Components or Segments of Environment Are Given Below
Components or Segments of Environment Are Given Below
Components or Segments of Environment Are Given Below
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Components or segments of environment are given below: 1. Atmosphere - the sphere of air. 2. Hydrosphere - the sphere of water. 3. Lithosphere - the sphere of soil, rock, etc. 4. Biosphere - the sphere of livin or anisms. Atmosphere : !he thick, aseo"s cover of air s"rro"ndin the earth is called atmosphere. #t s"stains life on earth $y removin harmf"l cosmic and "ltraviolet rays thro" h a$sorption, maintainin heat $alance, providin o%y en for respiration and car$on dio%ide for photosynthesis. &n the $asis of temperat"re radients, the atmosphere can $e se mented as follows' (a) !roposphere ($) *tratosphere (c) +esosphere (d) !hermosphere (e) +a netosphere. Hydrosphere : Appro%imately ,- per cent of the earth.s s"rface is made "p of water and constit"tes the hydrosphere. !he water reso"rces incl"de oceans, seas, rivers, lakes, streams, ponds, laciers, polar ice caps and ro"nd water. &f this, a$o"t /, per cent of the water is salty and is present in oceans and seas, 2 per cent is present as ice caps and the remainin 1 per cent as fresh water which we "se vario"sly. 0ater near the poles is very cold and free1es to form polar ice caps, laciers or ice$er s. However, at the e2"ator water evaporates into as d"e to hi h temperat"re. !he fro1en water in its own sphere is known as .cryosphere.. 0ater is very essential for life and it is $elieved that the first si ns of life were fo"nd in water. Lithosphere (Land) :
Lithosphere is the solid component of earth. #t consists of three layers' cr"st, mantle and core. 3enerally speakin , lithosphere means the hard s"rface (cr"st) of earth and not the entire inside of the planet. !he "ppermost part of the solid earth, consistin of weathered rocks, minerals and or anic matters to ether, is known as soil. Land is very important for "se in a ric"lt"re, ind"striali1ation, transportation, recreation, etc. !he interior of the lithosphere consists of mantle followed $y core. Biosphere : #t is that part of earth where livin ($iotic) or anisms e%ist and interact with one another and also with the non-livin (a$iotic) components. !he livin or anisms incl"de all of the microor anisms, plants and animals. Biosphere reaches well into the other three spheres, altho" h there are no permanent inha$itants in the atmosphere. 4elative to the vol"me of the earth, the $iosphere constit"tes only a very thin s"rface layer, which e%tends from 11,--- meters $elow sea level to 15,--- meters a$ove it. #n eneral, $iosphere incl"des most of the hydrosphere as well as parts of lower atmosphere and "pper lithosphere. !he $iosphere contains lar e 2"antities of elements s"ch as car$on, nitro en and o%y en. &ther essential elements like phosphor"s, calci"m and potassi"m are present in smaller amo"nts. B"lk of the f"nctionin in the eco-system is $ased on the inp"t of solar ener y and there is contin"al recyclin of materials at the ecosystem and $iosphere levels. 6or e%ample, reen plants "se car$on dio%ide for photosynthesis and release o%y en into the atmosphere, which is then inhaled $y the animals for respiration who in ret"rn release car$on dio%ide. #n the $iosphere, there e%ist interactions amon the or anisms. 0hen an or anism interacts with mem$ers of its own kind, it is an intra-specific interaction like coloni1ation and then a re ation, etc. &n the other hand, interaction $etween different species is known as inter-specific interaction like ne"tralism, competition and prey-predator relationships. !he interactions may $e harmf"l or $eneficial to the participants $"t are very important for the s"rvival, rowth, reprod"ction and contin"ance of the species.