Question : Define ecosystem and describe briefly its various components. Also discuss how and to what extent the modern man has affected the various types of ecosystems.
(1993)
Answer : The relationship between biotic community (living) and abiotic environment (physical) or among the members of the biotic community themselves are known as ECOSYSTEM. The living community includes “autotrophs” (producer), “heterotrophs” (consumer) and “saprotrophs” (decomposer).
Abiotic components include all non-living materials in the surrounding environment like water, Carbon-dioxide, Oxygen, Phosphorus, etc. Biotic components include all of the living organisms and are mainly of two types : Autotrophic and Heterotrophic. Autotrophic components are also called producers or convertors ....
Question : Explain the different stages of ecological adaptation of man and bring out the changing balance between man and environment.
(2015)
Answer : The principles of ecological succession bear importantly on the relationships between man and nature. Culture represents an intimate adjustment of people in a given environment. Each human culture is a unique one that shows an adaptation of a group of individuals to their local environment. Environment affects some biological characteristics for which we find distinguishable differences among the populations, despite the fact that they bear major biological characteristics. For example, variations in skin colour, hair ....
Question : Discuss the methods of conserving biodiversity for sustainable development.
(2015)
Answer : Broadly biodiversity can be conserved in 2 ways—
Ex situ conservation includes the conservation of biodiversity inenvironments which are not the natural habitat of the animals/plants/organisms. Example of ex-situ conservation are—
Such conservation is helpful in conserving the DNA/genetic material of the specieswhich are extinct or on the verge of extinction. Ex situconservation also helps in disseminating education on environment and biodiversity.
Question : Explain the characteristics of ecological succession.
(2015)
Answer : Ecological secccession can bebroadly classified into primary succession and secondary succession.
Primary succession—It refers to the developmental sequence of vegetation in those base areas where there were no vegetation and animals earlier. Thus, this succession on barren rocks goes through following stages—
Question : Comment on the impact of enviromental education on quality of life.
(2015)
Answer : Environmental education helps children and adults develop knowledge, values, skills, and behaviours that help them to meet their present day needs without compromising the well being of the future generations.
It impacts the quality of life in the following ways—
Question : “Man induced famines are becoming more common than nature induced ones.” Comment.
(2015)
Answer : A famine can be declared only when certain measures of mortality, malnutrition and hunger are met.
They are—atleast 20% of households in an area face extreme food shortage and with a limited ability to cope, acute malnutrition rates exceed 30% and the death rate exceeds 2 persons per day per 10,000 persons. Such situation of famine can be due to many factors but now it is seen that it is largely man induced.
Factors that are majorly ....
Question : Give a critical account of reasons and consequences of marine pollution.
(2014)
Answer : Oceans are the largest water bodies on the planet Earth. Over the last few decades, surplus human activities have severely affected the marine life on the Earth’s oceans. Ocean pollution, also known as marine pollution, is the introduction of harmful substances such as oil, plastic, industrial and agricultural waste and chemical particles into the ocean. Since oceans provide home to wide variety of marine animals and plants, it is the responsibility of every citizen to ....
Question : Enumerate the major causes of increasing degradation of environment in hills and hillslopes, and state its down-valley impact.
(2014)
Answer : Hilly areas are fragile ecosystems which are under environmental threat due to following causes:
1. Anthropogenic causes:
Question : Give an account of the nature of biosphere as an ecosystem.
(2014)
Answer : Ecosystem is a fundamental functional unit occupying spatial dimension on the earth
and is characterized by total assemblage of biotic community and abiotic components together with the energy component and their mutual interactions within a given time-unit. the biosphere becomes the largest ecosystem because it consists of biotic components such as plants and animals, abiotic components such as land, air and water and also energy components such as solar, geothermal etc.
Biotic and abiotic components are ....
Question : Explain the level of Noise pollution and the legislative measures to control it.
