How is ozone both beneficial and damaging? How can we prevent the damaging effect of ozone?

OR

The flow of energy between various components of the environment has been extensively studied. Give an outline of the findings.

Ozone is one of the strongest oxidizing agents present in the environment and it contains three molecules of oxygen that is ozone is triatomic and it is unstable in nature.

1. Ozone layer which is present in the stratosphere is only beneficial as it protects us from the direct ultraviolet rays coming from the sun.

2. The ozone layer absorbs the UV rays from the sunlight and hence protects the humans as well as other living beings from radiation health effects.

3. However, when we consider the ozone gas in the lower layer of atmosphere, it behaves as a greenhouse gas, and at the same time, it causes respiratory problems in humans when inhaled in large quantity.

4. Ozone is also proved to affect the health of plants as it causes discolouration of leaves. Hence there is a saying for ozone which goes as follows: “Good when high, bad when low”.

5. Ozone layer depletion is one of the major problems, and it causes ozone hole which provides a direct pathway for the UV rays to enter the earth. Following precautions need to be taken to preserve the ozone layer:

1. Prevent or reduce the use of Chlorofluorocarbons. Chlorofluorocarbons [CFCs] when liberated through air conditioners and various other instruments, gets accumulated in the stratosphere where Chlorofluorocarbon break down to give off chlorine. This chlorine reacts with the unstable ozone molecules, and hence ozone layer gets damaged.

2. Reducing vehicle exhausts or using biofuels like hydrogen, biodiesel-powered vehicles.

OR

Flow of energy from the primary producers to tertiary consumers is a complex process.

1. This actually belongs a part of the food chain of the natural environment. Primary producers mainly consist of the plant kingdom which can produce their own food with the help of sunlight and water.

2. Energy is required for the primary producers to carry out their daily activities like respiration, reproduction etc. 10% of the stored energy is stored in these activities.

3. A primary consumer which mainly consists of herbivores that are animal relying on plants as their sole source of nutrition form the second component in the flow of energy cycle.

4. Primary consumers do not get the entire energy stored by the producers instead they receive a 10% less energy as compared to that of stored by the producers.

5. Secondary consumers consist of carnivores which rely on herbivores or any other living being as their sole source of nutrition.

6. Carnivores receive very less energy as compared to the energy produced by the producers.

7. Tertiary consumers mainly consist of scavengers which rely on dead remains of other beings as their source of nutrition. Decomposers form the last component of the energy cycle as they rely of decaying matter as their source of nutrition.

8. The flow of energy in the ecosystem has to be unidirectional as plants are the only living thing which can prepare their own food. No other living being on this earth can prepare its own food and hence the flow of energy must be unidirectional.