Class 12 Anthropology Chapter 7 Ecology, HS 2nd year Anthropology notes, Anthropology Class 12 Question Answer to each chapter is provided in the list so that you can easily browse throughout different chapters SCERT Class 12 Anthropology Chapter 7 Ecology and select needs one.
Class 12 Anthropology Chapter 7 Ecology
Also, you can read the SCERT book online in these sections Solutions by Expert Teachers as per SCERT (CBSE) Book guidelines. AHSEC Class 12 Anthropology Chapter 7 Ecology is part of AHSEC All Subject Solutions. Here we have given Assam Board Class 12 Anthropology Chapter 7 Ecology Notes for All Subjects, You can practice these here.
Ecology
Chapter – 7
| QUESTIONS |
A. Short Question & Answer:
1. Who first coined the term Ecology?
Ans: The term Ecology was first coined a German biologists, Ernest Haeckel in 1866.
2. What is the etymological meaning of the term Ecology?
Ans: The term “ecology” etymologically word ecology comes from the Greek word ‘Oikos’ which means ‘home’ or ‘habitat’ and logos’ means the ‘study’.
3. What is environment?
Ans: The term environment is used to describe, in the aggregate, all the external forces, influences and conditions, which affect the life, nature, behavior and growth, development and maturity of living organisms.
4. Define ecology.
Ans: Ecology defined as – “the body of knowledge concerning the economy of nature-the investigation of the total relations of the animal, both to its inorganic and organic environment, including above all its friendly and inimical relations with those animals and plants with which it comes directly or indirectly into contact”.
5. What are the two components of water?
Ans: The two components of water are hydrogen atoms and Oxygen.
6. What do mean by ecological balance?
Ans: Ecological balance refers to the stable and harmonious relationship between living organisms and their environment. It ensures the survival of various species by providing them with suitable habitats and necessary resources. Additionally, ecological balance promotes biodiversity, which contributes to the resilience and adaptability of ecosystems in the face of environmental changes.
7. What is physical environment?
Ans: Physical environment means air, water, land, sunlight, rainfall, temperature, pressure, humidity, wind etc.
8. What is social environment?
Ans: The social environment refers to the immediate physical and social setting in which people live or in which something happens or develops. It includes the culture that the individual lives in and the people and institutions with whom they interact, either in person or through communication media.
9. What are the basic elements of environment?
Ans: Basic elements of environment are: Solid Liquid and Gas.
10. What do you mean by water cycle?
Ans: The water of the oceans, lakes, ponds, rivers etc. gets evaporated by solar energy and ultimately clouds are formed and the water comes down again from the clouds as rain.
This reversible process is known as water cycle. It is a continuous process. This cycle is very essential for the environment because without it biogeochemical cycles could not exist, ecosystem never function and the life layer could not be maintained. Thus it plays the important role in maintaining life in the earth.
11. What is phytoplankton?
Ans: Producers are the autotrophic organisms. The top water layer of the pond is termed as producer layer. Different kinds of plants are found in this layer including some microscopic floating plants such as algae are also found. These plants are called phytoplankton (phyto-plant, plankton=floating life).
12. What is smog?
Ans: Smog is a type of air pollution that reduces visibility, originally described as a mix of smoke and fog. It was first seen in industrial areas due to coal burning. Today, most smog is photochemical smog, mainly caused by vehicle emissions. A key component is ozone, formed when pollutants from cars, trucks, and other transport sources react with sunlight. Smog is especially common in large cities due to heavy traffic.
13. What are the major greenhouse gases?
Ans: The major green house gases are carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, chlorofluorocarbons (CFC) and other gases.
14. What do you mean by Green House Effect?
Ans: The Green House Effect is the effect due to which the average temperature of the earth increases. It is similar to the warming effect observed in horticultural greenhouses made of glass. The major greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, and chlorofluorocarbons prevent heat from escaping to the outer surface and keep the earth’s temperature at an average level of 15°C by acting like a natural blanket.
15. What is Global Warming?
Ans: Global warming is the slow increase in the average temperature of the earth caused by human activities such as indiscriminate felling of trees and the burning of fossil fuels, which increase the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.