(2013)
Answer : Noise pollution refers to a type of energy pollution in which distracting, irritating or damaging sounds are freely audible. With this type of pollution, contaminants are not physical particles, but rather waves that interfere with naturally-occurring waves of a similar type in the same environment. Noise pollution is the disturbing or excessive noise that may harm the activity or balance of human or animal life. The source of most outdoor noise is mainly machines and ....
Question : What are the characteristics that make CHC a serious threat to the ecosystem? Give examples.
(2013)
Answer : Chlorinated hydrocarbons are organic molecules characterized by the presence of at least one chlorine atom bonded to a carbon atom. Compounds which contain these molecules have a wide range of uses, from making cookware to creating industrial solvents. Many people interact with products made with these chemicals on a daily basis, although they may not be aware of this fact.
In some cases, chlorinated hydrocarbons are naturally present. They are naturally present in number of animals, ....
Question : Programmes initiated by the International Council of Science on Earth System studies.
(2012)
Answer : International Council of Science was constituted in 1931 for continuous and balanced development of earth.Its main objective is to promote research and development work related to society, nature, health, technology and humanity.
The following are the challenges before the council in the study and analysis of changes caused by human factors and natural factors on earth systems:
Question : Discuss how different types of mining lead to different types of environmental problems.
(2012)
Question : Desertification as an environmental hazard.
(2008)
Question : Discuss the global ecological imbalance and their management?
(2006)
Answer : The global ecological imbalance has emerged as a major global concern for human survival. Modernization is steadily transforming the nature into products. The resource squeeze has led to an ever-intensification of ecological damage. Land, water and air are being polluted every time. Deforestation is proceeding at an alarming rate depleting the genetic store.
Mega technology has created problems of waste disposal and industrial revolution has now become a great hazard to the environment as well as ....
Question : Bring out the major problems of environmental pollution at global scale and suggest measures to check it.
(2005)
Answer : Environmental problems are not limited to local, regional and national level but there are several global environmental problems.
The scientific and technological revolution has given multiple facilities to mankind but at the same time it is responsible for depletion of resources, excessive use of fossil fuels, deforestation, desertification, loss of fertility of soil, changes in atmosphere conditions resulting into serious problems like green house effect, depletionof ozone layer, rise of world temperature etc.
All these and many ....
Question : How would the impact of global warming differ from one part of the earth to another? Give a reasoned account.
(2004)
Answer : The global warming means ‘progressive warming-up of earth’s surface due to the blanketing effect of man-made carbon dioxide and other gases. The mechannism by which such warming is effected is called Greenhouse Effect.
The main natural green house gase are water vapour, carbon dioxide (the main culprit), methane, nitrous oxide and ozone. These gases allow the short wave incoming solar radiation to come on the earth’s surface but they intercept the outgoing long wave terrestrial radiation ....
Question : Write an essay on ‘sustainable development’ from the perspective of geography.
(2002)
Answer : Sustainable development is the development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generation to meet their own needs. Thus, it is the development that lasts.
Man has continually and at an increasing rate been changing the forms and modes of his interaction with the environment. Natural processes and factors that depend on the structure and other characters of the earth and social processes have been closely interwoven. On the one ....
Question : Discuss the causes and consequences of environmental degradation and highlight the related conservation measures.
(2000)
Answer : Environment includes aboitic or physical (land, air & water) and biotic (plants and animals including humans) components of the life supporting layer. Environmental degradation refers to the deterioration in its physical components brought in by the biological processes, mainly by human activities to such an extent that it can not be set right by the self regulatory mechanism. In other words environmental degradation simply means overall Lowering of the environmental qualities because of adverse changes ....
Question : Discuss the relevance of watershed as an ecosystem for the purpose of sustainable Development.
(1999)
Answer : Conservation of land, water, flora and fauna is of paramount importance for the 'Sustainable Development' of a nation/region. To this end, watershed, a geographically definable area constitute a basic and vital ecosystem involving intricate interaction between and among its biotic (man, animal, vegetation) components and abiotic components (soil, water, etc.). It is in this respect lies the importance of watershed to be chosen as a Geo-hydrologic ecological unit to plan and execute the development strategy ....
