ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE

Science

is a body of empirical, theoretical, and practical knowledge about the natural world produced by
scientists who emphasize the observation, explanation, and prediction of real-world phenomena.

Environment

set of conditions that surround an organism or the
complex of socio-cultural condition that affect an individual.

Environmental Science

systematic,
scientific study of the environment in combination with living organisms.

Environmental Science

branches of studies like chemistry, physics, medical science, life science,
agriculture, public health, sanitary engineering etc.

Atmosphere
Lithosphere
Hydrosphere
Biosphere

Four Segments of Environment

Atmosphere

implies the protective blanket of gases, surrounding the earth.

Hydrosphere

comprises all types of water resources oceans, seas, lakes, rivers, streams, reservoir,
polar icecaps, glaciers, and ground water.

Lithosphere

the outer mantle of the solid earth. It consists of minerals occurring in the earth's crusts
and the soil e.g. minerals, organic matter, air and water.

Biosphere

indicates the realm of living organisms and their interactions with environment, viz
atmosphere, hydrosphere and lithosphere.

Physical Elements
Biological Elements
Cultural Elements

Element of Environment

Physical Elements

are as space, landforms, water bodies, climate soils, rocks and minerals. They
determine the variable character of the human habitat, its opportunities as well as limitations.

Cultural Elements

such as economic, social and political elements are essentially manmade features,
which make cultural milieu.

Biological Elements

plants, animals, microorganisms and men constitute the biosphere.

Physical Environment
Social Environment
Psychological Environment

Various Types of Environment

Physical Environment

refers to geographical climate and weather or physical conditions wherein and
individual lives. The human races are greatly influenced by the climate. The physique of an individual
depends on climate conditions as the individual tries to adjust in his physical environment.

Social Environment

includes an individual's social, economic and political condition wherein he
lives. The moral, cultural and emotional forces influence the life and nature of individual behavior.

Psychological Environment

enables us to understand the personality of an individual both.

Solid
Liquid
Gas

Physical Environment broad categories

Economic Environment

In this social environment the organisms work to derive matter from the physical
environment for their sustenance and development.

Floral Environment
Faunal Environment

Biotic Environment divided into two

Man

claims to be most skilled and civilized of all the organisms.

the reason why his social organization is
most systematic.

Physical Man
Social Man
Economic Man

Three Aspects of Man function in biotic environment

Physical Man

need in physical environment

Social Man

establishing and forming institution and organization

Economic Man

utilizes resources from the physical and biotic environment with his skills and
technologies

Natural Resources

any material given to us by nature which can be transformed in a way
that it becomes more valuable and useful.

Renewable Resources

be used repeatedly and does not run out because it is naturally
replaced. A renewable resource, essentially, has an endless supply such as solar energy, wind energy,
and geothermal pressure.

Non-renewable Resources

The formation of some resources like iron ore, coal, and mineral oil. Once
they are used in unlimited way, they cannot be easily replaced.

Cyclic Resources

resources there is no final use as they can be used continuously. For example,
water used in industry and domestic ways can be cleaned and used again for similar or other purpose.

Forest Resources

main source of many commercial products such as wood, timber, pulpwood etc.
It can provide fiber, edible oils and drugs. Forest lands are also used for agriculture and grazing.

Water Resources

claims to be an important resource

River

natural flowing watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, sea, lake

Lake

inland depressions that contain standing water. They may vary in size from small ponds of fewer
acres to large seas covering thousands of square miles.

Ponds

considered as small bodies of standing water so shallow that rooted plants can grow over most of
the bottom.

Estuaries

the place where this freshwater joins the salt water. are semi enclosed
coastal bodies of water that have a free connection with the open and within which seawater is measurably
diluted with freshwater from river.

Timber Extraction-

process of transporting cut timber from the place where it was growing to a point
where it can be removed from site.

Mining

Extraction of valuable
minerals or other geological materials from the Earth, usually from an ore body, lode, vein, seam, reef or placer
deposit.

Normal or Geologic Erosion
Accelerated Soil Erosion

Kinds of Soil Erosion

Normal or Geologic Erosion

This type of soil erosion occurs under normal natural conditions by itself
without any interference of man. It is a very slow process, and equilibrium between loss and build up
is lost, only when there is some major disturbance by a foreign agent.

Accelerated Soil Erosion

type of removal of soil is very rapid and never keeps pace with the soil
formation. This is generally caused by an interference of an agency like man and other animals.

Water Erosion
Wind Erosion

Agents of Soil Erosion

Water Erosion

removes the soil by falling on as rain drops, as well as by its surface flow action.

Sheet Erosion
Rill Erosion
Gully Erosion

Types of Water Erosion

Sheet erosion

removed soil is like a thin covering from large area. more or less
uniform

Rill erosion

If sheet erosion occurs with full force, the run-off water moves rapidly over the soil
surface. It cuts well-defined finger-shaped groove like structures; it appears as thin channels or streams.

Gully erosion

result due to the convergence of several rills or thin channels formed during rill
erosion towards the steep slope. When they join together, they form wider channels of water,

Wind Erosion

happens in dry place.

Food webs

illustrate how energy flows directionally through ecosystems, including how efficiently organisms acquire it,
use it, and how much remains for use by other organisms of the food web.

Carbohydrates
Lipids
Proteins
Nucleic Acid

Four Najor Classes of Biological Molecules or Biomolecules

Carbohydrates

-one of the basic food groups are important to a healthy diet that provide energy to
the body,

Glucose

simple sugar that is a component of starch and an ingredient
in many staple foods.

