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Questions and Answers
What is the term for the variety of life-forms, commonly expressed as the number of species in an area, or the number of genetic types in an area?
What is the term for the variety of life-forms, commonly expressed as the number of species in an area, or the number of genetic types in an area?
Biodiversity
Which of the following is NOT a benefit of biodiversity to humans?
Which of the following is NOT a benefit of biodiversity to humans?
An ecosystem includes only the living things like plants and animals within a given area.
An ecosystem includes only the living things like plants and animals within a given area.
False
What is the term for the ecological state of a species being unique to a defined geographic location?
What is the term for the ecological state of a species being unique to a defined geographic location?
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What percentage of the world's terrestrial plant and animal species are estimated to be found in tropical rainforests?
What percentage of the world's terrestrial plant and animal species are estimated to be found in tropical rainforests?
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What is the objective of the field trip covered in the document?
What is the objective of the field trip covered in the document?
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What is the role of decomposers in an ecosystem?
What is the role of decomposers in an ecosystem?
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The amount of chemical energy that primary producers create in a given length of time is referred to as Net Primary Production.
The amount of chemical energy that primary producers create in a given length of time is referred to as Net Primary Production.
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How much of the solar energy striking producers is estimated to be captured by photosynthesis?
How much of the solar energy striking producers is estimated to be captured by photosynthesis?
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What two critical factors are considered in assessing the diversity within a community?
What two critical factors are considered in assessing the diversity within a community?
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The ______ index is a measure of biodiversity that takes into account the abundance of the most abundant species.
The ______ index is a measure of biodiversity that takes into account the abundance of the most abundant species.
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Which of the following is NOT typically considered a threat to biodiversity?
Which of the following is NOT typically considered a threat to biodiversity?
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A region must contain at least 1,500 species of vascular plants to be considered a biodiversity hotspot.
A region must contain at least 1,500 species of vascular plants to be considered a biodiversity hotspot.
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Which of the following are examples of in-situ conservation?
Which of the following are examples of in-situ conservation?
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Biosphere reserves are a type of protected area established by the World Wildlife Fund.
Biosphere reserves are a type of protected area established by the World Wildlife Fund.
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What is the name of the process where complex food molecules are broken down to give energy?
What is the name of the process where complex food molecules are broken down to give energy?
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What is the formula used to calculate Net Primary Productivity (NPP)?
What is the formula used to calculate Net Primary Productivity (NPP)?
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Study Notes
Course Information
- Course code: ES-451
- Course name: Field Studies
- Instructor: Dr. Swatantra Pratap Singh
- Department: Environmental Science and Engineering Department
- Contact: [email protected]
- Office: 4th Floor, Faculty Lab-11, CESE-DESE new building
Course Content and Structure
- Activities: Survey, Productivity, Biodiversity, Trip 1 (STP), Trip 2 (Waste Management Facility), Trip 3 (Hindustan Platinum Industry), End-Sem Exam
- Weightage: Survey (70%), Productivity (15%), Biodiversity (15%), Trip 1 (15%), Trip 2 (15%), Trip 3 (15%), End-Sem Exam (30%)
-
Dates:
- 09/27/24: Lecture and discussion on modules
- 09/04/24: Primary productivity
- 10/11/24: STP visit
- 10/18/24: Mumbai Waste Management Taloja visit
- 10/25/24: Hindustan Platinum visit
- 11/08/24: Biodiversity in SGNP
Modality
- Interactions
- Report Submission
- Attendance (TA): Trip and experiments
What is an Ecosystem?
- An ecosystem includes all living things (plants, animals, organisms) in an area, interacting with each other and their non-living environment (weather, earth, sun, soil, climate, atmosphere).
- Ecosystems are the foundations of the biosphere and determine the health of the entire Earth system.
- Living things and their environment interact to create energy flow and recycle carbon and nitrogen.
