Ecology, Environment and Wildlife Conservation
Ecology, environment and wildlife conservation tests ecosystem components, energy flow, biodiversity, pollution and protected-area management.
Core rules
- Ecosystem: abiotic factors and biotic components-producers, consumers, decomposers. Food chains may be grazing or detrital; interconnected chains form a food web.
- Energy flow is unidirectional; the 10% law means only about 10% passes to the next trophic level. Ecological pyramids can be number, biomass or energy.
- Biodiversity: species, genetic and ecosystem diversity; India has hotspots including the Western Ghats–Sri Lanka, Himalaya, Indo-Burma and Sundaland (Nicobar).
- Pollution: air (SO2, NOx, particulates), water (organic load, eutrophication), soil (pesticides, heavy metals), noise. Biomagnification concentrates persistent toxins.
- Protected areas: national park-strict protection, no grazing or resource rights; sanctuary-some regulated rights; biosphere reserve-core, buffer and transition zones. In situ conservation versus ex situ (zoo, seed bank). Wildlife Protection Act 1972 and Project Tiger 1973.
Worked example
In a food chain grass → grasshopper → frog → snake, if grass stores 10,000 kJ, about 1,000 kJ reaches grasshoppers, 100 kJ frogs and 10 kJ snakes. The snake receives least energy, so top predators need large areas.
Traps
Do not confuse a food chain with a food web. National parks and sanctuaries differ in legal rights. Biosphere reserves are not only core zones.