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ASSIGNMENT SOLUTIONS GUIDE (2014-2015)

T.S.-5
Ecology, Environment and Tourism
Disclaimer/Special Note: These are just the sample of the Answers/Solutions to some of the Questions given in the
Assignments. These Sample Answers/Solutions are prepared by Private Teacher/Tutors/Auhtors for the help and Guidance
of the student to get an idea of how he/she can answer the Questions of the Assignments. We do not claim 100% Accuracy
of these sample Answers as these are based on the knowledge and cabability of Private Teacher/Tutor. Sample answers
may be seen as the Guide/Help Book for the reference to prepare the answers of the Question given in the assignment. As
these solutions and answers are prepared by the private teacher/tutor so the chances of error or mistake cannot be denied.
Any Omission or Error is highly regretted though every care has been taken while preparing these Sample Answers/
Solutions. Please consult your own Teacher/Tutor before you prepare a Particular Answer & for uptodate and exact
information, data and solution. Student should must read and refer the official study material provided by the university.
PART - I
Q. 1. Enumerate with examples the different components of the abiotic environment. How have they changed
with time?
Ans. In biology and ecology, abiotic components or abiotic factors are non-living chemical and physical parts of
theenvironment that affect living organisms and the functioning of ecosystems. Abiotic factors and phenomena associated with them underpin all biology.
An ecosystems abiotic factors may be classified via SWATS (Soil, Water, Air, Temperature, Sunlight). In biology
and ecology, abiotic components include physical conditions and non-living resources that affect living organisms in
terms of growth, maintenance, and reproduction. Resources are distinguished as substances or objects in the environment
required by one organism and consumed or otherwise made unavailable for use by other organisms. The abiotic environment includes all the nonliving factors and processes in an ecosystem. Sunlight, soil, water, and pollution, for example,
are all important abiotic factors of an environment that affect life. The biotic environment, on the other hand, is composed
of all the living organisms in an ecosystem, and includes factors such as disease, predators, prey, and human activity. Life
depends on both of these environments for survival. Light from the sun, an abiotic factor, makes life possible in almost all
ecosystems. Green plants take solar energy and convert it into chemical energy through photosynthesis. As animals eat
the plants, the energy moves through the biotic environment and is eventually expended as heat. This basic flow of energy
shows how closely abiotic and biotic components are linked. This cycle is called an open system because it relies on the
sun, a source outside the Earth.
Organisms also need basic elements, such as carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus. These elements are abiotic when
found in water or soil, but cycle through plants and organisms as nutrients via food and hydration. After an animal
excretes or dies, bacteria break down these nutrients, returning them to the abiotic environment. Other than a few meteorites from space every once in a while, no new elements enter this closed system. The same components are used and
reused over and over again the elements dinosaurs consumed to survive are the same ones that people use today.
Water is another essential part of the abiotic environment. Factors such as availability, movement, temperature,
saltiness, oxygen concentration, pH level, and chemical components affect the kinds of life that can survive in an ecosystem. Whether an ocean, lake, or river, water conditions can change suddenly or seasonally, affecting organisms that
depend on the water for survival.
For all abiotic aspects of the environment, changing conditions require organisms to adapt or else suffer death. For
example, a drought, flood, volcanic eruption, or earthquake drastically alters factors such as weather, water conditions, or
even available elements and nutrients in the soil. Small, subtle changes can also have important effects. Slight water
temperature changes can affect the ability of aquatic life to both breath and move, because water density changes with
temperature.
It may seem like living creatures and plants are at the mercy of the abiotic environment, but in fact, life affects the
non-living world as well. Pollution, for example, is a by-product of biotic life that changes water, air, or soil quality. As
evidenced by increasing levels of CO2 in the atmosphere, human activities are currently changing the environment as

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well.
Abiotic components refer to the nonliving components of the environment. Chemical and geological factors like
rocks, soil, rivers, lakes, oceans, minerals, and physical factors like temperature, weather, pH, humidity, sunlight are
referred to as the abiotic components of the ecosystem.
