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HO CHI MINH UNIVERSITY OF INDUSTRY INSTITUTE FOR ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING & MANAGEMENT
Compiled by VO DINH LONG
ENVIRONMENTALSCIENCES (Specialized English course for Environmental Students)
HO CHI MINH CITY, 2010
CONTENTS
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CHAPTER 1: BASIC UNITS OFECOLOGY After studying this chapter, you should be able to:
1. Define environment. 2. Define an ecosystem.
3. Identify the components of the biosphere.
4. Describe the living and nonliving components of the environment.
5. Explain that bacteria and fungi are agents of decay. 6. Discuss the process of photosynthesis.
7. Enumerate the important factors that affect the growth of plants and the survival of animals.
1.1. THE ECOSYSTEM
When God created the world, He said, “Let the earth produces all kinds of plants, those that bear grain and those that bear fruit”, and it was done. Then He also created animals, including human beings and provided light. God, therefore, saw to it that everything needed for them to live is found in the world which He created. He provided space, ways and means by with different organisms can interact with one another and with their environment.
Part of the world where life operates is known as the biosphere.
The biosphere consists of the air (atmosphere), water (hydrosphere), and earth (lithosphere) where living things interact with their environment.
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Figure 1.1: The biosphere
When you study the interaction or relationship between organisms and their environment, you are studying an ecosystem. The term ecosystem( he sinh thai) refers to all the living things and the nonliving things in a given area. It includes all the plants and animals together with their surroundings. The ecosystem of an aquarium, for example, consists of the hydrilla and others plants, fish, snails, and other aquatic animals, some of which can only be seen under a microscope. It also includes sand and pebbles at the bottom. We can also include the owner who takes care of the aquarium.
A grassland, too, is an ecosystem. This ecosystem consists of the grass, earthworms, insects, bacteria, soil, water, sunlight, and other plants and animals that live on it. The pond is another example of an ecosystem.
The forest is a more complex ecosystem. Can you identify some of the components of this ecosystem?
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The entire earth can be thought of as an ecosystem. It has an abundance of different kinds of species of living things which, although separate by great distances, still react with one another and with the nonliving world.
In a forest ecosystem, interrelationships among its living and nonliving components occur. The branches and leaves of trees help break the force of the rain. Layers of dead leaves and twins and branches on the forest floor soak up water and prevent rain from washing soil away. Little water runs off the land. The roots of trees hold the soil and water on which they depend. Moreover, when the leaves(lá) and branches (cành) decay, they become part of the rich topsoil.
The soil is made up of minerals like silica and clay. They come from the breakdown of rocks(fong hóa). There are spaces between the mineral particles which are filled(được lắp) with air and water. Roots of plants penetrate(xâm nhập) deeper into the soil causing physical change. They loosen the tightly packed particles(kết cấu chặt của các hạt). Chemical change also occurs. The roots absorb the minerals present.
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