Lipids

diverse group of compounds such as fats, oils, waxes, phospholipids, and steroids that are
largely nonpolar in nature. It contains hydrocarbons and make up the building blocks of the structure
and function of living cells

Proteins

essential nutrients for the human body. They are one of the building blocks of body tissue
and can also serve as a fuel source.
provide as much energy density as carbohydrates.

Nucleic Acid

important macromolecules for the continuity of life. They carry the genetic
blueprint of a cell and carry instructions for the functioning of the cell.

DNA - Deoxyribonucleic Acid
RNA - Ribonucleic Acid

Main Types of Nucleic Acid

DNA

genetic material found
in all living organisms, ranging from single-celled bacteria to multicellular mammals.

Energy

capacity to do work, whether that work be on a gross scale as raising
mountains and moving air masses over continents, or on a small scale such as transmitting a nerve impulse
from one cell to another.

Potential Energy
Kinetic Energy

Two Kinds of Energy

Potential Energy

energy at rest. It is capable and available for work.

Kinetic Energy

due to motion, and results in work. Work that results from the expenditure of
energy

Law of conservation of energy

states that energy is neither created
nor destroyed. It may change forms, pass from one place to another, or act upon matter in various ways.
In this process no gain or loss in total energy occurs. Energy is simply transferred from one form or
place to another.

Exothermic Reaction
Endothermic Reaction

Two Reactions

Exothermic Reaction

wood is burnt the potential energy present in the molecules of wood
equals the kinetic energy released, and heat is evolved to the surroundings.

Endothermic Reaction

energy from the surrounding may be paid into a reaction

molecules of the products store more energy than the
reactants.

Law of Decrease in Energy

states that on the transformation of
from one kind to another, there is an increase in entropy and a decrease in the amount of useful energy.
In this way, when coal in burned in a boiler to produce steam, some of the energy creates steam that
performs work, but part of the energy is dispersed as heat to the surrounding air.

Single Channel energy Model
Y-shaped energy flow model

Models of Flow of Energy in an Ecosystem

Cell

smallest fundamental unit in living organisms

Organelles

Cell contain

Population

All the individuals of a
species living within a specific area are collectively called

Community

sum of
populations inhabiting a particular area. For instance, all of the trees, insects, and other populations in a forest
form the forest's community.

Ecosystem

consists of all the living things in a particular area together with the abiotic, nonliving
parts of that environment such as nitrogen in the soil or rain water.

Freshwater Ocean water (marine)
Terrestrial

Three broad categories of ecosystems based on their general environment:

Freshwater Ocean water (marine)

rarest, occurring on only 1.8 percent of the Earth's surface Lakes,
rivers, streams, and springs comprise these systems; they are quite diverse, and they support a variety
of fish, amphibians, reptiles, insects, phytoplankton, fungi, and bacteria

Terrestrial

ecosystems, also known for their diversity, are grouped into large categories called
biomes, such as tropical rainforests, savannas, deserts, coniferous forests, deciduous forests, and tundra.

Eco-System

be defined as any spatial or organizational unit including living organisms and non-
living substances interacting to produce an exchange of materials between the living and non-living parts.

Structural Aspect
Functional

Aspects of Eco-System

Structural Aspect

description of the arrangement, types
and numbers of species and their life histories, along with a description of the physical features of the
environment.

Functional Aspect

ecosystem include the flow of energy and the cycling of
nutrients.

habitat

The non-living part of the eco-system includes different kinds of habitats such as air, water and land, and a variety of abiotic factors.

Abiotic Factor

non-living chemical and physical parts of the environment that affect living organisms and the functioning of ecosystems

Biotic or Biological Factor

living component that affects another organism or shapes the ecosystem. This includes both animals that consume other organisms within their ecosystem, and the organism that is being consumed.

Population

group of inter-acting individuals, usually of the same species, in a definable space.

a. Its reproductive potential, b. Its environmental resistance.

balance between two aspects determines the size of a population of any given species:

addition remover

In this way population size is determined by the relative number of organisms

Addition

Recruitment into the population is a function of birth rate and immigration rate.

Removal

Loss from the population is a function of death rate and emigration

Physical attributes of the environment

Food

Disease

Predation

Competition

Factors Regulating

ecosystem

contains numerous populations of different species of plants, animals and microbes; all
of them interact with one another as a community and with the physical environment as well.

biotic community

consists of the population of plants and animals living together in a particular place

Predator

Consumer

Reducer

Division of Ecosystem

Producer

Photosynthetic algae, plants and bacteria are the producers of the ecosystem; all other organisms depend upon them directly or indirectly for food.

Consumer

herbivorous, carnivorous, and omnivorous animals; they eat the organic matter produced by other organisms.

Reducer.

heterotrophic organisms like animals; they are fungi and bacterial that decompose dead organic matter.

Abiotic Substances (Non-Living Components) Biotic Substances (Living Components)

Natural and Function of Structure of Eco-system

Abiotic Substances (Non-Living Components)

include basic inorganic and organic compounds of the environment or habitat of the organism.

Biotic Substances (Living Components):

trophic structure of any ecosystem, where living organisms are distinguished on the basis of their nutritional relationships.

Inorganic Components Organic Components

Abiotic Substances (Non-Living Components)

Inorganic Components

under carbon dioxide, water, nitrogen, calcium, and phosphate. All of these are involved in matter cycles (biogeochemical cycles).

Organic Components

proteins, carbohydrates; lipids and amino acids, all of these are synthesized by the biota (flora and fauna) of an ecosystem and are reached to ecosystem as their wastes, dead remains, etc.

The climate, temperature, light, soil etc., abiotic components of the eco-system.

abiotic components of the eco-system.