The abiotic components of an ecosystem are the non-living components of the ecosystem on which the living organisms depend on. Every abiotic factor influences the variety of plants that grow in the ecosystem which in turn influences
the variety of animals that live in the ecosystem. The abiotic factors in an ecosystem are not identical in the whole region.
This influences the distribution of plants in the ecosystem. All abiotic factors affect different organisms to different
extents.
Following are the major abiotic components of environment and their influence on the ecosystem:
Light: Sunlight is the primary source of energy in almost all the ecosytems. Light ebergy is used by green plants for
the process of photosynthesis.
Temperature: The distribution of the biotic factors is influenced by temperature. For example: The opening of flowers
of some plants is often due to the temperature difference between the day and night. Seasonal temperature changes have
great influence of the animal ecosystem. Some animals collect reseources during favorable periods and become dormant
or go into hibernating state during the unfavorable temperatures.
Topography: Topography is the landscape like slopes, elevation aspects in an ecosystem. An area with slope will be
much drier and hotter where as an area or region with elevation have temperatures that are generally cooler and receive
higher rainfall.
Natural Disturbances: Factors like annual flooding, fire, storm, lightning also influence the ecosystem and the biotic
components.
pH value: Most of the organisms live in neutral and nearly neutral conditions. Some plants like maize grow well in
acidic condition and some plants like coconut grow well in alkaline conditions.
Humidity: The humidity in air affects the rate of transpiration in plants and animals. In low level humidity water
evaporates faster. Humidity is lower during the day and higher during the night.
Water: Water is essential for life and all living organisms depend on water to survive. Habitats of plants and animals
vary from aquatic environments to dry deserts.
Atmospheric Gases: Gases like oxygen, carbon dioxide and nitrogen are used by plants and animals for respiration,
photosynthesis.
Soil: The edaphic factors of the ecosystem include the texture of soil, soil temperature, water retention capacity,
porosity, pH which influence the soil organisms, plants and the decomposers.
Climate: Climate includes the rainfall, temperature and wind patterns that happens in an ecosystem and is one of the
most important abiotic factors.
PART- II
Q. 1. What are Wetlands? What are its main ecological functions?
Ans: What is a wetland, and what distinguishes wetland from other types of environments? One simple way to
answer this question is to name different types of wetlands with words adopted from various languages--bog, fen, mangrove, marsh, moor, muskeg, pan, playa, sabkha, swamp, tundra, etc. Many of these names are united under the general
term mire now-a-days, but that still does not specify the basic characteristics of wetlands.
A definition for what is a wetland often depends who is asking the question and what development or study is
proposed for a particular wetland site. The fact that wetlands may dry out from time to time complicates the attempt to
define wetlands in a simple fashion. In fact, some wetlands may be dry more often than they are wet. With applications
ranging from urban real estate to scientific nature preserve, a great many points of view may be expressed for proper
definitions, classification, and management techniques for wetland environments.
Wetlands play a number of roles in the environment, principally water purification, flood control, and shoreline
stability. Wetlands are also considered the most biologically diverse of all ecosystems, serving as home to a wide range of
plant and animal life. Wetlands occur naturally on every continent except Antarctica. They can also be constructed artificially as a water management tool, which may play a role in the developing field of water-sensitive urban design. The
largest wetlands in the world include the Amazon River basin and the West Siberian Plain. Another large wetland is the
Pantanal, which straddles Brazil, Bolivia, and Paraguay in South America.
The UN Millennium Ecosystem Assessment determined that environmental degradation is more prominent within
wetland systems than any other ecosystem on Earth. International conservation efforts are being used in conjunction with

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the development of rapid assessment tools to inform people about wetland issues.
Wetlands play a critical role in regulating the movement of water within watersheds as well as in the global water
cycle (Richardson 1994; Mitsch and Gosselink 1993). Wetlands, by definition, are characterized by water saturation in
the root zone, at, or above the soil surface, for a certain amount of time during the year. This fluctuation of the water table
(hydroperiod) above the soil surface is unique to each wetland type.
