Environment

What does environment mean? If you mean physical environment, then it is

defined as the surrounding conditions and elements through which a living thing
interacts with. However, apart from the physical, there are other types of
elements that make up an environment. They are the chemical and biological
attributes. Thus, an environment contains all biotic and abiotic factors that have
a role in the survival, evolution, and development of the organism occupying it. A
related term “environ” is defined as “to surround” or “to enclose”. The scope of
the environment varies — from the tiniest, “micro” scale to the
largest, global scale.

The terms “ecosystem” and “surroundings” are the common synonyms for the
word “environment”. However, they differ in such a way that the term
“ecosystem” includes the interaction between the organism and its surroundings.
The surroundings, in turn, refer to that which surrounds an organism or a
population. In this regard, the environment is a rather vast concept whereas the
term “surrounding” is relatively more specific.

Different branches of science are interested in studying the environment, its

components, and the interaction between living organisms and their
environment. For example, environmental science is interested in studying and
investigating the interaction of organisms with their environment and its
outcomes. A branch of environmental science is ecology, which deals with the
ecological interactions within ecosystems.

The two major classifications of environment are:

• Physical Environment: External physical factors like air, water, and land etc.
This is also called the abiotic environment.
• Living Environment: All living organisms around us, viz. plants, animals, and
micro-organisms. This is also called the biotic environment.

Components of Environment
Based on the components, the environment may also be classified into aquatic
environment (marine, such as oceans and seas, and freshwaters, such as lakes and
rivers), terrestrial environment (land), and atmospheric environment (air).
Earth science generally recognizes four spheres:

• the atmosphere (air)

• the hydrosphere (water)
• the biosphere (life)
• the lithosphere (rocks)

Some scientists include as part of the spheres of the Earth,

the cryosphere (corresponding to ice) as a distinct portion of the hydrosphere, as
well as the pedosphere (corresponding to soil) as an active and intermixed
sphere. Earth science (also known as geoscience, the geographical sciences or the
Earth Sciences), is an all-embracing term for the sciences related to the
planet Earth.

Challenges
The environment is facing many challenges due to human technologies.
Environmentalism is a social movement that aims to eliminate or minimize the
harmful effect of humans on the environment. environmentalism is mainly
concerned with natural environments and issues they are facing such as the
extinction of species, change in climate, loss of old forests, and pollution.

Wildlife is generally the natural environment that has not been affected or
modified by man. Wildlife represents regions that are not controlled or developed
by human industrial activity. Wilderness areas are mainly used to protect some
animal species from extinction, it can also be used in ecological studies and
recreation. Wildlife is greatly valued for its environmental, cultural, and spiritual
importance.

Because wildlife, uncultivated grassland, unchanged forests, and wildflowers are

slowly becoming fewer, the goal of environmentalism is to conserve and protect
them. It aims to preserve and protect species, especially those that are at risk of
extinction. It also takes effort in maintaining biodiversity in the natural
environment. Sustainable and conserved use of water, air, raw material, land,
energy, and other natural resources is ideal to help protect the environment. The
use of renewable energy to generate electricity, cooling, heating, and in means of
transportation instead of using fossil fuel to decrease pollution, minimize global
warming, and ensure sustainability is highly encouraged.

