MODULE 1 final ppt on Environmental studies

1
5th
SEMESTER
ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES (18CIV59)
An autonomous institute
PREPARED BY
DAKSHAYANI T R
ASST PROFESSOR
DEPT. OF CIVIL ENGG.
MVJCE

Bridge Course Material
 Environment is not a single subject. It is an
integration of several subjects that includes both
science and social science.
 To understand all the different aspects of our
environment we need to understand biology,
chemistry, physics, geography, resources
management, economics and population issue.
 Thus the scope of environmental studies is extremely
wide and covers some aspects of nearly every major
discipline.
2

Bridge Course Material
 We live in a world in which natural resources are
limited. Water, air, soil, minerals, oils, the product we get
from the forests, grasslands, oceans, and from
agriculture and from livestock are all the part of our life
support system. Without them life itself will be
impossible.
 As population is increasing day by day the quantity of
resources each of us using is also increasing. The earth
cannot be expected to sustain this expanding level of
utilization of resources. Added to this is misuse of
resources.
 We cannot expect government alone to manage the
safe guarding of our environment.
 We need to do it ourselves.
3

BRIDGE COURSE MATERIAL
Environment:
Surroundings and
includes both science
and social science.
biology, chemistry,
physics, geography,
resources management,
economics and
population issue. 4
Source: https://www.jansatta.com/

5
BRIDGE COURSE MATERIAL
Living components includes……….
a) Air b) Water c) Earth d) Animals
Ans: Option d) Animals
Nonliving components includes……….
b) Insects b) Water c) Plants d) Animals
Ans: Option b) Water
World’s environment day is celebrated on …….
a) 10th
June b) 1st
June c) 5th
June d) 15th
June
Ans: Option c) 5th
June

6
SYLLABUS
Module - 1 Ecosystems
 Introduction to environmental studies, Multidisciplinary
nature of environmental studies, Scope and importance.
 Concept of Sustainability and Sustainable Development
 Ecosystems(Structure and Function): Forest, Desert,
Wetlands, Riverine, Oceanic and Lake.
 Biodiversity: Types, Hot-spots; Threats and Conservation of
biodiversity,
 Forest Wealth, and Deforestation.

7
SYLLABUS
Module - 2 Advances in Energy Systems
(Merits, Demerits, Global Status and Applications)
Hydrogen, Solar, OTEC, Tidal and Wind.
Natural Resource Management (Concept and
case-studies): Disaster Management, Sustainable
Mining, Cloud Seeding, and Carbon Trading.

Module - 3
 Environmental Pollution (Sources, Impacts,
Corrective and Preventive measures, Relevant
Environmental Acts, Case-studies): Surface and
Ground Water Pollution; Noise pollution; Soil
Pollution and Air Pollution.
 Waste Management & Public Health Aspects: Bio-
medical Wastes; Solid waste; Hazardous wastes; E-
wastes.
8
SYLLABUS

Module - 4
 Global Environmental Concerns (Concept, policies
and case-studies): Ground water
depletion/recharging, Climate Change; Acid Rain;
Ozone Depletion; Fluoride problem in drinking water;
Environmental Toxicology.
9
SYLLABUS

Module - 5
 Latest Developments in Environmental Pollution
Mitigation Tools (Concept and Applications):
 G.I.S. & Remote Sensing, Environment Impact
Assessment, Environmental Management Systems,
ISO14001.
10
SYLLABUS

MODULE 1
ECOSYSTEMS AND
BIODIVERSITY
11

12
SYLLABUS
Module - 1 Ecosystems
 Introduction to environmental studies, Multidisciplinary
nature of environmental studies, Scope and importance.
 Concept of Sustainability and Sustainable Development
 Ecosystems(Structure and Function): Forest, Desert,
Wetlands, Riverine, Oceanic and Lake.
 Biodiversity: Types, Hot-spots; Threats and Conservation of
biodiversity,
 Forest Wealth, and Deforestation.

ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES
The word environment is derived from French
word “ environ” which means surroundings
Environmental science is a multidisciplinary
science which combines physics, chemistry,
biology, medical, health science, life science,
agricultural science, forestry, public health
engineering and so on.
13

DEFINITION OF ENVIRONMENT
 The word environment is derived from French word “ environ”
which means surroundings
 All the factors such as physical, geographical, chemical,
biological, and ecological which affects human life and its
existence on this planet is called Environment.
 It includes earth, lakes, forests, farms, vegetation and
other biological life such as animals, plants, bacteria and
microorganisms etc.
 Biotic environment
 Abiotic environment
14

15
BIOTIC AND ABIOTIC ENVIRONMENT
 Biotic environment includes all living organisms and
biological life such as animals, birds, forests, reptiles,
insects, bacteria and microorganisms like algae, fungus
etc.
 Abiotic environment includes all non-living components
such as land, mountains, rivers, air, water, temperature,
humidity, water vapor, sand, dust, clouds etc.

16
Environmental studies
• Environmental studies is a multidisciplinary academic field
which systematically studies human interaction with the
environment in the interests of solving complex problems.
Environmental studies bring together the principles of the
physical sciences, commerce/economics and social sciences
so as to solve contemporary environmental problems.