Components of an Ecosystem
-
Abiotic components:
- Physical factors: Temperature, Humidity, Light, Atmospheric pressure
- Inorganic substances: Water, Oxygen, Carbon dioxide, Nitrogen
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Biotic components:
- Producers: Green plants
- Consumers: Animals
- Decomposers: Microorganisms
Concepts in an Ecosystem: Food Web
- Autotroph (Producer): Produces organic compounds (carbohydrates, fats, proteins) using light (photosynthesis) or chemical reactions (chemosynthesis).
- Heterotroph: Cannot produce its own food, depending on other organisms for nutrition.
- Herbivore: Eats plants.
- Carnivore: Eats other animals.
- Energy and nutrient flow through the food web.
Concepts in an Ecosystem: Energy Pyramid
- Energy transfer within a food chain.
- Some energy in each trophic level is not obtained by the next level.
- Shorter food chains retain more energy.
Concepts in an Ecosystem: Pyramid of Energy
- Energy pyramid represents trophic levels of an ecosystem.
- About 10% of the energy is transferred from one trophic level to the next.
- Higher biomass (and energy) is required at the bottom trophic levels.
Concepts in an Ecosystem: Secondary Production
- Secondary production is the amount of chemical energy in food used to create new biomass.
- An organism's production efficiency is the fraction of energy in food that is not used.
- Different organisms have different production efficiencies (birds/mammals ~1-3%, fish ~10%, insects/microorganisms ~40%+).
Ecological Efficiency
- Energy transfer from lower trophic levels.
- Energy not used, digested energy and excreted energy.
- Energy used in growth, reproduction, respiration.
Primary Productivity
- Gross Primary Productivity (GPP): The amount of chemical energy producers create in a given time.
- Net Primary Productivity (NPP): The remaining energy producers use for growth and reproduction, after accounting for respiration.
- NPP = GPP - Respiration
Photosynthesis
- Light-dependent reactions: Energy from sunlight absorbed by chlorophyll converts it into stored chemical energy (ATP, NADPH). These reactions happen in the thylakoid membranes.
- Light-independent reactions (Calvin cycle): Energized electrons from the light-dependent reactions create carbohydrates from carbon dioxide. These reactions happen in the stroma.
Calvin Cycle
- Three major steps: Carbon fixation, Reduction, and Regeneration.
- Carbon fixation: Carbon dioxide combines with a five-carbon acceptor (RuBP) converting it to a six-carbon molecule.
- Reduction: Molecules are changed to sugar using ATP and NADPH.
Materials
- Pot (square or rectangular)
- Seeds
- Soil
- Oven for Drying
- Weighing Machine
- Petri dish (or plate)
- Water
- Light Source
- Spoon/Spatula
Methodology
- Select 3-4 locations and record coordinates.
- Divide locations into grids and measure the area of each grid.
- Identify plant species at each location.
- Count the number of plant species at each location.
Calculations
- NPP: Biomass after 15 days − Biomass after 5 days / number of days
- Respiration Rate: Uncovered biomass (15 days) - Covered biomass (15 days)
- GPP: NPP + Respiration Rate.
Biodiversity
-
Report:
- Biodiversity Importance
- A Summary of the Local Biodiversity
- Identify Major Threats
- Possible Solutions
- Take proper images (not from internet).
Biodiversity Index and Calculation
- Simpson's Index : A calculation that weights the prevalence of the most common species in the population.
- Shannon's Index: A calculation that takes rare species into account.
Threats to Biodiversity
- Habitat Destruction (Deforestation )
- Habitat Fragmentation
- Pollution
- Overexploitation
- Diseases
- Poaching
- Introduction of Exotic/Invasive Species
Biodiversity Hotspots
- Regions with high biodiversity at risk of destruction.
- Two criteria:
- At least 1,500 endemic species of vascular plants
- Lost 70% of original habitat.
Conservation of Biodiversity
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In-situ:
- Protected area (National Park, Sanctuary, Biosphere Reserve (terrestrial/marine)
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Ex-situ:
- Seed Banks
- Field Gene Banks
- Cryopreservation
- Botanical Gardens
- Zoological Parks
- Aquariums
- Home Gardens
- Sacred Plants
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