The Atmosphere
The atmosphere of the Earth serves as a key factor in sustaining the planetary
ecosystem. The thin layer of gases that envelops the Earth is held in place by the
planet's gravity. Dry air consists of 78% nitrogen, 21% oxygen, 1% argon and
other inert gases, and carbon dioxide. The remaining gases are often referred to
as trace gases. The atmosphere includes greenhouse gases such as carbon
dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, and ozone. Filtered air includes trace amounts
of many other chemical compounds. Air also contains a variable amount of water
vapor and suspensions of water droplets and ice crystals seen as clouds. Many
natural substances may be present in tiny amounts in an unfiltered air sample,
including dust, pollen and spores, sea spray, volcanic ash, and meteoroids.
Various industrial pollutants also may be present, such as chlorine (elementary or
in compounds), fluorine compounds, elemental mercury, and sulphur compounds
such as sulphur dioxide (SO2).
The ozone layer of the Earth's atmosphere plays an important role in reducing the
amount of ultraviolet (UV) radiation that reaches the surface. As DNA is readily
damaged by UV light, this serves to protect life at the surface. The atmosphere
also retains heat during the night, thereby reducing the daily temperature
extremes.
Layers of the atmosphere
Principal layers
Earth's atmosphere can be divided into five main layers. These layers are mainly
determined by whether temperature increases or decrease with altitude. From
highest to lowest, these layers are:
• Exosphere: The outermost layer of Earth's atmosphere
extends from the exobase upward, mainly composed
of hydrogen and helium.
• Thermosphere: The top of the thermosphere is the
bottom of the exosphere, called the exobase. Its height
varies with solar activity and ranges from about 350–
800 km (220–500 mi; 1,150,000–2,620,000 ft).
The International Space Station orbits in this layer,
between 320 and 380 km (200 and 240 mi).
• Mesosphere: The mesosphere extends from the
stratopause to 80–85 km (50–53 mi; 262,000–
279,000 ft). It is the layer where most meteors burn up
upon entering the atmosphere.
• Stratosphere: The stratosphere extends from the
tropopause to about 51 km (32 mi; 167,000 ft). The stratopause, which is the
boundary between the stratosphere and mesosphere, typically is at 50 to
55 km (31 to 34 mi; 164,000 to 180,000 ft).
• Troposphere: The troposphere begins at the surface and extends to between
7 km (23,000 ft) at the poles and 17 km (56,000 ft) at the equator, with some
variation due to weather. The troposphere is mostly heated by transfer of
energy from the surface, so on average the lowest part of the troposphere is
warmest and temperature decreases with altitude. The tropopause is the
boundary between the troposphere and stratosphere.
Other layers
Within the five principal layers determined by temperature there are several
layers determined by other properties.

• The ozone layer is contained within the stratosphere. It is mainly located in

the lower portion of the stratosphere from about 15–35 km (9.3–21.7 mi;
49,000–115,000 ft), though the thickness varies seasonally and geographically.
About 90% of the ozone in our atmosphere is contained in the stratosphere.
• The ionosphere, the part of the atmosphere that is ionized by solar radiation,
stretches from 50 to 1,000 km (31 to 621 mi; 160,000 to 3,280,000 ft) and
typically overlaps both the exosphere and the thermosphere. It forms the
inner edge of the magnetosphere.
• The homosphere and heterosphere: The homosphere includes the
troposphere, stratosphere, and mesosphere. The upper part of the
heterosphere is composed almost completely of hydrogen, the lightest
element.
• The planetary boundary layer is the part of the troposphere that is nearest
the Earth's surface and is directly affected by it, mainly through turbulent
diffusion.

Importance of Atmosphere
• An important constituent of the atmosphere is water vapor which makes
up 4 percent by volume and 3 percent by weight. Life is not possible
without the atmosphere of the earth Oxygen present in the atmosphere is
necessary for both animals and plants for respiration. Carbon dioxide is
needed by the plants which use this gas in the process of photosynthesis.
Water vapors present in the earth are necessary for the process of rain and
other precipitation.
• The atmosphere is a valuable natural source of many gases that are widely
needed in industry, argon for the purpose of welding and oxygen is
required for hospitals and other metal industries.
• The earth's atmosphere aloe possesses the protective role against the
dangerous UV rays and other high radioactive energy from space. The
atmosphere of the earth absorbs these radiations which are a cause of
various health hazards.

The ozone layer became a subject of concern in the early 1970s, when it was
found that chemicals known as chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), or
chlorofluoromethanes, were rising into the atmosphere in large quantities
because of their use as refrigerants and as propellants in aerosol dispensers. The
concern centered on the possibility that these compounds, through the action of
sunlight, could chemically attack and destroy stratospheric ozone, which protects
Earth‘s surface from excessive ultraviolet radiation. As a result, industries in the
United States, Europe, and Japan replaced chlorofluorocarbons in all but essential
uses.

The troposphere and most of the stratosphere can be explored directly by means
of sounding balloons equipped with instruments to measure the pressure and
temperature of the air and with a radio transmitter to send the data to a receiving
station at the ground. Rockets carrying radios that transmit meteorological-
instrument readings have explored the atmosphere to altitudes above 400 km
(250 mi). Study of the form and spectrum of the polar lights gives information to a
height possibly as great as 800 km (500 mi).

The Hydrosphere
A hydrosphere is the total amount of water on a planet. The hydrosphere includes
water that is on the surface of the planet, underground, and in the air. A planet's
hydrosphere can be liquid, vapor, or ice.