16. What is acid rain?
Ans: Acid rain is a type of rainfall that is made acidic due to the presence of pollutants like sulfur dioxide (SO₂) and nitrogen oxides (NOₓ) in the atmosphere. These gases react with water vapor in the air to form sulfuric acid and nitric acid, which then fall to the ground with rain, harming plants, animals, buildings, and aquatic life.
17. What do you mean by food chain and food web?
Ans: Detritus food chain is the type of food chain that starts with dead organic materials. The dead organic substances are decomposed by microorganisms. The organisms that feed on dead organic matter or detritus are known as detritivores or decomposers. These detritivores are later eaten by the predators.
A number of interconnected food chains between the ion producers and consumers constitute a food web. It is network of food chains where various organisms are connected at different trophic levels, so that there are a number of options of eating and being eaten at each trophic level.
B. Essay Type Questions:
1. Define ecosystem. What are the different components of ecosystem? Describe with examples.
Ans: An ecosystem is a community of living organisms (plants, animals, and microorganisms) interacting with each other and with their non-living environment (like air, water, soil, and sunlight). These interactions create a system where energy flows and nutrients cycle, helping to maintain balance in nature.
Each ecosystem has two main components:
(1) Abiotic Components (Non-living): The abiotic components can be grouped into the following categories-
(a) Climatic Factors: Which include rain, temperature, light, wind, humanity etc.
(b) Edhaphic Factors-Which includes soil, pH, topography, minerals etc.
(2) Biotic Components: The living organisms including plants, animals and micro-organisms (Bacteria and Fungi) that are present in an ecosystem form the biotic components.
There are three types of biotic components which are summarized below-
(i) Producers or Autotrophs: The green plants have chlorophyll with the help of which they trap solar energy and change it into chemical energy of carbohydrate using simple inorganic compounds namely water (H2O) and carbon dioxide (CO2). The process is known as photosynthesis. As the green plants manufacture their own foods they are known as Autotrophs (i.e. auto self, trophs-feeder). The chemical energy stored by the producers is utilized partly by the producers for their own growth and survival and the remaining is stored in the plants parts for their future use.
(ii) Consumers or Heterotrophs: The animals are unable to produce their own food due to the lack of chlorophyll. Therefore they depend on the producers for their food. They are known as Heterotrophs (i.e. hetero other, trophs= feeder).
(iii) Decomposers or Saprotrophs: Bacteria and fungi belong to this category. They break down the dead organic materials of the producers (plant) and consumers (animals) for their food and release to the environment the simple inorganic and organic substances produced as a by-product of their metabolism. These simple substances are reused by the producers resulting in a cyclic exchange of materials between the biotic community and the abiotic environment of the ecosystem. The decomposers are known-as saprotrophs (i.e. sapros = rotten, trophs=feeder).
2. What is ecology? Discuss its subject matter.
Ans: Ecology defined as – “the body of knowledge concerning the economy of nature-the investigation of the total relations of the animal, both to its inorganic and organic environment, including above all its friendly and inimical relations with those animals and plants with which it comes directly or indirectly into contact”.
Subject Matter of Ecology:
Ecology is a broad field divided into several sub-branches, each focusing on different levels of interaction:
(i) Molecular Ecology: At the molecular level, the study of ecology focuses on the production of proteins, how those proteins affect the organisms and the environment, and how the environment in turn affects the production of various proteins. In all known organisms DNA gives rise to proteins, which interact with each other and the environment to replicate the DNA. Molecular ecologists study how these proteins are created, how they affect the organisms and environment, how the environment in turn affects them.
(ii) Organismal Ecology : Organismal ecology is the study of an individual organism’s behavior, morphology, physiology, etc. in response to environmental challenges. It looks at how individual organisms interact with biotic and abiotic components. Ecologists research how organisms are adapted to these non-living components of their surroundings. Individual species are related to various adaptations like physiological adaptation, morphological adaptation and behavioural adaptations.
(iii) Population Ecology: It deals with the factors that altars and impact the genetic composition and size of the population of organisms. Ecologists are interested in fluctuation in the size of a population, the growth of a population and any other interaction with the population.
