Question

Give a brief account of the components of environment.

Answer 1

The three basic components of environment are:

(I) Abiotic (physical or inorganic) components,

(II) Biotic (organic) components, and the

(III) Energy components.

Again, the abiotic components of the environment consist of:

(a) The lithosphere — the chief reservoir of mineral nutrients,

(b) The atmosphere — the chief reservoir of gases essential for organic life, and

(c) The hydrosphere — the chief reservoir of liquid water.

The biotic component of environment includes all kinds of organic life, ranging from microorganisms to plants and animals, including man.

Energy is the third component of environment, which is indispensable for the generation and sustenance of all forms of organic life. The sun is the main source of energy in the environment. Geo-thermal energy is yet another type of energy. Since photosynthesis is essential for the existence of organic life, we find that life is confined to only those regions where solar energy can be captured for photosynthesis.

This forms a narrow belt of life that extends from about 180-210 m below sea level to almost 6 km (snow-line in mountain ranges). This is known as the Biosphere, which can be said to be a thin film (1/1000th) when we consider the earth’s radius (6,370 kms).

Answer 2

Components of Environment: Environment mainly consists of atmosphere, hydrosphere, lithosphereand biosphere. But it can be roughly divided into two types such as (a) Micro environment and (b) Macro environment. It can also be divided into two other types such as (c) Physical and (d) biotic environment.