17
•Environment studies is a multidisciplinary subject where different aspects are dealt
with in a holistic approach. The science of Environment studies comprises
various branches of studies like chemistry, physics, life science, medical science,
agriculture, public health, sanitary engineering, geography, geology, atmospheric
science, etc. It is the science of physical phenomena in the environment.
•The complex relationship that exist in our natural environment among people,
animals, other organisms, water soil, air tree, ocean, and so on. The
interconnections are numerous and involve many different disciplines. We need
inputs from diverse disciplines such as biology, botany, zoology, soil science,
technology oceanography, atmospheric science, economics, sociology,
anthropology and ethics. Environmental studies involve educating the people for
preserving the quality of environment.
MULTIDISCIPLINARY NATURE OF
ENVIRONMENT STUDIES

SCOPE OF ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES
19
The scope of environmental studies is very wide, and it deals
with many areas like
i) Conservation of natural resources,
ii) Ecological aspects,
iii) Pollution of the surrounding natural resources,
iv) Controlling the pollution,
v) Social issues connected to it, and
vi) Impacts of human population on the environment.

20
IMPORTANCE OF ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES
The environment studies make us aware about the
importance of protection and conservation of our mother
earth and about the destruction due to the release of
pollution into the environment.
The increase in human and animal population, industries and
other issues make the survival cumbersome. A great number
of environment issues have grown in size and make the
system more complex day by day, threatening the survival
of mankind on earth.

21
IMPORTANCE OF ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES
•Environment studies have become significant for the following
reasons:
1.Developing an awareness and sensitivity to the total
environment and its related problems.
2.Motivating people for active participation in environmental
protection and improvement.
3.Developing skills for active identification and development of
solutions to environmental problems.
4.Imbibe and inculcate the necessity for conservation of natural
resources.
5.Evaluation of environmental programmes in terms of social,
economic, ecological and aesthetic factors.

22
Concept of Sustainability
• Sustainability focuses on meeting the needs of the present
without compromising the ability of future generations to
meet their needs.
• The concept of sustainability is composed of three pillars:
economic, environmental, and social—also known
informally as profits, planet, and people.

23
Importance of Sustainable
development:
• The Importance of sustainable development is to balance our
economic, environmental and social needs, allowing
prosperity for now and future generations.
• Sustainable development consists of a long-term, integrated
approach to developing and achieving a healthy community
by jointly addressing economic, environmental, and social
issues, whilst avoiding the over consumption of key natural
resources.
• Sustainable development encourages us to conserve and
enhance our resource base, by gradually changing the ways in
which we develop and use technologies.

24
Importance of Sustainable
development
• Countries must be allowed to meet their basic needs of
employment, food, energy, water and sanitation.
• If this is to be done in a sustainable manner, then there is a definite
need for a sustainable level of population.
• Economic growth should be supported and developing nations
should be allowed a growth of equal quality to the developed
nations.
• There are four objectives of sustainable development: These
include social progress and equality, environmental protection,
conservation of natural resources and stable economic growth.
• Everybody has the right to a healthy, clean and safe environment.
• This can be achieved by reducing pollution, poverty, poor housing
and unemployment.

Environmental Studies
 The word environment is derived from French word “
environ” which means surrounding or enveloping.
 Environmental science is a multidisciplinary science
which combines physics, chemistry, biology, medical,
health science, life science, agricultural science, forestry,
public health engineering and so on.
 The main objective of environmental science is to
protect the environment.
25

Definition of Environment
 All the factors such as physical, geographical,
chemical, biological, and ecological which affects
human life and its existence on this planet are called
environment.
 The environment includes earth, lakes, forests,
farms, vegetation and other biological life such as
animals, plants, bacteria and microorganisms etc.
 All the components of the environment are basically
divided into two categories.
 Biotic environment
 Abiotic environment
26

27
Biotic and Abiotic environment
 Biotic environment includes all living organisms
and biological life such as animals, birds, forests,
reptiles, insects, bacteria and microorganisms like
algae, fungus etc.
 Abiotic environment includes all non-living
components such as land, mountains, rivers, air,
water, temperature, humidity, water vapour, sand,
dust, clouds etc.

28
The scope of environmental studies is very wide, and it deals
with many areas like
i) Conservation of natural resources,
ii) ecological aspects,
iii) pollution of the surrounding natural resources,
iv) controlling the pollution,
v) social issues connected to it, and
vi) impacts of human population on the environment.

29
1.Developing an awareness and sensitivity to the total
environment and its related problems.
2.Motivating people for active participation in environmental
protection and improvement.
3.Developing skills for active identification and development
of solutions to environmental problems.
4.Imbibe and inculcate the necessity for conservation of
natural resources.
5.Evaluation of environmental programmes in terms of social,
economic, ecological and aesthetic factors.

30
Concept of Ecology and Ecosystem
 Ecology : Study of the distribution and abundance of
organisms, the flow of energy and materials between
abiotic and biotic components of ecosystems.
 Ecosystem: The living things in a given area, non-
living chemical and physical factors of their
environment , linked together through nutrient cycle
and energy flow.

31
Structure/Components of Ecosystem

32
Components of Ecosystem
•
•
•
 Abiotic Components
 Consists of Non-living chemical & physical
components such as water, air, nutrients in the soil
or water & Solar Energy.
 Physical & chemical factors that influence living
organisms in land (terrestrial) ecosystem &
aquatic life zones.
 Abiotic Components are mainly of two types:
 Climatic Factors:
 which include rain, temperature, light, wind,
etc.
 Edaphic Factors:
 which include soil, pH, Topography, Minerals,
etc.

33
 Biotic Components
 All the living things that directly or
indirectly affect the ecosystem biotic
factors interact with other living organisms
and the physical environment can also be
Limiting Factors ex. disease (bacteria),
predators, food resources.
 Made up of biological components consisting
of living and dead plants, animals and
microorganisms.