(iv) Community Ecology : It deals with how community structure modified by interactions among living organisms. Ecology community is made up of two or more populations of different species living in a particular geographical area.
(v) Ecosystem Ecology: It deals with the entire ecosystem including the study of living and nonliving components and their relationship with f the environment. Here the ecologists research how the n ecosystem works, their interactions etc.
(vi) Landscape Ecology: It deals with the exchange of energy, materials, organisms in and other products of the ecosystems. Landscape ecology or throws light on the role of human impacts on the landscape in structure and functions.
(vii) Global Ecology: It deals with global interaction among earth’s ecosystems, land, atmosphere and oceans. It helps to understand the large-scale interactions and their influence on the planet.
3. What is the importance of studying ecology?
Ans: Studying ecology is important because it helps us understand the interrelationships between living organisms, including humans, and their physical environment. It explains the vital connections between plants and animals and the world around them. Ecology also provides information about the benefits of ecosystems and how we can use Earth’s resources in ways that keep the environment healthy for future generations.
The study of ecology is important because it helps us understand the complex relationships between living organisms and their environment. Through ecology, we learn how different species, including humans, interact with one another and with the non-living components of nature such as air, water, and soil. This understanding is essential for conserving natural resources, protecting wildlife, and maintaining the balance of ecosystems. Ecology also plays a vital role in addressing environmental issues like pollution, deforestation, and climate change by providing scientific knowledge needed for sustainable solutions.
4. Discuss ecological balance versus matter.
Ans: Ecological balance is all about maintaining a healthy and stable relationship between living beings like humans, animals, and plants and the environment they live in. It means everything in nature works together smoothly without causing harm to any part of the system.
On the other hand, matter refers to the physical substances that make up our environment mainly air, water, and soil. These are the basic elements needed for life. Air gives us oxygen to breathe, water keeps us alive and supports plants and animals, and soil helps plants grow and supports many organisms.
The connection between the two is important. While matter provides the essentials of life, it’s the ecological balance that ensures these resources are used wisely and naturally recycled. When air, water, and soil are clean and healthy, they support life properly, and nature stays in balance. But if we pollute the air, waste water, or damage the soil, that balance gets disturbed. It affects the weather, health of living beings, food production, and even the climate.
So, to maintain ecological balance, we must take care of these three forms of matter. Using natural resources wisely and protecting them from pollution is key to keeping life on Earth healthy and sustainable.
5. What is ecological balance? Discuss man as a main factor of disturbing ecological balance.
Ans: Ecological balance may be defined as a state of dynamic equilibrium within a community of organisms in which genetic, species and ecosystem diversity remain relatively stable subject to gradual changes through natural succession.
Ecological balance refers to the delicate equilibrium that exists in natural ecosystems, where all living organisms interact with each other and their environment in a harmonious manner. The balance is crucial for sustainability of life on and ensures the smooth functioning of ecological processes. However, several factors have the potential to disturb this balance, leading to disrupt this balance, leading to adverse consequences for the environment and all its inhabitants. It is the state in which different components of ecosystem coexist in a stable and sustainable manner. It involves the intricate relationship between organisms and their environment, encompassing elements such as nutrient cycle, energy flow, and biodiversity. Maintaining ecological balance is a crucial for the overall health and stability of ecosystem.
Ecological balance is vital for numerous reasons. It ensures the survival of various species by providing them with suitable habitats and by providing them with suitable habitat and necessary resources. Additionally ecological balance promotes biodiversity, which contributes to the resilience and adaptability of ecosystems in the face of environmental changes.
6. Discuss the relation between ecology and environment.
Ans: Ecology and environment are closely related concepts. The environment refers to everything that surrounds us including air, water, land, and all living and nonliving things. It provides the physical conditions and resources necessary for life.
On the other hand, ecology is the scientific study of the relationships between organisms and their environment. It focuses on how living beings interact with one another and with their surroundings both biotic (living) and abiotic (non-living) components.
Thus, the environment is the setting or background, while ecology is the study of how life operates within that setting. For example, in rural areas where people live closely with nature, any degradation of natural resources like land, forests, and water directly affects their livelihoods. Studying ecology helps us understand these impacts and how to maintain ecological balance.
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