NCERT Book Class 10 Science Chapter 13 Our Environment

CHAPTER 13
Our Environment

W e have heard the word ‘environment’ often being used on the
television, in newspapers and by people around us. Our elders tell
us that the ‘environment’ is not what it used to be earlier; others say that
we should work in a healthy ‘environment’; and global summits involving
the developed and developing countries are regularly held to discuss
‘environmental’ issues. In this chapter, we shall be studying how various
components in the environment interact with each other and how we
impact the environment.

13.1 ECO -SYSTEM — WHA
ECO-SYSTEM T ARE ITS COMPONENTS?
WHAT
All organisms such as plants, animals, microorganisms and human
beings as well as the physical surroundings interact with each other
and maintain a balance in nature. All the interacting organisms in an
area together with the non-living constituents of the environment form
an ecosystem. Thus, an ecosystem consists of biotic components
comprising living organisms and abiotic components comprising
physical factors like temperature, rainfall, wind, soil and minerals.
For example, if you visit a garden you will find different plants, such
as grasses, trees; flower bearing plants like rose, jasmine, sunflower;
and animals like frogs, insects and birds. All these living organisms
interact with each other and their growth, reproduction and other
activities are affected by the abiotic components of ecosystem. So a garden
is an ecosystem. Other types of ecosystems are forests, ponds and lakes.
These are natural ecosystems while gardens and crop-fields are human-
made (artificial) ecosystems.

Activity 13.1
n You might have seen an aquarium. Let us try to design one.
n What are the things that we need to keep in mind when we create
an aquarium? The fish would need a free space for swimming (it
could be a large jar), water, oxygen and food.
n We can provide oxygen through an oxygen pump (aerator) and
fish food which is available in the market.

208 Science