34
The Major Biological Components of
Ecosystem :
 Producers (Autotrophs)(self-feeders)
 Make their own food from compounds that are
obtained from their environment. Are the source
of all food in an ecosystem. On land most
producers are green plants.
 In freshwater and marine ecosystems, algae and
plants are the major producers near shorelines.
 In open water, the dominant producers are
phytoplankton (most of them microscopic) that float
or drift in the water.
 Most producers capture sunlight to make
carbohydrates (such as glucose) by photosynthesis .

35
 Consumers (Heterotrophs) (“other feeders”)
 Get their energy and nutrients by feeding on other
organisms or their remains.
 Primary consumers : Are those that eat producers
(plants) as a source of food. They are also known as
herbivores.
 Secondary consumers or carnivores : Eat other
animals.
 Tertiary Consumers : Large Carnivores which feed
on secondary consumers.
 Quaternary Consumers : Largest Carnivores that feed
on tertiary consumers. They are not eaten by any
animals.
 Omnivores : Have mixed diet that include both plants
and animals.

36
 Decomposers :
 Mostly certain types of bacteria and fungi are
specialized consumers that recycle organic matter
in ecosystems.
 They do this by breaking down (biodegrading)
dead organic material to get nutrients and
releasing the resulting simpler inorganic
compounds into the soil and water, where they
can be taken up as nutrients by producers.

37
Forest Ecosystem (Terrestrial
Ecosystem)
 A forest ecosystem is the one in which a tall and
trees grow that support many animals and birds.
The forest are found in undisturbed areas receiving
moderate to hi rainfall. The forest occupies nearly
40% of the world’s land area. In India it occupies only
19% of its total land area.
 Types of forest ecosystem
 Tropical Rain forests.
 Tropical deciduous forests.
 Tropical scrub forests.
 Temperate rain forests.

 Features of different types of Forests
1.Tropical Rain forests
They are found near the equator. They are
characterized by high temperature. They have
broad leaf trees like teak.
2.Tropical deciduous forests
They are found little away from the equator. They
are characterized by a warm climate and rain is
only during monsoon. They have different types of
deciduous trees like maple, oak.
38

39
3.Tropical Scrub forests
These are characterized by a dry climate for longer
time. They small deciduous trees and shrubs and
animals like maple, oak and hickory
4. Temperate Rain Forests
They are found in temperate areas with adequate
rainfall. They are characterized by coniferous trees
like pines, firs, red wood etc., and animals like,
squirrels, fox, cats, bear etc.,
5. Temperate deciduous forests
They are found in areas with moderate
temperatures. have major trees including broad
leaf deciduous trees like oak, hickory and animals
like deer, fox, bear, etc.,

40
 Characteristics of forest ecosystems
1. Forests are characterized by warm temperature
and adequate rainfall, which make the
2. generation of number of ponds, lakes etc.,
3. The forest maintains climate and rainfall.
4. The forest support many wild animals and protect
biodiversity.
5. The soil is rich in organic matter and nutrients
which support the growth of trees.
6. Since penetration of light is so poor, the
conversion of organic matter into nutrients is
very fast.

41
Forest Ecosystem
 Forest Occupy roughly 40 % of the land. The
different components of forest ecosystem are as
follows:
 Abiotic Components: These are organic &
inorganic substances present in the soil and
atmosphere. In addition to minerals present in
forest we find the dead organic debris, moreover
light conditions are different due to complex
stratification in the plants.
 Biotic Components: Producers These are mainly
trees that show much species and greater degree
of stratification. Besides trees there are also
present shrubs, and ground vegetation.

42
Forest Ecosystem
 Consumers: Primary Consumers: These are
herbivores that include animals feeding on tree
leaves, ants, beetles, grass hoppers, etc., and
large elephants, dears, squirrels, etc.
 Secondary Consumers: These are carnivores, like
snakes, birds, lizards, fox, etc. feeding on
herbivores.
 Tertiary consumers: These are top carnivores like
lion tiger, etc. that eat carnivores of secondary
level.
 Decomposers: These are wide variety of micro
organisms including, fungi, bacteria.

43
Forest Ecosystem
Source: dreamstime.com

44
Certainty Based Marking Questions
1. Which of the following statements about forest is not correct?
(a) Forest reduces soil erosion.
(b) Provides recreational opportunities.
(c) Provides a source of economic development.
(d) None of the above.
Ans. (d)
2. Major causes of deforestation are:
(a) Shifting Cultivation
(b) Fuel requirements
(c) Raw materials for industries
(d) All of these
Ans. (b)
3. Demography is the study of:
(e) Study on forest
(f) Study on Population growth
(g) Study of rivers
(h) Study of earthquakes
Ans. (b)

45
Desert Ecosystems
 Introduction
Desert occupies about 35% of our world’s land
area. It is characterized by less than 25 cm rainfall.
The atmosphere is dry and hence it is a poor
insulator .
 Types of desert ecosystems
Based on the climatic conditions, deserts are
classified three types.
1.Tropical deserts.
2.Temperate deserts.
3.Cold deserts.

