Ecological

Foundations of
Environmental
Science
Prelim – Lesson 1
Objectives
1.Differentiate between environmental science and ecology.
2.Discuss the scope and development of ecology.
3.Discuss the laws of energy.
4.Identify the role of energy in the ecosystem.
5.Support that Biogeochemical cycles are life supports to
the ecosystem.
Lesson 1 – Prelim Environmental Science
 What is Environmental Science?

Lesson 1 – Prelim Environmental Science

 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE
➢ The word environment is derived from the French word “environ”
which means surrounding or enveloping.

➢ Is the study of the interactions between the physical, chemical,

and biological components of nature.

➢ It is an interdisciplinary field that covers both the physical

sciences- physics, chemistry, biology, geology, geography,
resource technology, and engineering,- and social sciences-
resource conservation and management, demography,
economics, politics, and ethics (Miller, 1994)

Lesson 1 – Prelim Environmental Science

 SCOPE OF ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE
1. The study creates awareness among the people to know about various renewable and
nonrenewable resources of the region. The endowment or potential, patterns of utilization
and the balance of various resources available for future use in the state of a country are
analyzed in the study.

2. It provides the knowledge about ecological systems and cause and effect relationships.

3. It provides necessary information about biodiversity richness and the potential dangers to
the species of plants, animals and microorganisms in the environment.

4. The study enables one to understand the causes and consequences due to natural and
main induced disasters (flood, earthquake, landslide, cyclones etc.,) and pollutions and
measures to minimize the effects.

5. It enables one to evaluate alternative responses to environmental issues before deciding

an alternative course of action.

Lesson 1 – Prelim Environmental Science

 6. The study enables environmentally literate citizens (by knowing the environmental acts,
rights, rules, legislations, etc.) to make appropriate judgments and decisions for the
protection and improvement of the earth.

7. The study exposes the problems of over population, health, hygiene, etc. and the role of
arts, science and technology in eliminating/ minimizing the evils from the society.

8. The study tries to identify and develop appropriate and indigenous eco-friendly skills and
technologies to various environmental issues.

9. It teaches the citizens the need for sustainable utilization of resources as these
resources are inherited from our ancestors to the younger generating without deteriorating
their quality.

10. The study enables theoretical knowledge into practice and the multiple uses of
environment

Lesson 1 – Prelim Environmental Science

 IMPORTANCE OF ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE

Lesson 1 – Prelim Environmental Science

 IMPORTANCE OF ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE

To understand the global impact of environmental problems.

Lesson 1 – Prelim Environmental Science

 IMPORTANCE OF ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE

To understand the global impact of environmental problems.

To realize the impacts of development on the Environment.

Lesson 1 – Prelim Environmental Science

 IMPORTANCE OF ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE

To understand the global impact of environmental problems.

To realize the impacts of development on the Environment.

To discover sustainable ways of living.

Lesson 1 – Prelim Environmental Science

 IMPORTANCE OF ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE

To understand the global impact of environmental problems.

To realize the impacts of development on the environment.

To discover sustainable ways of living.

To utilize natural resources efficiently.

Lesson 1 – Prelim Environmental Science

 IMPORTANCE OF ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE

To understand the global impact of environmental problems.

To realize the impacts of development on the Environment.

To discover sustainable ways of living.

To utilize natural resources efficiently.

To adopt measures to conserve biodiversity.

Lesson 1 – Prelim Environmental Science

 IMPORTANCE OF ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE

To understand the global impact of environmental problems.

To realize the impacts of development on the Environment.

To discover sustainable ways of living.

To utilize natural resources efficiently.

To adopt measures to conserve biodiversity.

To Learn and create awareness about environmental problems at

local and global level.
Lesson 1 – Prelim Environmental Science
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 What is Ecology?

Lesson 1 – Prelim Environmental Science

 ECOLOGY
➢In Greek, the term "Ecology" means "house" or "place to
live". Ecology is the study of how organisms interact with
one another and with their physical and chemical
environment. It is concerned with the biology of groups of
organisms and with functional processes on the land, in the
oceans and freshwater, and in the air.