Wetlands store precipitation and surface water and then slowly release the water into associated surface water resources, ground water, and the atmosphere. Wetland types differ in this capacity based on a number of physical and
biological characteristics, including: landscape position, soil saturation, the fiber content/degree of decomposition of the
organic soils, vegetation density and type of vegetation (Taylor et al. 1990):
Landscape position: Landscape position affects the amount and source of water in a wetland. For example,
wetlands that are near a topographical height, such as a mountain bog, will not receive as much runoff as a marsh in a low
area amidst fields. Wetlands can be precipitation dominated, ground water dominated, or surface flow dominated. Wetlands on local topographic heights are often precipitation dominated. Precipitation dominated wetlands may also be in
flat or slightly elevated areas in the landscape, where they receive little or no surface runoff. Generally such wetlands
have a clay and peat layer that retains the precipitation and also prevents discharge from ground water. Wetlands also form
in landscape positions at which the water table actively discharges, particularly at the base of hills and in valleys. Such
groundwater dominated wetlands may also receive overland flow but they have a steady supply of water from and to
groundwater. Most wetlands in low points on the landscape or within other water resources are dominated by overland
flow. Such riverine, fringe (marsh), and tidal wetlands actively play a role in the landscape since they come in contact
with, store, or release large quantities of water and act upon sediments and nutrients. These wetlands may be recharged by
ground water as well, but surface water provides the major source of water.
Soil saturation and fiber content: Soil saturation and fiber content are important factors in determining the
capacity of a wetland in retaining water. Like a sponge, as the pore spaces in wetland soil and peat become saturated by
water, they are able to hold less additional water and are also able to release the water more easily. Clay soils retain more
water than loam or sand, and hold the water particles more tightly through capillary action since pore spaces are small and
the water particles are attracted to the negatively charged clay. Pore spaces between sand particles are large and water
drains more freely since less of the water in the pore is close enough to be attracted to the soil particle.
Water drains more freely from the least decomposed (fibric) peat because pore spaces are large and the surface
area for capillary action is small. Sapric peat (most decomposed, fibers unrecognizable) and hemic peat (intermediate)
have very small pores. Water moves very slowly in such peats. Water in wetlands, as a result, flows over the surface or
close to the surface in the fibric layer and root zone (acrotelm) (Boelter and Verry 1977). Thus wetlands with sapric peat
and clay substrate will store water but will have no ground water discharge (inflow) or outflow (recharge).
Vegetation density and type: Stems cause friction for the flow of the water, thus reducing water velocity. As
density of vegetation increases, velocity decreases. Plants that are sturdy, such as shrubs and trees are more important in
this function than grasses. During the growing season, plants actively take up water and release it to the atmosphere
through evapotranspiration. This process reduces the amount of water in wetland soil and increases the capacity for
absorption of additional precipitation or surface water flow. As a result, water levels and outflow from the wetland are less
than when plants are dormant. Larger plants and plants with more surface area will transpire more
The function of most natural wetland systems is not to manage to wastewater, however, their high potential for the
filtering and the treatment of pollutants has been recognized by environmental engineers that specialize in the area of
wastewater treatment. These constructed artificial wetland systems are highly controlled environments that intend to
mimic the occurrences of soil, flora, and microorganisms in natural wetlands to aid in treating wastewater effluent.
Artificial wetlands provide the ability to experiment with flow regimes, micro-biotic composition, and flora in order to
produce the most efficient treatment process.
Q. 5. Write notes on the following .
(i) Terrestrial biomes
(ii) Primary Food chain in nature
(iii) Characteristics of natural communities
Ans. (i) Terrestrial biomes are major regions in the Earth that share the same climate despite being in different
geographical locations. The Earth has six major land biomes: rainforests, deserts, tundras, grasslands, taiga and temperate
deciduous forests. Each biome differs in weather, latitude, topography, relative humidity and amount of sunlight. These
climatic regions are determined mainly by rainfall and temperature and are distinguished by their predominant plants and

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animal communities.
