentary rock. Other kinds of rocks can have layering in them, but the word strata are reserved for sedimentary rocks - rocks composed of individual fragments of minerals or other rocks. 

The warmest time of the day occurs in the afternoon because there is a lag between the time of maximum solar radiation (noon) and the time when the ground and air reach their peak temperature due to heat absorption and re-radiation processes.

Clouds act as a blanket that traps longwave radiation emitted by the Earth's surface. Therefore, a cloudy night prevents heat from escaping into space, resulting in a higher minimum temperature compared to a clear, calm night.

Oceans have highest carbon content close to ~80%. So the answer is B. Oceans are called CO2 Sinks.

The three R's of waste management are a widely recognized framework for environmental sustainability: Reduce (use less), Reuse (use again), and Recycle (process into new materials).

Although latitude does play a major role in determining what kind of climate a certain place will have, there are many other factors that will play a part s well. Here are a couple of major factors that can make cities at similar latitudes have very different weather.

The photosphere, which is the visible surface of the sun, has an effective temperature of approximately 5778 Kelvin, which is commonly rounded to 6000 degrees Celsius.