ENVIRONMENT CONCEPT
INTRODUCTION
In this lesson we introduce you to the concept of environment, biosphere, and natural resources. We also introduce you to scope of ecology, concepts of ecosystems, biomes, and ecological succession. The next few lessons deal with atmosphere, hydrosphere and lithosphere.
The word environment has been derived from the French word 'environ' meaning 'to surround’. Thus, environment has been defined as a 'sum total of conditions which surrounds man at a given point in space and time'. In other words, environment for man is anything that surrounds him or it can be defined as circumstances or conditions that surround an organism; or it could be a combination of external or physical, social, cultural conditions that affect growth and development of an organism.
Human beings inhabit the natural environment as well as the one created or built by them to ensure a sustainable future for themselves and for future generations. The environment therefore is a mutually interacting system of physical or abiotic and biological or biotic elements. Abiotic constitutes the physical or non-living components such as land, air and water, while the biotic components are the living organisms that get influenced or influence the surroundings.