Each biome has a unique set of flora and fauna that adapt and interact naturally to obtain natural resources and
survive in the environment. Plants in the desert have adapted to the lack of water and extreme aridity by storing water in
their stems and by shedding their leaves or becoming dormant during dry seasons. Savannahs or tropical grasslands,
which are prone to wildfires, are home to animals with long and strong legs that enable them to outrun the fire.
Most trees in temperate deciduous rainforests lose their leaves to preserve water during winter, while a wide range of
animals and plants thrive in tropical rainforests. Taiga or coniferous forest is home to drought-tolerant, evergreen and
needle-shaped trees. The thin, cone-shaped branches of the trees help shed snow during the regions long winter to
prevent being broken. Grasses, small woody shrubs, lichens and mosses are the only plant species that can be found on
tundra, the coldest region in the world.
Ans. (ii) A food chain is the sequence of who eats whom in a biological community (an ecosystem) to obtain
nutrition. A food chain starts with the primary energy source, usually the sun or boiling-hot deep sea vents. The next link
in the chain is an organism that makes its own food from the primary energy source -- an example is photosynthetic plants
that make their own food from sunlight (using a process called photosynthesis) and chemosynthetic bacteria that make
their food energy from chemicals in hydrothermal vents. These are called autotrophs or primary producers.
A food chain is a food pathway that links different species in a community. In a food chain, energy and nutrients are
passed from one organism to another. Food Chains rarely contain more than six species because amount of energy passed
on diminishes at each stage, or trophic level. The longest chains usually involve aquatic animals.
In a food chain, an animal passes on only about 10 percent of the energy it receives. The rest is used up in maintaining
its body, or in movement, or it escapes as heat. The amount of available energy decreases at every trophic level, and each
level supports fewer individuals than the one before. This results in a pyramid of numbers with many organisms at the
bottom and few at the top.
Food chains are made up of producers, consumers and decomposers. Producers are the plants that use sunlight to
grow and to produce food for the consumers. There are two types of consumers, primary and secondary consumers. The
primary consumers are prey species, like rabbits, that eat plants. The secondary consumers are predators, like raptors, that
eat the primary consumers.
Ans. (iii) Natural communities are assemblages of species that occur together in space and time. These groups of
plants and animals are found in recurring patterns that can be classified and described by their dominant physical and
biological features: Red Maple swamp and Pitch Pine/Scrub Oak communities are two examples. Natural communities
are not discrete units with neat boundaries; there is overlap among and between communities in their composition,
structure, and physical characteristics. Large animals often make use of multiple communities. Natural communities are
recurring assemblages of plants and animals found in particular physical environments. Three characteristics distinguish
natural communities: (1) plant species composition, (2) vegetation structure (e.g., forest, shrubland, or marsh), and 3) a
specific combination of physical conditions (e.g., water, light, nutrient levels, and climate). Each natural community type
occurs in specific settings in the landscape, such as wind-exposed rocky summits at high elevations, or muddy coastal
river shores flooded daily by tides. Natural community types vary with changes in physical settings, resulting in predictable patterns across the landscape.
Q. 6. What do you understand by Multiplier effect of tourism? Discuss its socioeconomic impact on destinations.
Ans. An effect in economics in which an increase in spending produces an increase in national income and consumption greater than the initial amount spent. Forexample, if a corporation builds a factory, it will employ construction
workers and their suppliers as well as those who work in the factory. Indirectly, the new factory will stimulate employment in laundries, restaurants, and service industries in the factorys vicinity. The term multiplier effect refers to the
resulting effect of a service or amenity creating further wealth or positive effects in an area. For example, tourism in an
area will create jobs in an area, therefore the employees of the tourism industry will have some extra money to spend on
other services, and therefore improving these other services in that area, allowing further employment in the area. Tourism not only creates jobs in the tertiary sector, it also encourages growth in the primary and secondary sectors of industry.