46
1. Tropical deserts: Tropical deserts are found in,
Africa: Sahara desert, Rajasthan: Thar desert.
They are characterized by only few species. Wind
blow sand dunes are very common.
2.Temperate deserts
 They are found in, South California: Majave.
 They are characterized by very hot summer and
very Winter time.
3. Cold Deserts : Found in China: Gobi desert.
 They are characterized by cold winters and
summers.
Features of different types of
deserts

47
Desert Ecosystem
 Abiotic components include, light, temperature,
minerals.
 Biotic Components:
 Producers : These are shrubs, especially bushes,
some grasses, and few trees. E.g. Cacti,
Xerophytes, mosses
 Consumers: The most common animals are reptiles,
and insects, there are some rodents, and birds, and
above all ship of desert camels, feed on tender
plants.
 Decomposers: These are very few as due to poor
vegetation the amount of dead organic matter is
less. They are some fungi and bacteria.
 Desert occupy 17 % of land.

48
Desert Ecosystem
Source: https://desertbiomepro.weebly.com//

49
Wetland Ecosystem
 Wetlands are defined as "lands in low-lying plains,
Dominated by hydric soils; inundated or saturated by
surface water or ground water and promoting only
hydrophytic vegetation”.
 These zones are found between dry land and
waterlogged zones along the edges of streams,
rivers, lakes, and coastlines.
 Wetlands are integral parts of a watershed. Their
position in the landscape is influenced by and
influences the characteristics of a watershed.

50
Wetlands are characterized by the following factors:
 Topographically low land
 Permanent inundation
 Hydric soils
 Reducing environment (absence of free oxygen within
the soil profile)
 Hydrophytic vegetation at shallow and deep waters
 Wetlands can function as:
 nutrient sinks, temporary water storage areas,
groundwater recharge areas, and critical wildlife habitat.
 Natural and anthropogenic (human-induced) activities
within a watershed influence the functions of natural
wetlands.

51
Types of Wetlands
 Based on their physical, i.e. geomorphological
conditions, chemical, and biological characteristics
wetlands are classified into various types.
 Two major categories of wetlands are recognized as:
 Inland wetlands.
 Coastal wetlands.
 Inland wetlands are non-tidal environments and
coastal wetlands may have a tidal influence.

52
Inland wetlands
 Inland wetlands are most common on floodplains
along rivers and streams, and also in isolated
depressions surrounded by dry land.
 Inland wetlands include marshes and wet meadows
dominated by herbaceous plants, swamps dominated
by shrubs, and wooded swamps dominated by trees.
 The Inland wetlands include:
 Inland freshwater marshes
 Peat lands
 Deep-water swamps
 Riparian wetlands

53
Coastal wetlands
 Coastal wetlands are areas bordering coastlines.
 They are closely linked to some estuaries, where the
sea water mixes with the fresh water bodies to form
an environment of varying salinities.
 The Coastal wetlands include:
 Tidal salt marshes
 Tidal freshwater marshes
 Mangrove wetlands

54
Wetland Ecosystem
Source: https://link.springer.com/

55
Wetland Ecosystem
 Components of Wetland Ecosystem
 Abiotic components (Water, soil, nutrients, etc)
 Biotic components (Flora and Fauna)
 Structure of Wetland Ecosystem
 Biomass, soils, flora (trees, reeds, shrubs) fauna (fish,
birds, macro invertebrates, microfauna), water (surface,
underground, minerals, etc)
 Processes
 Photosynthesis, transpiration, biogeochemical cycling,
decomposition, colonization, succession, etc.

56
Functions of Wetlands
 Trapping and filtering sediments, nutrients, and
pollutants, which keep these materials from
entering lakes, reservoirs and oceans.
 Reducing the likelihood of a food, protecting
agriculture, roads, buildings, and human health and
safety.
 Protecting shorelines against erosion.
 Providing habitat for rare, and endangered plants
and animals
 Providing recreational areas for activities such as
fishing, bird watching, hiking, photography and
painting.

57
Benefits/Uses of Wetlands
 Wetlands are valuable because they often support diverse
 species of plants, wildlife, insects and fish. Many
endangered species inhabit wetlands during part of their
life cycles
 They are often referred to as “nature’s kidneys” because
they retain and cycle nutrients from the soil and water.
 Amphibians like frogs and salamanders often rely on
wetland areas for mating, laying eggs and early
development of young.
 Wetlands are important for flood reduction and control.
 Wetlands also help reduce erosion by trapping soil that is
washed off of farm fields and other open areas.

58
Common threats to wetlands
 Area development. Because of their fertile soil and
location, many wetland areas are desirable for
farming, business and housing developments.
 Other threats come from fertilizers, herbicides and
pesticides that are applied to surrounding areas and
washed into wetlands with storm water.
 Modern Tools to detect the threats
 Geographic Information Systems (GIS) is used to
locate potential wetland restoration and
enhancement sites. It also identifies the type of
wetland that could be restored or enhanced as well as
the type of disturbance that has occurred at each site.

59
Conservation of Wetland Ecosystem
 The Wetlands Conservation Plan has several
components:
 a wetlands inventory;
 functional assessment;
 wetland restoration;
 agency coordination;
 coastal area wetland policies;
 local land-use planning.

60
 The aquatic ecosystem deals with water bodies.
The major types of organism foundin aquatic
environments are determined by the water’s
salinity.
 Types of aquatic life zone
 Aquatic life zones are divided into two types.
 Fresh water life zones
 Examples :Ponds, streams, lakes, rivers.
 Salt water life zones
 Examples :Oceans, estuaries.

61
Lake Ecosystem
Lakes are large natural shallow water bodies.
Lakes are used for various purposes. Lakes are
supplied with water from rainfall, melting snow and
streams.
 Characteristics of lake ecosystem
1.Lake is a shallow fresh water body;
2.It is a permanent water body with large Water
resources.
3.It helps in irrigation and drinking.