On Earth, liquid water exists on the surface in the form of oceans, lakes and rivers.
It also exists below ground—as groundwater, in wells and aquifers. Water vapor is
most visible as clouds and fog. The frozen part of Earth's hydrosphere is made of
ice: glaciers, ice caps and icebergs. The frozen part of the hydrosphere has its own
name, the cryosphere.

Water Percentage:
It has been estimated that there are 1.36 billion cubic kilometers (332 million
cubic miles) of water on Earth. This includes water in liquid and frozen forms
in groundwater, oceans, lakes and streams. Saltwater accounts for 97.5% of this
amount, whereas fresh water accounts for only 2.5%. Of this fresh water, 68.9% is
in the form of ice and permanent snow cover in the Arctic, the Antarctic and
mountain glaciers; 30.8% is in the form of fresh groundwater; and only 0.3% of
the fresh water on Earth is in easily accessible lakes, reservoirs and river systems.
The total mass of Earth's hydrosphere is about 1.4 × 1018 tones, which is about
0.023% of Earth's total mass. At any given time, about 20 × 1012 tones of this are
in the form of water vapor in the Earth's atmosphere (for practical purposes, 1
cubic meter of water weighs one tone). Approximately 71% of Earth's surface, an
area of some 361 million square kilometers (139.5 million square miles), is
covered by ocean. The average salinity of Earth's oceans is about 35 grams
of salt per kilogram of sea water (3.5%).
The Water Cycle:
Water moves through the hydrosphere in a cycle. Water collects in clouds, and
then falls to Earth in the form of rain or snow. This water collects in rivers, lakes
and oceans. Then it evaporates into the atmosphere to start the cycle all over
again. This is called the water cycle.

The water cycle refers to the transfer of water from one state or reservoir to
another. Reservoirs include atmospheric moisture (snow, rain and clouds),
streams, oceans, rivers, lakes, groundwater, subterranean aquifers, polar ice
caps and saturated soil. Solar energy, in the form of heat and light (insolation),
and gravity cause the transfer from one state to another over periods from hours
to thousands of years. Most evaporation comes from the oceans and is returned
to the earth as snow or rain. Sublimation refers to evaporation from snow and
ice. Transpiration refers to the expiration of water through the minute pores or
stomata of trees. Evapotranspiration is the term used by hydrologists in reference
to the three processes together, transpiration, sublimation and evaporation.
Marq de Villiers has described the hydrosphere as a closed system in which water
exists. The hydrosphere is intricate, complex, interdependent, all-pervading, and
stable and "seems purpose-built for regulating life." De Villiers claimed that, "On
earth, the total amount of water has almost certainly not changed since
geological times: what we had then we still have. Water can be polluted, abused,
and misused but it is neither created nor destroyed, it only migrates. There is no
evidence that water vapor escapes into space."
Importance of Water and Evolution:
Water is a basic necessity of life. Since 2/3 of the Earth is covered by water, the
Earth is also called the blue planet and the watery planet. The hydrosphere plays
an important role in the existence of the atmosphere in its present form. Oceans
are important in this regard. When the Earth was formed it had only a very thin
atmosphere rich in hydrogen and helium similar to the present atmosphere of
Mercury. Later the gases hydrogen and helium were expelled from the
atmosphere. The gases and water vapor released as the Earth cooled became its
present atmosphere. Other gases and water vapor released by volcanoes also
entered the atmosphere. As the Earth cooled the water vapor in the atmosphere
condensed and fell as rain. The atmosphere cooled further as atmospheric carbon
dioxide dissolved into the rain water. In turn, this further caused the water vapor
to condense and fall as rain. This rain water filled the depressions on the Earth's
surface and formed the oceans. It is estimated that this occurred about 4000
million years ago. The first life forms began in the oceans. These organisms did
not breathe oxygen. Later, when cyanobacteria evolved, the process of
conversion of carbon dioxide into food and oxygen began. As a result, Earth's
atmosphere has a distinctly different composition from that of other planets and
allowed for life to evolve on Earth.