➢Ecology is the study of how living organisms (biotic) and

non-living parts (abiotic) of the environment interact with
and depend on each other.
Lesson 1 – Prelim Environmental Science
 SCOPE OF ECOLOGY

Lesson 1 – Prelim Environmental Science

THE ECOSYSTEM
 An ecosystem is the basic unit of
the field of the scientific study of
nature. According to this discipline,
an ecosystem is a physically defined
environment, made up of two
inseparable components.
Lesson 1 – Prelim Environmental Science
Lesson 1 – Prelim Environmental Science
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 Ecosystem. . . . .made up of two

inseparable components.

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 Components of Ecosystem
1. The abiotic (non-living): a particular physical environment with
specific physical characteristics such as the climate, temperature,
humidity, concentration of nutrients or pH.
❖Abiotic components can vary from region to region, from one ecosystem
to another. They mainly take up the role of life supporter. They
determine and restrict the population growth, number, and diversity of
biotic factors in an ecosystem. Hence, they are called limiting factors.

2. The biotic (living): a set of living organisms such as animals, plants or

micro-organisms, that are in constant interaction and are, therefore, in a
situation of interdependence.

Lesson 1 – Prelim Environmental Science

 Biotic components of an ecosystem can be described under the following three heads (TROPHIC LEVEL):
1. Producers (Autotrophic components)- The green plants, blue green algae and photosynthetic bacteria
which utilize solar energy by the process of photosynthesis to prepare food and obtain energy.

2. Consumers (Heterotrophs)- The organisms which obtain their food directly or indirectly from producers.
Depending on the type of nutrition of consumers, these are divided into;
a. Herbivores (primary Consumers)
b. Carnivores
c. Omnivores

3. Decomposers or reducers and transformers- These organisms obtain energy from dead organisms,
plants or animals by chemical breakdown of complex organic matter into simpler substances e.g. bacteria
and fungi.
a. Detrivores are heterotrophs that feed on detritus, or dead organic plant and animal matter. Detritus
feeders ingest fragments of dead organisms and their cast-off parts and organic waste
b. Saprotroph is an organism that feeds on or derives nourishment from decaying organic matter.

Lesson 1 – Prelim Environmental Science

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 Role and Importance of Decomposers:
a. Decomposers help in decomposing the dead and living
protoplasm of plants and animals and act as cleansing
agents of environment.

b. Decomposers help in returning the nutrients to the soil and

thus make them available for plants and create a balance
in environment.

c. Decomposers help in recycling the materials in ecosystem

and replenish air, water and soil.
Lesson 1 – Prelim Environmental Science
 ECOSYSTEM FUNCTION

Lesson 1 – Prelim Environmental Science

 Functions of Ecosystem
1. Production is the function responsible for the accumulation of organic
structures in the ecosystem.
Sunlight + 6CO2 + 6H2O C6H12O6 + 6O2

2. Consumption is the function which balances the opposites, production

and decomposition. It acts as the regulator, careful that production would
not be too much and decomposition too little, or vice versa.

3. Decomposition is the function responsible for the breakdown of

complex structure in the ecosystem. The process of decomposition
involves the presence of substrates, such as fallen leaves, twigs, logs,
animal matter, feces, grass and the secretion of degradation enzymes
onto the specific substrate.
Lesson 1 – Prelim Environmental Science
 How does nature maintain its
ecological balance?

Lesson 1 – Prelim Environmental Science

 ENERGY FLOW
Lesson 1 – Prelim Environmental Science
Law of Thermodynamics govern energy processes in biological systems.

1. Law of Conservation of energy

- Stated that the total amount of energy in all its forms remains constant.
Thus energy is neither created nor destroyed; it can only be
transformed.

2. Law of Degradation of Energy Quality

- States that every time energy is transformed, it tends to go from a more
organized and concentrated form to a less organized or more dispersed
form. For example, when a car is driven, only about 10% of the high quality
chemical energy available in its gasoline fuel is converted to mechanical
energy to propel the vehicle and electrical energy to run its electrical
system.
Lesson 1 – Prelim Environmental Science
 How does energy flow is
being facilitated in the
ecosystem?

Lesson 1 – Prelim Environmental Science

 FOOD CHAIN AND FOOD WEB

Lesson 1 – Prelim Environmental Science

Lesson 1 – Prelim Environmental Science
➢Food chain in an ecosystem refers to the transfer
of food energy from the source (example plants)
through a series of organisms, in a process of
sequential or repeated eating and being eaten

➢Food webs refer to the interconnected or

interlocking relationships among various food
chains in an ecosystem.

Lesson 1 – Prelim Environmental Science

Lesson 1 – Prelim Environmental Science