This is known as the multiplier effect which in its simplest form is how many times money spent by a tourist circulates
through a countrys economy. Money spent in a hotel helps to create jobs directly in the hotel, but it also creates jobs
indirectly elsewhere in the economy. The hotel, for example, has to buy food from local farmers, who may spend some of
this money on fertilizer or clothes. The demand for local products increases as tourists often buy souvenirs, which increases secondary employment. The multiplier effect continues until the money eventually leaks from the economy

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through imports - the purchase of goods from other countries.

Tourist spending can have successive and magnified effects on the host countrys economy in three ways. First,
tourist spending creates direct revenues, called the direct-multiplier effect. Second, the recipients of direct expenditures
spend that money to purchase necessary goods, for an indirect-multiplier effect. Third, the beneficiaries of the direct and
indirect spending in turn spend that revenue on unrelated goods and services, thus creating an induced-multiplier effect.
Given the increasingly higher tourism multipliers, tourisms contribution to Singapores economy has increased over
time.
The term multiplier effect refers to the resulting effect of a service or amenity creating further wealth or positive
effects in an area. For example, tourism in an area will create jobs in an area, therefore the employees of the tourism
industry will have some extra money to spend on other services, and therefore improving these other services in that area,
allowing further employment in the area. In any area, tourism will require people to create the tourism experience and
enhance the visitors enjoyment of the location. Firstly, the origin of the traveller, for example, the UK, will create its own
employment opportunities even before reaching the destination.
A tourism multiplier explains the ripple effect of the tourism business, by relating the way secondary and tertiary
industries benefit from the primary tourism industry. For example, if a resort hotel is built and entices many clients from
around the globe to book suites and visit that resort, the resort will gain a profit. However, other people will also benefit,
such as secondary industries that sell linens to hotels. Tertiary industries, such as shuttle bus services that operate independently and give hotel guests rides to popular areas, such as ski hills or villages, may also benefit from primary tourism.
Q. 7. Discuss how tourism can be employed as an important tool for conservation.
Ans: Tourism can contribute directly to the conservation of sensitive areas and habitat. Revenue from park-entrance
fees and similar sources can be allocated specifically to pay for the protection and management of environmentally
sensitive areas. Special fees for park operations or conservation activities can be collected from tourists or tour operators.
Tourism is an important cross cutting issue and management concern at most World Heritage sites. Site personnel and
other local stakeholders lack the resources, industry experience, and in many cases, training necessary to use tourism as
an effective tool for achieving long-term nature conservation and sustainable development. Because of the growing
impact of tourism and the needs of site managers, in 2001 the World Heritage Committee instituted a World Heritage
Tourism Programme. A key policy in the Programme is to engage in dialog and actions with the tourism industry to
determine how the industry may contribute to help safeguard these precious resources. Tourism is not, as many people
assert, a clean and non-polluting industry. A major problem is the lack of a common understanding of what sustainable
tourism or ecotourism means. This ambiguity leads to violations of environmental regulations and standards. Hence,
the environmental problems evolving from tourism are manifold. First of all, the tourism industry is very resource and
land intensive. Consequently, the interest of the tourism sector will often be in conflict with local resource and land use
practices. The introduction of tourism will imply an increased stress on resources available. An influx of tourists into the
area will lead to a competition for resources. Employees working at the tourist sites compound this competition. Almost
as a rule, tourists are supplied at the expense of the local population.
The tourism industry should engage in promoting sustainability as a hallmark for investors. More specifically, investors in tourism should strive to adopt environmentally sound technologies or other measures to minimise the consumption
of local ground water. In the case of water utilisation, such measures might be water saving equipment, desalination
systems and collecting and utilising rainwater. Using other types of resources in a sustainable manner is, of course, also
crucial. There is a need to use ecological materials and installation of renewable sources of energy systems (solar energy)
in all new buildings and new construction. Furthermore there should be an acceleration of installation or solar/wind
power in all public work projects of communities where tourism will be introduced. To prevent or minimise the impact of
chemical inputs in soil, water and health, one should start utilising sound ecological methods, including IPM (Integrated
Pest Management). Ecological methods need to be applied in all areas utilised for tourism, including in the maintenance
of golf courts, gardens and recreational facilities. By devising local training programmes and establishing educational
projects, the tourism industry can ensure that qualified local people are employed in their projects. One should train the
local people instead of foreigners to become guides due to their knowledge of the area and resources. The investors
should be responsive to the kind of knowledge, abilities and skills found in the local communities. Very often such
knowledge and skills are well fitted to be used in tourist activities be it fishing trips, nature trails, souvenir sales or
dancing courses for tourists etc.
