Environment and Ecosystem Quiz - Module 1

Module 1: Environment

• Environment encompasses all biotic (living) and abiotic (non-living) factors surrounding organisms.
• Unsustainable development prioritizes economic and social patterns without considering resource quality and quantity.
• An ecosystem is a self-sufficient unit where organisms interact with their physical environment.
• Ecosystems include diverse habitats like forests, deserts, and grasslands.

Ecosystem Components

• Key factors for stable ecosystems: predators and prey, vegetation, herbivores, and carnivores, competing species.
• Tertiary consumers are predators of other predators.
• Nutrients cycle through ecosystems, involving autotrophs, nutrients, and decomposers.
• Light is an energy source, transformed into work or heat.
• Energy is lost as heat during ecosystem energy flow but can't be destroyed.
• Nutrients are cycled within an ecosystem.

Key Concepts

• Habitat: the physical and chemical conditions where an organism lives.
• Important physical factors: light, temperature, and humidity.
• A suitable habitat should have the appropriate chemical conditions such as oxygen, carbon dioxide and essential nutrients.
• Ecosystem definition: the unit where all living organisms live a healthy life, co-exist through mutual adjustments, and are self sufficient.

Environmental Education

• Aims to raise awareness about environmental conditions and to develop an environmental ethic.

Environmental Spheres

• Hydrosphere: water on Earth.
• Lithosphere: solid portion of the Earth.
• Atmosphere: air surrounding the Earth.
• Biosphere: region of the Earth containing life.
• Of these, the atmosphere has the lowest storage capacity for matter.
• The atmosphere and hydrosphere effectively transport matter.

Ecosystem Structure

• Abiotic components: non-living parts of an ecosystem (e.g., soil, temperature, water).

• Biotic components: living parts of an ecosystem (e.g., plants, animals, microorganisms).

• Producers: organisms that produce their own food (e.g., plants).

• Consumers: organisms that eat other organisms (e.g., herbivores, carnivores).

• Decomposers: organisms that break down dead organisms (e.g., fungi, bacteria).

• The ecosystem flow of energy is unidirectional (one-way).

• A food chain shows the sequence of eating and being eaten, from producers to consumers.

• A food web shows all the possible food chains in a particular ecosystem.

Additional Facts from the Text

• Nitrogen reservoir: largest in the atmosphere.
• Hydrological cycle: driven by the sun's energy, is responsible for water movement.
• Environment day: celebrated on June 5.
• Producers: organisms responsible for producing their own food in the ecosystem.
• Consumers: organisms that obtain energy directly or indirectly from producers.
• Abiotic factors such as soil, temperature, and water are essential components of an ecosystem.
• Biotic components include all living beings, and other non-living components of ecosystem.

Test your knowledge on the fundamentals of environment and ecosystems with this quiz. Explore concepts such as biotic and abiotic factors, ecosystem components, and nutrient cycles. Assess your understanding of how organisms interact within their habitats and the importance of sustainable development.