BIO BOTANY [ 3 Marks Questions ]

Lakes as a storage of rain water provides drinking water, improves ground water level and preserve the fresh water bio-diversity and habitat of the area where in occurs.
In terms of services lakes offer sustainable solutions to key issues of water management and climatic influences and benefits like nutrient retention, influencing local rainfall, removal of pollutants, phosphorous and nitrogen and carbon sequestration.

Biochar is a long term method to store carbon. To increase plants ability to store more carbon, plants are partly burnt such as crop waste, waste woods to become carbon rich slow decomposing substances of material called Biochar. It is a kind of charcoal used as a soil amendment. Biochar is a stable solid, rich in carbon and can endure in soil for thousands of years. Like most charcoal, biochar is made from biomass via pyrolysis. (Heating biomas in low oxygen environment) which arrests wood from complete burning.
Biochar thus has the potential to help mitigate climate change via carbon sequestration. Independently, biochar when added to soil can increase soil fertility of acidic soils, increase agricultural productivity, and provide protection against some foliar and soil borne diseases. It is a good method of preventing waste woods and logs getting decayed instead we can convert them into biochar thus converting them to carbon storage material.

In-situble conservation means conservation and management of genetic resources in their natural habitats. Here the plant or animal species are protected within the existing habitat. Forest trees, medicinal and aromatic plants under threat are conserved by this method. This is carried out by the community or by the State conservation which include wildlife, National park and Biosphere reserve. The ecologically unique and biodiversity rich regions are legally protected as wildlife sanctuaries, National parks and Biosphere reserves. Megamalai, Sathyamangalam wildlife, Guindy and Periyar National park, and Western ghats, Nilgiris, Agasthyamalai and Gulf of Mannar are the biosphere reserves of Tamil Nadu.

The tribal women of Himalayas protested against the exploitation of forests in 1972. Later on it transformed into Chipko Movement by Sundarlal Bahuguna in Mandal village of Chamoli district in 1974. People protested by hugging trees together which were felled by a sports goods company. Main features of Chipko movement were,

1. This movement remained non political
2. It was a voluntary movement based on Gandhian thought.
3. It was concerned with the ecological balance of nature
4. Main aim of Chipko movement was to give a slogan of five Fs – Food, Fodder, Fuel, Fibre and Fertilizer, to make the communities self sufficient in all their basic needs.

Prosopis juliflora is used to arrest wind erosion and stabilize sand dunes on coastal and desert areas. It can absorb hazardous chemicals from soil and it is the main source of charcoal.

Ozone depletion in the stratosphere results in more UV radiations especially UV B radiations (shortwaves). UV B radiation destroys biomolecules (skin ageing) and damages living tissues. UV – C is the most damaging type of UV radiation, but it is completely filtered by the atmosphere (ozone layer). UV – a contribute 95% of UV radiation which causes tanning burning of skin and enhancing skin cancer. Hence the uniform ozone layer is critical for the wellbeing of life on earth.