Our Environment is a chapter in your science subject. Radhe Radhe to all my dear children! You all will have to work very hard for your board exams to get good marks. In this post, I will try to cover all the important topics of your 10th-grade science syllabus so that you can understand and remember them.
Our Environment, which is your thirteen chapter, falls under the biology section of science. All the information you need to study in this chapter will be found in this post.
Also Read- CBSE Class 10 Science Chapter 4 Carbon and Its Compounds
👉 Skip everything and click here to directly view the Notes PDFKey Content of Chapter 13 Our Environment
🌍 1. Environment
- Environment includes living organisms, non-living components and their interactions.
- Humans are an integral part of the environment.
- Our activities affect the environment and environmental changes affect us.
🌱 2. Ecosystem
- An ecosystem is a functional unit where living (biotic) and non-living (abiotic) components interact.
- Biotic components: plants, animals, microorganisms, humans
- Abiotic components: air, water, soil, temperature, rainfall, minerals
Types of Ecosystems
- Natural ecosystems: forest, pond, lake, grassland
- Artificial ecosystems: garden, aquarium, crop field
🌿 3. Components of Ecosystem
(a) Producers
- Green plants and some bacteria.
- Make food by photosynthesis using sunlight.
- Form the first trophic level.
(b) Consumers
- Depend on producers for food.
- Types:
- Herbivores – eat plants
- Carnivores – eat animals
- Omnivores – eat both
- Parasites – live on other organisms
(c) Decomposers
- Bacteria and fungi.
- Break down dead plants and animals into simple substances.
- Help in nutrient recycling.
🍃 4. Food Chain
- A linear sequence showing who eats whom.
- Example:
Grass → Deer → Lion
Trophic Levels
- Producers
- Primary consumers (herbivores)
- Secondary consumers (small carnivores)
- Tertiary consumers (top carnivores)
🕸️ 5. Food Web
- A network of interconnected food chains.
- Provides stability to the ecosystem.
- One organism can be eaten by many organisms.
⚡ 6. Flow of Energy
- Energy flows only in one direction:
Sun → Producers → Consumers - Only 10% energy is transferred to the next trophic level.
- Energy is lost as heat at each level.
- Hence, food chains are usually short (3–4 levels).
☠️ 7. Biological Magnification
- Increase in concentration of non-biodegradable chemicals at higher trophic levels.
- Chemicals like pesticides enter the food chain.
- Humans are most affected as they are at the top trophic level.
🌫️ 8. Ozone Layer
- Ozone (O₃) is present in the upper atmosphere.
- Protects Earth from harmful ultraviolet (UV) rays.
- UV rays can cause skin cancer, eye damage, etc.
Ozone Depletion
- Caused by CFCs (chlorofluorocarbons).
- Used in refrigerators, fire extinguishers.
- International action: UNEP agreement (1987).
- Use of CFC-free appliances is mandatory.
🗑️ 9. Waste Management
Biodegradable Waste
- Broken down by microorganisms.
- Examples: food waste, paper, leaves.
Non-Biodegradable Waste
- Cannot be broken down easily.
- Examples: plastic, glass, metals.
- Causes pollution and biological magnification.
♻️ 10. Managing Garbage
- Segregation of waste is necessary.
- Follow 3R Principle:
- Reduce
- Reuse
- Recycle
- Proper treatment of:
- Household waste
- Sewage
- Industrial waste
- E-waste
🌏 11. Human Impact on Environment
- Overuse of plastics
- Excessive waste generation
- Use of harmful chemicals
- Deforestation
- Pollution of air, water and soil
✅ 12. Environment-Friendly Practices
- Using cloth bags
- Saving electricity
- Walking or cycling
- Proper waste disposal
- Avoiding single-use plastics
Also Read- CBSE Class 10 Science Chapter 4 Carbon and Its Compounds
Class 10 Science Chapter 13 Our Environment Notes
CBSE Class 10 Science – Chapter 13
Our Environment
Complete Class 10 Science Chapter 13 notes, NCERT book PDF
aur official Telegram channel ka direct access yahan se milega.