Water on Earth:
Most water is found in various kinds of natural body of water.
Oceans
An ocean is a major body of saline water, and a component of the hydrosphere.
Approximately 71% of the surface of the Earth (an area of some 362 million
square kilometers) is covered by ocean, a continuous body of water that is
customarily divided into several principal oceans and smaller seas.
Rivers
A river is a natural watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing toward an ocean,
a lake, a sea or another river. A few rivers simply flow into the ground and dry up
completely without reaching another body of water.
Lakes
A lake (from Latin lacus) is a terrain feature, a body of water that is localized to
the bottom of basin. A body of water is considered a lake when it is inland, is not
part of an ocean, and is larger and deeper than a pond.
Human impact on water
The activities of modern humans have drastic effects on the hydrosphere. For
instance, water diversion, human development, and pollution all affect the
hydrosphere and natural processes within. Humans impact the water in different
ways such as modifying rivers (through dams and stream
channelization), urbanization, and deforestation. These impact lake levels,
groundwater conditions, water pollution, thermal pollution, and marine pollution.
Humans modify rivers by using direct channel manipulation. We build dams and
reservoirs and manipulate the direction of the rivers and water path. Dams can
usefully create reservoirs and hydroelectric power. However, reservoirs and dams
may negatively impact the environment and wildlife. Dams stop fish migration
and the movement of organisms downstream. Urbanization affects the
environment because of deforestation and changing lake levels, groundwater
conditions, etc. Deforestation and urbanization go hand in hand. Deforestation
may cause flooding, declining stream flow, and changes in riverside vegetation.
The changing vegetation occurs because when trees cannot get adequate water
they start to deteriorate, leading to a decreased food supply for the wildlife in an
area.

The Biosphere
The biosphere is made up of the parts of Earth where life exists. The biosphere
extends from the deepest root systems of trees to the dark environment of ocean
trenches, to lush rain forests and high mountaintops. Since life exists on the
ground, in the air, and in the water, the biosphere overlaps all these spheres.
Although the biosphere measures about 20 kilometers (12 miles) from top to
bottom, almost all life exists between about 500 meters (1,640 feet) below the
ocean’s surface to about 6 kilometers (3.75 miles) above sea level.

A diverse variety of living organisms (life forms) can be found in the biosphere on
Earth, and properties common to these organisms—
plants, animals, fungi, protists, archaea, and bacteria—are a carbon- and water-
based cellular form with complex organization and heritable genetic information.
Living organisms undergo metabolism, maintain homeostasis, possess a capacity
to grow, respond to stimuli, reproduce and, through natural selection, adapt to
their environment in successive generations. More complex living organisms can
communicate through various means.
Ecosystems
A community and its physical environment are called its Ecosystem. An ecosystem
is a biological environment consisting of all the organisms living in a particular
area, as well as all the non-living (abiotic), physical components of the
environment with which the organisms interact, such as air, soil, water and
sunlight. Ecosystem is an open system with inputs, internal transfers and outputs
of energy and nutrients. Sunlight is the initial energy source for nearly all
Ecosystems.
The different types of ecosystems are
a. Terrestrial ecosystem
b. Aquatic ecosystem
c. Lentic (lake, pond or swamp)
d. Lotic (river, stream or spring)

Food Chain and Food Web

The species that live and interact in an area
constitute an ecological community. Ecological
communities are loose assemblages of
organisms. The organisms in a community can
be divided into trophic levels (the position of
an organism in food chain) based on the source
of their energy. Primary producers get their energy from sunlight. Herbivores
that get their energy by eating primary producers are primary consumers;
organisms that get their energy by eating herbivores are secondary consumers;
and so on. A sequence of interactions in which a plant is eaten by an herbivore,
which in turn eaten by a secondary consumer, and so on, is known as food chain.

Food chains are usually interconnected to make a food web because most
species in a community eat and are eaten by more than one species. Most
communities have three to five trophic levels. Energy and biomass decrease as it
flows from lower to higher trophic levels and thus can be represented in the form
of pyramid. Most of the energy ingested by organisms that is converted to
biomass is eventually consumed by decomposers.