62
Structure and Function of lake
ecosystem
I.Abiotic components: Temperature, light,
proteins and lipids, O2 CO2
 Biotic Consumers:
 Producers: They are green plants, may. be
submerged, free floating and amphibious
plants.
Examples: Phytoplankton's, algae and flagellates.

63
 Consumers
 Primary Consumers (Zooplanktons):They feed
on phytoplankton. Examples: Cilictes,
protozoans, etc.,
 Secondary consumers (carnivores) : They feed
on zooplankton. Examples: Insects and small
fishes.
 Tertiary consumers: They feed on smaller fish
Examples: Large fishes like game fish.
 Decomposers
 They decompose the dead plants and animals
Examples: Bacteria, fungi and aclinonrcetes.

64
Source: https://www.khanacademy.org/

65
River (or) Stream Ecosystem
 The running water of a stream or a river is usually
well oxygenated, because it absorb’s oxygen from
the air. The number of animals are low in river or
stream.
 Characteristics of River or Stream.
 It is a fresh water, and free flowing water systems.
 Due to mixing of water, dissolved oxygen content
is. more.
 River deposits large amount of nutrients.

66
Structure and function of River/Stream
Ecosystem
I.Abiotic components Examples : River, Light,
Temperature, Chemistry, Substrate
II.Biotic Components
• Producers: Phytoplankton, algae, water grasses,
aquatic masses other amphibious plants.
 Consumers
(i)Primary consumers: They feed on
phytoplankton. Examples : Water insects,
snails, fishes:
(ii)Secondary consumers: They feed on primary
consumers Examples : Birds
• Decomposers: They decomposes the dead
animals and plants. Examples :Bacteria and
fungi.

67
•Oceans cover more than two thirds of the earth’s
surface. Ocean environment is characterized by its
high concentration of salts and minerals. It supplies
huge variety of products and drugs. It also provides
us iron, magnesium, iron, natural gas.
 Characteristics of Ocean Ecosystem
1. It occupies a large surface area with saline water.
2.Since ship, submarines can sail in ocean,
commercial activities may be earned out.
3. It is rich in biodiversity.
4. It moderates the- temperature
Ocean (marine) Ecosystems

Structure and function Ecosystems
Abiotic Components: Ex: Temp, light, NaCl, K, Ca,& Mg
salts.
 Producers: Phytoplankton's (diatoms, unicellular algae,
etc) & marine plants (sea weeds, chlorophycela,
phaeophyceae).
 Consumers: These are heterotrophic macro
consumers. They depend on producers for their
nutrition.
 Primary consumers (herbivores) :They feed on
producers Examples :Crustaceans, moiluscs, fish
 Secondary consumers (carnivores) : They feed on
herbivores. Examples :Herring sahd, mackerel, etc.,
 Tertiary Consumers: They are the top consumers.
They feed on small. Examples :Cod, Haddock, -etc.,
 Decomposers: They decompose the dead organic68

69
Ocean Ecosystem
• Ocean Ecosystem are more stable than pond
ecosystem, they occupy 70 % of the earth
surface.
• Abiotic Components: Dissolved oxygen, light,
temperature, minerals.
 Producers: These are autotrophs and are also
known Primary producers. They are mainly,
some microscopic algae (phyto- planlanktons)
besides them there are mainly, seaweeds, as
brown and red algae also contribute to primary
production.

70
Ocean Ecosystem
 Consumers: They are all heterotrophic macro
consumers
• Primary Consumer: The herbivores, that feed on
producers are shrimps, Molluscs, fish, etc.
• Secondary Consumers: These are carnivores fish as
Herring, Shad, Mackerel, feeding on herbivores.
• Tertiary Consumers: These includes, other
carnivores fishes like, COD, Halibut, Sea Turtle,
Sharks etc.
 Decomposers: The microbes active in the decay of
dead organic matter of producers, and animals are
chiefly, bacteria and some fungi

71
Ocean Ecosystem
Source: https://www.tes.com/

72
1. Wetland ecosystem is
(a) Combined land and aquatic ecosystem
(b) Ponds and lakes.
(c) Tropical forest.
(d) None of the above.
Ans. (a)
2. Biome is:
(a) Large land community with uniform plant species
(b) marine ecosystem
(c) tropical forest
(d) All of these
Ans. (a)
3. Which of the following statements are false?
(e) Inorganic nutrients are recycled in an ecosystem.
(f) Energy flows through the ecosystem in the form of C-C bonds
(g) Energy is recycled in an ecosystem
(h) Respiration process releases energy.
Ans. (c)

73
Recalling of Earlier Concepts
Environment and Environmental Studies:
Ecology and Ecosystems
• Structure and Functions of:
• Forest ecosystem
• Desert ecosystem
• Wetland ecosystem
• Aquatic ecosystem which includes:
• Riverine ecosystem
• Oceanic ecosystem and Lake ecosystem
• Components of various ecosystems and flow of food
chain in each ecosystem.

74
Contents
Biodiversity
Types, Value; Hot-spots; Threats and Conservation of
biodiversity, Forest Wealth, and Deforestation.

75
Biodiversity
 Biodiversity is the variety and differences among
living organisms from all sources, including
terrestrial, marine, and other aquatic ecosystems
and the ecological complexes of which they are a
part.
 It is virtually synonymous with “Life on earth”.
 Biologists most often define "biological diversity" or
"biodiversity" as the "totality of genes, species, and
ecosystems of a region".
 The biodiversity found on Earth today consists of
many millions of distinct biological species, which is
the product of nearly 3.5 billion years of evolution.