Science Chapter 13 Our Environment MCQs
Q1. An ecosystem consists of:
A. Biotic and abiotic components
B. Only plants
C. Only animals
D. Only microorganisms
✅ Correct Answer: Biotic and abiotic components
Q2. Which of the following is a producer?
A. Green plants
B. Lion
C. Human
D. Bacteria
✅ Correct Answer: Green plants
Q3. Which organisms break down dead plants and animals?
A. Decomposers
B. Producers
C. Herbivores
D. Carnivores
✅ Correct Answer: Decomposers
Q4. The first trophic level in a food chain is occupied by:
A. Producers
B. Herbivores
C. Carnivores
D. Decomposers
✅ Correct Answer: Producers
Q5. Only about how much energy is transferred to the next trophic level?
A. 10%
B. 25%
C. 50%
D. 100%
✅ Correct Answer: 10%
Q6. The network of interconnected food chains is called:
A. Food web
B. Trophic level
C. Ecosystem
D. Biosphere
✅ Correct Answer: Food web
Q7. Increase in harmful substances along the food chain is called:
A. Biological magnification
B. Energy flow
C. Decomposition
D. Recycling
✅ Correct Answer: Biological magnification
Q8. Which chemical is mainly responsible for ozone depletion?
A. CFCs
B. Oxygen
C. Nitrogen
D. Carbon dioxide
✅ Correct Answer: CFCs
Q9. Ozone layer protects Earth from:
A. Ultraviolet radiation
B. Infrared rays
C. Visible light
D. Radio waves
✅ Correct Answer: Ultraviolet radiation
Q10. Which of the following is biodegradable?
A. Vegetable peels
B. Plastic bottle
C. Glass
D. Aluminium foil
✅ Correct Answer: Vegetable peels
Also Read- CBSE Class 10 Science Chapter 12 Magnetic Effects of Electric Current
FAQs About Our Environment
Q1. What is an ecosystem?
An ecosystem is a system formed by interaction between living organisms
(biotic components) and non-living factors (abiotic components) like air,
water, soil and temperature.
Q2. What are biotic and abiotic components?
Biotic components are living organisms such as plants, animals and microorganisms,
while abiotic components include physical factors like sunlight, water, soil and minerals.
Q3. Who are producers in an ecosystem?
Producers are green plants and some bacteria that make their own food by
photosynthesis using sunlight.
Q4. What are consumers?
Consumers are organisms that depend on producers or other consumers for food.
They include herbivores, carnivores and omnivores.
Q5. What is the role of decomposers?
Decomposers like bacteria and fungi break down dead plants and animals into
simple substances, returning nutrients to the soil.
Q6. What is a food chain?
A food chain is a sequence of organisms where one organism eats another,
showing the transfer of energy from producers to consumers.
Q7. What are trophic levels?
Each step in a food chain is called a trophic level, such as producers,
primary consumers, secondary consumers and tertiary consumers.
Q8. Why are food chains usually short?
Only about 10% of energy is transferred from one trophic level to the next,
so very little energy is left for higher levels.
Q9. What is biological magnification?
Biological magnification is the gradual increase in concentration of harmful
chemicals like pesticides at higher trophic levels of a food chain.
Q10. Why is the ozone layer important?
The ozone layer protects Earth from harmful ultraviolet (UV) rays of the Sun,
which can cause skin cancer and other damage.
Q11. What causes depletion of the ozone layer?
Chemicals like chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) used in refrigerators and aerosols
are responsible for ozone layer depletion.
Q12. What are biodegradable substances?
Biodegradable substances are materials that can be broken down naturally
by microorganisms, such as vegetable peels and paper.
CBSE Class 10 Science – Chapter Wise Notes
1
Chemical Reactions and Equations
2
Acids, Bases and Salts
3
Metals and Non-metals
4
Carbon and Its Compounds
5
Life Processes
6
Control and Coordination
7
How do Organisms Reproduce?
8
Heredity
9
Light – Reflection and Refraction
10
The Human Eye and the Colorful World
11
Electricity
12
Magnetic Effects of Electric Current
13
Our Environment
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