Ecological Pyramids An important feature of energy flow is that most of the

energy going from one trophic level to the next, in a food chain and food web,
dissipates into the environment as a result of the second law of thermodynamics.
Ecological pyramids often graphically represent the relative energy values of each
trophic level. There are three main types of pyramids— a pyramid of numbers, a
pyramid of biomass and a pyramid of energy.
Ecosystem Productivity The gross primary productivity (GPP) of an ecosystem
is the rate at which energy is captured during photosynthesis in a given period of
time. In addition, a plant respires to provide energy for its own use; this acts as a
drain on photosynthesis. Energy in plant tissues after cellular respiration has
occurred is net primary productivity (NPP). Both
GPP and NPP are expressed as energy per unit area per unit time. Humans
consume (32%) far more of earth’s resources than any other of animal species. If
we want our planet to operate sustainably, we must share terrestrial
photosynthetic product with another organism

Important Cycles
In environments that show variations in salinity, temperature and other
environmental conditions, food webs tend to have short chains. In stable
environments, such as parts of the deep ocean, food chains are longer. In addition
to energy inputs, primary productivity and ecosystem structure require a cycling
of nutrients. Water and minerals move slowly through the physical environment,
rapidly through organisms, and back to the environment in biogeochemical
cycles. Water moves through a hydrological cycle. In land ecosystems, plants
stabilize soil and minimize nutrient loss during the cycle as runoff. In atmospheric
cycles, a nutrient prevails mainly in gaseous form (such as carbon, in carbon
dioxide). In the carbon cycle, carbon dioxide is the main gas in the atmosphere.
The ocean is carbon’s main reservoir. Burning of fossil fuels, logging and
conversion of natural ecosystems for farming disrupt the global carbon budget
and may be responsible for global warming. In Nitrogen cycle, Nitrogen is a
limiting factor in the total net productivity of ecosystem on land. Gaseous
nitrogen is abundant in the atmosphere. Nitrogen–fixing bacteria convert N2 to
ammonia and nitrates, which producers take up. Mycorrhizae and root nodules,
two symbiotic interactions, enhance the
nitrogen uptake. Sedimentary cycles interact with the hydrological cycle to move
mineral nutrients to and from ecosystems.
Certain human activities are depleting minerals from ecosystems, as when
weathered soil of tropical forests is cleared for agriculture. Some human activities
are accelerating the process of eutrophication. They are adding nutrients such as
nitrates and phosphates to aquatic ecosystems. This promotes growth and decay
of destructive algal blooms. The decomposition of these plants leads to the
depletion of oxygen in the water, which threatens fish and other animal
populations.

Biomes
Some parts of the earth have more or less the same kind of abiotic and biotic
factors spread over a large area, creating a typical ecosystem over that area.
Such major ecosystems are termed as biomes.
An ecologist recognizes a number of large ecological units called biomes, which
are based on the growth forms of the dominant vegetation. The distribution of
terrestrial biomes is determined primarily by temperature and precipitation, but
is also influenced by soil fertility and fire. Each biome is more or less isolated by
oceans, mountain ranges or desert barriers. This geographical isolation tends to
restrict gene flow between these biomes. As a result, each biome maintains a
characteristic species of living organisms.
Terrestrial Biomes Seven categories of the earth’s major biomes arranged by
distance from the equator are listed below.
1. Tropical rain/evergreen forest occur near equator, receive an enormous
amount of rain year round, temperature ranges between 25oC– 29oC year round
and are characterized by the growth of tall trees and lush vegetation. Animal
diversity is highest in tropical forests.
2. Savannas (hot deserts) also lie near the equator but experience lesser rain than
tropical rain forests and sometimes have prolonged dry spells. Savannas are
characterized by open grasslands with scattered trees and shrubs.
3. Deserts (Cold Desert) are extremely dry biomes; hot deserts are hot year
round, whereas cold deserts are hot only in the summer. Deserts are of great
biological interest due to the extreme behavioral, morphological and physiological
adaptations of plants and animals that live there.
4. Temperate grasslands receive less rainfall than savannas but more than
deserts; the soil in temperate grassland is rich, so they are well suited to
agriculture. Large grazers and burrowing mammals are native to temperate
grasslands.
5. Temperate deciduous/broadleaf forests receive moderate precipitation that is
well distributed throughout the year. The climate of temperate deciduous forests
differs from tropical forests as they receive less rainfall, are found at higher and
cooler latitudes and experience cold winters. The trees in temperate deciduous
forests lose their leaves and remain dormant throughout the winter. It has
vertical layers including a closed canopy, one or two strata of understory trees, a
shrub layer and an herbaceous layer. In the northern hemisphere, many
mammals in this biome hibernate in the winters, while bird species migrate to
warmer climates.
6. Taiga is the coniferous forest of the north. It is the largest terrestrial biome on
earth. The taiga consists primarily of cone-bearing evergreen trees, which are able
to survive long cold winters and low levels of precipitation. These forests are
home to many birds and mammals. These forests are being logged at a very high
rate and old-growth stands of conifers may soon disappear.
7. Tundra Even farther north than the taiga is the tundra, which covers about 20%
of the earth’s land surface and consists largely of open grassland, often boggy in
summer, which lies over a layer of permafrost soil whose water is permanently
frozen. Alpine tundra is found on high mountain-top at all latitudes. The arctic
tundra winter is long and cold, while summer is short and mild. The growing
season is very short. Tundra vegetation is mostly herbaceous consisting of
mixture of lichens, mosses, grasses, dwarf shrubs and trees. Migratory birds use
arctic tundra extensively during the summer as nesting grounds. Arctic tundra has
recently become the focus of significant minerals and oil extraction.
Aquatic Biomes Water provinces cover more than 72 percent of the earth’s
surface. They include standing fresh water (such as lakes), running fresh water
(such as streams), as well as the ocean and seas around the world. All aquatic
ecosystems show gradients in light penetration, water temperature, and salinity
and dissolved gases. These factors vary daily and seasonally. Thus the primary
productivity also varies in the aquatic ecosystems. Estuaries, intertidal zones,
rocky and sandy shores, tropical reefs and regions of the open ocean are major
marine ecosystems. Estuaries are the areas where freshwater streams or rivers
merge with the ocean. The mixing of water creates a unique ecosystem.
Microflora like algae and macroflora such as seaweeds, marsh grasses and
mangrove trees (only in the tropics) can be found here. Coral Reefs are widely
distributed in warm shallow waters. They can be found as barriers along
continents. Besides corals, several species of micro-organisms, invertebrates,
fishes, sea urchins, octopuses and sea stars also reside in the coral reefs.
Photosynthetic activity is greatest in shallow waters and in regions of upwelling.
Upwelling is an upward movement of deep, cool ocean water that often carries
nutrients to the surface.