76
Levels of Biodiversity
 Genetic diversity
 It is a level of biodiversity that refers to the total
number of genetic characteristics in the genetic
makeup of a species.
 It is distinguished from genetic variability, which
describes the tendency of genetic characteristics to
vary.
 Species diversity
 It refers to the variety of species within a region.
 Species diversity is an index that incorporates the
number of species in an area and also their relative
abundance.
 It is generally a much more useful value than
species richness.

77
Community and Ecosystem diversity
 Ecosystem diversity refers to the diversity of a
place at the level of ecosystems. This has 3
perspective:
 Alpha Diversity: Within community diversity. Alpha
diversity refers to the diversity of organisms
sharing the same Community/Habitat.
 Beta Diversity: Between community diversity. It
refers to the diversity of organisms sharing two
habitats.
 Gamma Diversity: Diversity of the habitat over the
total landscape or geographical area is called
gamma diversity.

78
Values of Biodiversity
 Food: About 80,000 edible plants and about 90% of
present day food crops have been domesticated from
wild.
 Drugs & Medicines: About 75% of world’s population
depends on plants or plant extracts.
 Fuel: Forests have been used since ages for fuel wood.
Fossil fuels are also products of Biodiversity.
 Social Value: Many of the plants like Tulsi, Lotus, Peepal
etc are considered holy and sacred.
 India’s position is 10th in the world & 4th in Asia in
terms of Plant diversity.

79
Hot- Spots of Biodiversity
 A biodiversity hotspot is a biogeographic region with
a significant reservoir of biodiversity that is
threatened with destruction.
 An area is designated as a hot spot when it contains
at least 0.5% of plant species as endemic.
 There are 25 such hot spots of biodiversity on a global
level, out of which two are present in India.
 These are: Indo- Burma (earlier The Eastern
Himalayas) ,The western Ghats & Sri Lanka..
 These hot spots covering less than 2% of the world’s
land area are found to have about 50% of the
terrestrial biodiversity.

80
 E.g. Western Ghats and Sri Lanka
 Western Ghats and Sri Lanka, also known as the
“Sahyadri Hills” encompasses the montane forests in
the southwestern parts of India and on the
neighboring Islands of Sri Lanka.
 The entire extent of hotspot was originally about
1,82,500 square kms, but due to tremendous
population pressure, now only 12,445 square Km or
6.8% is in pristine condition.
 The important populations include Asian elephant,
Indian tigers and the endangered lion tailed
macaque.

81
Threats to Biodiversity
 In last century, human impact has been so severe that
thousands of species and varieties are becoming extinct
annually.
 Some of the main causes are:
 Habitat loss, degradation, fragmentation.
 Habitat loss & degradation are major causes of species
extinction, affecting 89% of all threatened birds, 83% of
mammals & 91% of all threatened plants assessed
globally (IUCN, 2000)
 According to ICUN, UNEP report, more than 50% of
wildlife habitat has been destroyed in 49 out of 61 old
world tropical countries.

82
Conservation of Biodiversity
 The convention on Biological Diversity held in June,
1992 stressed the need of the conservation of
Biodiversity for sustainable development and
perpetuation of human beings on earth.
 Conservation is defined as “ the management of
human use of the biosphere so that it may yield the
greatest sustainable benefit to the present generation
while maintaining its potential to meet the needs and
aspirations of the future generations”.
 The two basic approaches to wildlife conservation in
protected habitats are:
 1) In- situ conservation 2) Ex- situ conservation.

83
In- situ conservation
 It simply means conservation of species in its natural
ecosystem or even in man made ecosystems.
 This strategy emphasizes protection of total ecosystem
through a network of “protected area”.
 Protected Areas: an area of land and/or sea specially
dedicated to the protection and maintenance of
biological diversity and managed through legal
effective means.
 Protected areas include; Biosphere reserves, National
parks, Wild Life Sanctuaries etc.
 At present we have 11 major biosphere reserves, 80
National parks, 420 wildlife sanctuaries in our country
covering 4% of the geographic area. Eg. Jim Corbett
national park in India

84
Ex- situ conservation
 It is defined as “the conservation of component of
biological diversity (Sample of genetic diversity,
particularly of endangered species) outside their
natural habitats”
 It involves maintenance and breeding of endangered
plant and animal species under partially or wholly
controlled conditions. E.g. Zoos, Botanical Gardens,
Aquaria, Nurseries, DNA bank, Seed bank, Gene bank
etc
 There are more than 1500 Botanical gardens in the
world containing more than 80,000 species.
 There are more than 800 zoos around the world with
about 3,000 species of mammals, birds, reptiles and
amphibians.

85
Natural Resources
 Natural resources are naturally occurring substances
that are considered valuable in their relatively natural
form.
 For example:- forest, mineral deposit, or fresh water
that is found in nature and is necessary or useful to
humans.

86
Classification of Natural Resources
 On the basis of origin
 Biotic (Organic):Biotic resources are obtained from the
biosphere, such as forests and their products, animals,
birds and their products, fish and other marine
organisms. Mineral fuels such as coal and petroleum are
also included in this category because they formed from
decayed organic matter.
 Abiotic (Inorganic):Abiotic resources include non-living
things. Examples include land, water, air and ores such
as gold, iron, copper, silver etc.

