CHAPTER- 1 Environment
NOTES
1. Environment– The environment is the fundamental basis of our life. It provides us with air to breathe, water to drink, food to eat, and land to live on.
- Car smoke pollutes the air.
- Humans build cars, mills, factories, and utensils. In this way, humans bring changes to the natural environment.
- The people, places, objects, and nature surrounding any living being are called the environment.
- The word Environment originates from the French word Environner, which means surroundings or neighborhood.
2. Biotic– The world of living organisms, such as plants and animals.
3. Abiotic– The world of non-living things, such as land.
4. Components of the Environment- A) Natural B) Man-made C) Human.
5. Natural Environment– Land, water, air, plants, and animals together form the natural environment.
- Lithosphere– The solid crust or the hard upper layer of the Earth is called the lithosphere. It is made up of rocks and minerals and is covered by a thin layer of soil.
- It is also a source of mineral wealth.
- Hydrosphere– The water domain is called the hydrosphere. It consists of various water sources such as rivers, lakes, seas, oceans, and other water bodies.
- Atmosphere– The thin layer of air surrounding the Earth is called the atmosphere. Changes in the atmosphere lead to changes in weather and climate.
- Biosphere– Plants and animals together form the biosphere or the living world. It is the narrow zone of the Earth where land, water, and air combine to make life possible.
6. Ecosystem– A system in which all living organisms interact with each other and with the physical and chemical factors of the environment in which they live.
- The interaction of living organisms with each other and with their surrounding environment forms an ecosystem.
7. Human Environment– Humans interact with their environment.
- Over time, humans learned various ways to use and modify the environment. They learned to grow crops, domesticate animals, and lead a settled life.
- Barter System– It is a trade system in which goods are exchanged without the use of money.
- The Industrial Revolution led to large-scale production, and transportation began at a faster pace.
- The Information Revolution made communication easy and fast across the world.