International tourism plays an ambivalent role in contributing to cultural exchange and sustainable development. On
the one hand, it involves a highly buffered, short-term consumer experience of other locales. Tourists can pay and leave,

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remaining isolated from negative impacts at the local level. On the other hand, tourism may increase recognition of the
importance of respecting cultural diversity and developing an identity as a world citizen. It offers opportunities to educate
consumers regarding responsible tourism and sustainable development.
Q. 8. What are the major negative impacts of tourism on the local environment? Suggest possible solutions to
overcome them.
Ans. Many of the negative impacts from tourism occur when the amount of visitors is greater than the environments
ability to cope with the visitor volume.
Some of the consequences of exceeding the environmental capacity include strain on already scarce resources such
as water, energy, food and natural habitat areas. In addition, unchecked tourism development may lead to soil erosion,
increased pollution and waste, discharges into the sea and waterways, increased pressure on endangered species of animals and plants, and heightened vulnerability to deforestation, as well as loss of biodiversity.
The same way that tourism can encourage the preservation of socio-cultural authenticity of host communities, mass
tourism may also erode traditional values by introducing foreign elements which are in conflict with the cultural, historical, and religious heritage of the community.
The tourism paradox therefore, lies in the tension between our desire to travel the world, and the need to provide the
most benefits with the least harm. Many well intentioned people in the public and private sector are hard at work looking
for solutions that will provide viable, long-term socio-economic benefits for tourist areas.
In general, the impacts of tourism vary according to the number and nature of tourists and the characteristics of the
site. The individual tourist normally has a relatively small impact. Problems arise, however, if the number of tourists is
large or the resource overused. Thus although tourism can be a lucrative source of revenue for a protected area, it can also
represent a major management problem. As with most problems, the negative impacts of tourism can only be managed
effectively if they have been identified, measured and evaluated. Once this has been done, tailored management responses can be created.
Tourism impacts on protected areas can be broadly classified in two categories: direct and indirect. Direct impact is
caused by the presence of tourists, indirect impact by the infrastructure created in connection with tourism activities.
For the purposes of this book, direct tourism impacts on the environment have been classified as follows:
impacts on geological exposures, minerals and fossils
impacts on soils
impacts on water resources
impacts on vegetation
impacts on animal life
impacts on sanitation
aesthetic impacts on the landscape
impacts on the cultural environment.
These impacts (which are actually manifestations of change) are dealt with below, one by one. But it should be
remembered that the ecological effects of tourism activities rarely occur singly. Impacts which are likely to occur together, or to follow in sequence, can be predicted to some extent. Sites of more intense recreational activity will be the
first parts of an area to be affected, and can be used to forecast changes likely to occur elsewhere in the event of increasing
intensity of use or misuse.
Local communities use the natural resources but they also protect them. Tourists come to enjoy the nature and get
knowledge about it, but they also can pollute and destroy it, or on the other side help to protect it by drawing attention to
unique natural resources in the area. Local communities affect tourists by giving them knowledge of their culture and way
of life. Tourists impact on the local populations be first of all economic by generating income, developing resources,
sharing knowledge and experience, etc. Whenever we develop a new tourist destination we should always bear in mind
this co-interaction.
The adverse impact that tourism can have on the environment both undermines the basic resource for tourism in
coastal areas and heavily affects other non-tourist economic activities. To avoid these impacts tourism needs to be planned,
managed and undertaken in a way that is environmentally sustainable, socially beneficial and economically viable. Sustainable tourism development always needs to respect the environment and refer to accepted principles of sustainability.

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