87
Considering their stage of development
 Potential: Potential resources are those that exist in a
region and may be used in the future. For example,
petroleum may exist in many parts of India, having
sedimentary rocks but until the time it is actually drilled
out and put into use, it remains a potential resource.
 Actual: Actual Resources are those that have been
surveyed, their quantity and quality determined and are
being used in present times. For ex, Wood from forest
On the basis of utility
 Food Resources: Fruits, vegetables, pulses, etc.
 Energy Resources: Sunlight, Air, Water, etc.

88
With respect of renewability
 Renewable: or inexhaustible natural resources are
ones that can be restocked or reproduced easily. Some
of them, like sunlight, air, wind, etc., are continuously
available and their quantity is not affected by human
consumption.
 Non – Renewable: or exhaustible natural resources:
these are formed over very long geological periods.
Minerals and fossil fuels are included in this category.
Since their rate of formation is extremely slow, they can
not be replenished once they get depleted.

89
1. Genetic variation between distinct populations of the same species is known as:
(a) Species diversity
(b) Ecosystem diversity
(c) Genetic diversity.
(d) Biodiversity.
Ans. (c)
2. Spot the site, which is not a biodiversity hotspot:
(a) Brazil’s Cerrado
(b) Central Chile
(c) California Floristic Province
(d) Pakistan
Ans. (d)
3. Which of the following is a biodiversity hotspot in India?
(e) Gulf of Mannar
(f) Western Ghats
(g) Pachmarhi
(h) Sunderbans
Ans. (b)

90
Forest resources
 Forests are the most important resource of our globe.
 forests are found in each parts of globe - where the
factors of plant growth have been ideal for several
centuries. For this reason, they are mostly found in
regions of high rainfall and regions of high altitude.
 The usefulness of forests is spread to commercial
exploitation of forest for timber and other products,
maintenance of birds and wildlife, maintenance of
ecological balance, prevention of soil erosion, etc.

91
Over exploitation of Forest Resources
 Overexploitation is alsocalled as over harvesting of
natural resources
 The term can be applied to various
natural resources such as medicinal plants, grazing
fields, fish stocks, forests and even water.
 Reasons for over exploitation of forest resources
 Excessive use of -
 Timber ,fuel wood and charcoal.
 Expansion of urban, agricultural and
industrial areas. (real-estate dev.)

92
 Wood for making houses.
 The fluctuations in the oil prices made many rural
communities to use biomass and wood as source of
fuel which again led to deforestation.
 Due to ever growing population in developing
countries needs more land. So they started cutting
down forests for clear land.
 Demand for food in highly populated countries is
very high. To fulfill this, many forest areas are
cleared for cultivation and other farming activities.
 During many military operations for killing enemies
forests are cleared in order to see people more
clearly prior to killing.

93
Deforestation
Source: freepick.com

94
Deforestation
 Deforestation is the clearance of forests by cutting
down and/or burning of forests.
 It is reckless demolition of plants and trees.
 It is the cutting down of forests for commercial use
without planting new one in lieu their of.
 It is the result of over exploitation of forest resources.

95
Causes of deforestation
 Fuel requirements: Increasing demands for fuel wood
by the growing population in India.
 Raw materials for industrial use: Wood for making
boxes, furniture, railway-sleepers, plywood, match
boxes, pulp for paper industry etc. have exerted
tremendous pressure on forests.
 Development projects: Massive destruction of forests
occur for various development projects like
hydroelectric projects, big dams, road construction,
mining etc.

Causes of Deforestation
 Growing food needs: In developing countries this is
the main reason for deforestation. To meet the
demands of rapidly growing population,
agricultural lands and settlements are created
permanently by clearing forests.
 Some other reasons are:
 Clearing forests for oil and mining exploitation; to
make highways and roads;
 slash and burn farming techniques; wildfires; and
acid rain.
96

97
Effects of deforestation
 Erosion of Soil
 When forest areas are cleared, it results in exposing the
soil to the sun, making it very dry and eventually,
infertile, due to volatile nutrients such as nitrogen being
lost.
 when there is rainfall, it washes away the rest of the
nutrients, which flow with the rainwater into waterways
 Due to above reasons, replanting trees may not help in
solving the problems caused by deforestation, because
by the time the trees get mature, the soil will be totally
devoid of essential nutrients.
 Ultimately, cultivation in this land will also become
impossible, resulting in the land becoming useless.

98
 Disruption of the Water Cycle
 Trees contribute in a large way in maintaining the
water cycle.
 They draw up water via their roots, which are then
released into the atmosphere.
 When these trees are cut down it results in the
climate getting drier in that area.
 Flooding and Drought
 One of the vital functions of forests is to absorb and
store great amounts of water quickly when there are
heavy rains.
 When forests are cut down, this regulation of the flow
of water is disrupted, which leads to alternating
periods of flood and then drought in the affected area.

99
Climate Change
 Global warming is being caused largely due to
emissions of greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide into
the atmosphere.
 When deforestation occurs, many of the trees are burnt
or they are allowed to decay, which results in releasing
the carbon that is stored in them as carbon dioxide.
This, in turn, leads to greater concentrations of carbon
dioxide in to the atmosphere.
 Miscellaneous reasons
 It threatens the existence of many wild life species due
to destruction of their natural habitat.
 In hilly areas it often leads to landslides.

100
Preventive Measures of Deforestation
 Plant a tree.
 Use less paper.
 Recycle paper and cardboard.
 Use recycled products.
 Buy only sustainable wood products.
 Don't buy products containing palm oil.
 Reduce meat consumption.
 Do not burn firewood excessively.
 Raise awareness
 Go green.

