Section A: Ecological logic
- If we remove all decomposers from the ecosystem, what will be the immediate consequence?
(Accumulation of dead matter).
- Why is it said that energy flow in an ecosystem is governed by Thermodynamics? (Energy neither
created/destroyed, only converted and lost).
- In the following food chain: Plants $\rightarrow$ Mice $\rightarrow$ Snake $\rightarrow$ Hawk. If
1000 J of energy is available to plants, how much energy (a) Mice (b) Hawk will receive?
(Plants=1000? No, 1% of Sun? Or if Plants have 1000J? Assuming Plants have 1000J: Mice 100J, Snake
10J, Hawk 1J).
- Why do farmers prefer to use manure instead of fertilizers? (Soil fertility, biological health).
- Which of the following will have the maximum concentration of harmful chemicals: Peacock, Snake,
Grass, Frog? (Peacock - Top level).
Section B: Energy Numericals
- Consider the food chain: Sunlight $\rightarrow$ Plant $\rightarrow$ Deer $\rightarrow$ Lion. If the
Plants capture 20 J of energy (1%), how much energy was supplied by the Sun? (2000 J). How much
reaches the Lion? (Plant 20 -> Deer 2 -> Lion 0.2 J).
- A food chain has 3 trophic levels. If 10 kJ energy is available to the second trophic level
(Herbivore), calculate the energy available to the producer (100 kJ) and the carnivore (1 kJ).
- Suppose 1000 J of solar energy falls on the leaves of green plants. Calculate the energy available
to the primary consumer. (Plants harness 1% = 10J. Primary Consumer gets 10% of 10J = 1J). Note:
Be careful if Q says 'energy available to plants' vs 'solar energy falling'.
Section C: Scientific Reasoning
- Why is an aquarium considered an artificial ecosystem? (Man-made, requires cleaning, pump).
- Why are some substances biodegradable and others non-biodegradable? (Presence of specific enzymes in
bacteria).
- Damage to the ozone layer is a cause for concern. Why? (UV radiation, Cancer, Eye Cataract).
- Why does the number of organisms generally decrease as we move up the trophic levels? (Energy
limitation).
- Cloth bags are better than plastic bags. Justify. (Reusable, Biodegradable).