What are human-made ecosystems? Give an example. Can a human-made ecosystem become a self-sustaining ecosystem? Give reason to justify your answer.
What are human-made ecosystems? Give an example. Can a human-made ecosystem become a self-sustaining ecosystem? Give reason to justify your answer.
Official answer
- Human-made Ecosystems: These are artificial ecosystems created, designed, and managed by human beings rather than occurring naturally.
- Example: Crop-fields, gardens, or aquariums.
- Self-sustainability: Yes, a human-made ecosystem can become self-sustaining.
- Justification: For example, in a designed aquarium, if we add aquatic plants (producers) and aquatic animals (consumers) along with decomposers (microorganisms like bacteria and fungi), it forms a complete biotic cycle. The plants perform photosynthesis to produce food and oxygen using sunlight. The animals consume the plants/food and release carbon dioxide. The decomposers break down the organic waste and dead remains of plants and animals into simple inorganic nutrients, which are recycled and reused by the plants. This establishes a self-sustaining cycle of matter and energy flow.
Marking scheme
- 1.Definition of human-made ecosystem: [1 Mark]
- 2.Example of human-made ecosystem: [0.5 Mark]
- 3.Stating 'Yes' for self-sustainability with justification (mentioning producers, consumers, and decomposers recycling nutrients): [1.5 Marks]
Hint
Think about what components (producers, consumers, decomposers) are needed to recycle nutrients and sustain life in a closed system like an aquarium.
Quick oral answer
A human-made ecosystem is an artificial system like an aquarium or crop-field. It can be self-sustaining if it has a balanced mix of producers, consumers, and decomposers to recycle nutrients without external intervention.
Common mistakes
- 1.Thinking human-made ecosystems can never be self-sustaining because they always need human cleaning.
- 2.Forgetting to mention the role of decomposers in recycling nutrients when explaining self-sustainability.
Analysis and explanation
An ecosystem requires a continuous flow of energy and recycling of nutrients. While natural ecosystems like forests or ponds have these cycles established naturally, human-made ecosystems like aquariums can mimic this. By introducing producers (plants) to fix solar energy and produce oxygen, consumers (fish) to utilize the food, and decomposers (bacteria/fungi) to break down dead organic matter into inorganic nutrients, the system can sustain itself without requiring frequent manual cleaning or external feeding.
Interesting facts
The world's largest closed self-sustaining artificial ecosystem is Biosphere 2 in Arizona, USA, built to research space colonization and ecological systems.
Question details
Q8 of 20 questions
- Board
- CBSE
- Class
- Class 10
- Subject
- Science
- Year
- 2022
- Section
- Section SECTION B
- Marks
- 3
- Type
- Short Answer
- Chapter
- Our Environment
- Topic
- Eco-system — What are its Components?
- Bloom's level
- Applying
- Syllabus topic
- Ecosystem, Environmental problems, waste production and their solutions.
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Frequently asked questions
How many marks does this question carry in CBSE Class 10 Science 2022?
This question carries 3 marks in the CBSE Class 10 Science 2022 examination.
Which chapter does this question come from in Science?
This question is from the chapter "Our Environment" in the CBSE Class 10 Science syllabus.
What topic does this question cover in Science?
This question covers the topic "Eco-system — What are its Components?" from CBSE Class 10 Science.
What type of question is this in the CBSE Class 10 Science 2022 paper?
This is a Short Answer question from Section SECTION B in the CBSE Class 10 Science 2022 paper.