101
SELF ASSESSMENT LINK

Self- Assessment Link on Module 1
Ecosystems and Biodiversity
 The below link covers the multiple choice questions
on ecosystems and biodiversity
https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id
=TwEM7vB2UEy6eTUVeQV7lna2NdNCGpZCtmYw_eJRhv
tUNjBFTEdTQjhKQ0syUE5XNUxENDBPUUtQNS4u
 Expected Outcome: After attending the self
assessment, students will be able to Recall the basic
concepts on ecosystem and biodiversity with related
to its current scenario
102

103
UNIVERSITY/ DESCRIPTIVE
QUESTIONS

104
Descriptive Questions on Module 1
Ecosystems and Biodiversity
 Describe the components of environment and their
major interactions.
 Explain the importance of protecting the biodiversity
of earth?
 Identify and explain the present day major threats
to the biodiversity of India.
 Write the causes and explain the impacts of
deforestation.

105
TOPIC OF MISMATCH IN THE CURRICULAM
OF MVJCE AND NPTEL LINK
 https://nptel.ac.in/courses/127/106/127106004/
 Time (10:01 to 25:55)
 The above link covers the topics of:
 ecosystems,
 energy flow and
 Biodiversity
 Expected Outcome: After undergoing the NPTEL lecture
students will be able to restate the relationship of
ecosystems with their energy flow among various trophic
levels.
 Also, they will be able to illustrate the concepts of
Biodiversity

106
FDP Content Link
 The below link on FDP covers the concepts of
environment and environmental management
system:
 https://drive.google.com/file/d/1A0d7plMc9STC9dyc3
KueqIcCA-KQIvTw/view?usp=sharing
 Expected Outcome: after viewing to the above
content the students will be able to have an insight
on environmental audit and structure and policy of
EMS.

107
Case study
Chipko Movement
Silent Valley Movement

108
Case Study on Deforestation
 Chipko Movement
 Sunderlal Bahuguna is one of the most famous and early
environmentalists of India.
 He was the leader of the famous Chipko movement. He has spent
a large portion of his life fighting for the preservation of forests in
the Himalayas.
 The movement which was started in April 1973 in Reni village in
Garhwal to protect the trees by hugging them and not allowing
cutting of these trees was called Chipko Andolan.
 The Chipko movement quickly spread across communities and
media, and forced the government, to whom the forest belongs, to
rethink their priorities in the name of forest produce.
 Due to the participation of local people, it led to the efficient
management of forests.
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=djbcALTOyUs

109
Chipko Movement
Source:
numadic.org

110
Case Study on Deforestation
Silent Valley Movement
Silent Valley, occupying an area of 8950 hectares at an
altitude of 3000 feet in Palaghat district of Kerala, is
perhaps, the only remaining undisturbed tropical rainforest
in Indian peninsula.
History of the silent Valley movement is related with the
proposed construction of a river valley
project to fetch the need of electricity and irrigation to the
people of an area.
From the beginning, the project was started, it was opposed
by many NGOs and environmentalists as it could cause
serious damage to this 'cradle of evolution'- the home to
many rare and unique species of plants and animals.

111
Silent Valley Movement
 With the intervention of Friends of Trees society, the
controversy of the proposed hydel project was over in
1979 and it was declared as a National Park by the
then prime minister Rajiv Gandhi in 1985.
 The Proposal was seriously criticized by Kerala
Shastra Sahitya Parishad -coming the forefront of the
campaign to save Silent Valley.
 This ecologically fragile area storing rich stock of
biodiversity has been declared as biosphere reserve
and now is under category of Hot Spot.
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1TBrEVM1fXw
 Watch the beauty of Silicon Valley , Kerala

112
Silent Valley Movement
Source: conservationindia.org

113
Innovative Content Link
 The above link discusses about the recent
innovations in the field of environmental sciences:
 https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/earth-and-plan
etary-sciences/environmental-science
 Expected Outcome: After viewing the above link the
students will be able to identify the current hotspots
of environmental studies and will be helpful for
undergoing research in the future.

114
References
 BOOKS
 Environmental Studies - Benny Joseph - Tata Mc Graw
– Hill. - 2nd Edition, 2012
 Environmental Studies - S M Prakash - Pristine
Publishing House, Mangalore - 3rd Edition, 2018
 Environmental Studies – From Crisis to Cure - R Raja
Gopalan - Oxford Publisher 2005
 Environmental Studies – Anil Kumar De and Arnab
Kumar De – New age International Publishers – 2nd
Edition, 2011

115
References
 JOURNALS
 https://www.researchgate.net/publication/
294657920_Biodiversity_and_its_conservation
 https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-981-13-
0149-0_12
 WEBSITES
 http://www.brainkart.com/article/Biodiversity_7443/
 http://www.brainkart.com/article/Definitions-and-Scope-of-
Environmental-Science_7433/
 https://www.tes.com/lessons/hnzD-giwowyOPQ/ocean-
food-web
 https://www.khanacademy.org/science/high-school-
biology/hs-ecology/trophic-levels/a/hs-trophic-levels-review

116
MVJ College of Engineering
Near ITPB, Whitefield
Bangalore-560 067
M: hod_civil@mvjce.edu.in
P: +91 80 4299 1040
Thank You

MODULE 1 final ppt on Environmental studies

More Related Content

Similar to MODULE 1 final ppt on Environmental studies (20)

Recently uploaded (20)

MODULE 1 final ppt on Environmental studies