Factors in Biosphere:
The biosphere includes the earth’s water, the lower atmosphere and the
uppermost portions of its crust in which organisms live. Energy flows one way
through the biosphere and materials move through it on a grand scale to
influence ecosystems everywhere. The distribution of species through the
biosphere is an outcome of the earth’s history, topography, climate and
interactions among species. The average weather conditions, including
temperature, humidity, wind velocity, cloud cover and rainfall over time tells the
climate. Climate variation are due to differences in the amount of solar radiation
reaching equatorial and polar regions, the earth’s daily rotation and annual path
around the sun, the distribution of continents and oceans and the elevation of
land masses. Interacting climatic factor produce the prevailing winds and ocean
currents, which shape global weather patterns. The weather affects soil
composition and water availability, which affects the growth and distribution of
primary producers in the ecosystems.

Factors Affecting Biosphere

The biosphere around the Earth is always changing by the living and non-living
things. Different factors are affecting the biosphere and the activities of the living
organisms covered by the ecosystem. The following three factors are affecting the
biosphere in different ways:

• Earth tilting. The tilting of the Earth affects the biosphere largely. As it
makes one side of the Earth cooler for some time whereas the other side
remains warmer for a period. The seasons are one of the physical factors
that determine the types of species that will thrive in a particular region.
• Natural disasters. Natural disasters can leave a huge and long-lasting
impact on the biosphere. Such disasters like volcano eruption, earthquake,
flood, etc., destroy the biosphere. The rock, water, lava, and other possible
things ruin the ecosystem.
• Some smaller factors. The other smaller factors, like the change of climate,
water, erosion of the soil, or any other kind of change, affect the biosphere
and disturb different species’ lives.

Importance of Biosphere
The biosphere is the connection between the healthy life of the living organisms
and their interactions. The little change in the biosphere can cause a large impact
on the lives of living organisms. However, this connection makes the biosphere
important for every living thing. Some of them are listed below:

• Promote life on Earth. The main reason and importance of the biosphere
are that it promotes life on the Earth. Adapting to various environmental
change, favorable climatic conditions, and the source of energy as food, all
the living organisms on the Earth uphold the life on earth surface:
Organic matter:
• The biosphere helps in recycling nutrients, like oxygen and nitrogen, to
sustain life on Earth.
• Provide food or raw material. Every living thing needs food to survive; thus,
the biosphere plays an important role in providing food to different animals
and plants.