This document provides an introduction to topics that will be covered related to ecology and the environment by a group. It includes sections on ecosystems, soil types, geology, microclimate, drainage patterns, and watershed areas. The ecosystem section defines terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems and provides examples. The soil types section describes four main types of soil: sandy, silt, clay, and loamy soil. It provides details on the composition and properties of each soil type. The microclimate section discusses how urban design impacts local climate conditions and thermal comfort. The drainage pattern section outlines different drainage system patterns including dendritic, parallel and rectangular patterns that form based on landscape features.

1. TOPIC – INTRODUCTION TO
ECOLOGY AND ENVIRONMENT
GROUP – 1
MANAN
NISHI
KASHYAP
PALLAV

2. TOPICS TO BE COVERED :
• ECOSYSTEM
• SOIL TYPES
• GEOLOGY
• MICROCLIMATE
• SITE PLANNING FOR EFFICIENT
DRAINAGE PATTERN
• WATERSHED AREA
• WATER CONSERVATION
STRATEGIES

3. INTRODUCTION TO ECOSYSTEM
• An ecosystem (or ecological system) consists of all the organisms and the physical environment with
which they interact. These biotic and abiotic components are linked together through nutrient cycles
and energy flows.
• TYPES OF ECOSYSTEM :
• Mainly there are two types of ecosystems. Namely terrestrial ecosystem and aquatic ecosystem
• 1. TERRESTRIAL ECOSYSTEM: This is the ecosystem which exists on land. It can be further divided into
the following types,
• Forest ecosystem
• Grassland ecosystem
• Desert ecosystem
• 2. AQUATIC ECOSYSTEM: This is the ecosystem which exists in water. It can be further divided into,
• Fresh water ecosystem (pong or lake or river ecosystem)
• Marine ecosystem (ocean ecosystem)

4. SOIL TYPES
• Soil is the loose surface material that
covers most land. It consists of
inorganic particles and organic matter.
Soil provides the structural support to
plants used in agriculture and is also
their source of water and nutrients.
• Soil is classified into four types:
• SANDY SOIL.
• SILT SOIL.
• CLAY SOIL.
• LOAMY SOIL.
• The soil is the part of the earth’s
surface, which includes disintegrated
rock, humus, inorganic and organic
materials.
There are three stages of soil:
• Solid soil
• Soil with air in the pores
• Soil with water in the pores
• Various types of soil undergo diverse
environmental pressures. Soil is
mainly classified by its texture,
proportions and different forms of
organic and mineral compositions.

5. SOIL TYPES
1. SANDY SOIL
• The first type of soil is sand.
• It consists of small particles of weathered rock. Sandy soils are one of the poorest
types of soil for growing plants because it has very low nutrients and poor water
holding capacity, which makes it hard for the plant’s roots to absorb water.
• This type of soil is very good for the drainage system. Sandy soil is usually formed by
the breakdown or fragmentation of rocks like granite, limestone and quartz.
SANDY SOIL
SILT SOIL
2. SILT SOIL
• Silt, which is known to have much smaller particles compared to sandy soil and is
made up of rock and other mineral particles, which are smaller than sand and larger
than clay.
• It is the smooth and fine quality of the soil that holds water better than sand. Silt is
easily transported by moving currents and it is mainly found near the river, lakes and
other water bodies.
• The silt soil is more fertile compared to the other three types of soil. Therefore, it is
also used in agricultural practices to improve soil fertility.

6. SOIL TYPES
3. CLAY SOIL
• Clay is the smallest particle among the other two types of soil.
• The particles in this soil are tightly packed together with each other with very little or
no airspace.
• This soil has very good water storage qualities and makes it hard for moisture and air
to penetrate into it.
CLAY SOIL
LOAMY SOIL
4. LOAMY SOIL
• Loam is the fourth type of soil. It is a combination of sand, silt and clay such that the
beneficial properties of each are included.
• For instance, it has the ability to retain moisture and nutrients; hence, it is more
suitable for farming.
• This soil is also referred to as agricultural soil as it includes an equilibrium of all three
types of soil materials, being sandy, clay, and silt, and it also happens to have
humus. Apart from these, it also has higher calcium and ph levels.

7. MICRO-CLIMATE
• The Microclimatic Design Research Group (MDRG) studies how urban design affects the microclimate and
how microclimate affects the health and well-being of people.
• Microclimate is the condition of the solar and terrestrial radiation, wind, air temperature, humidity, and
precipitation in a small outdoor space. All of these elements are invisible to the human eye, but they
strongly influence people’s every-day decisions such as to walk ,to work, to play sports in a park, or even
to garden in the backyard. Microclimatic design can make places more thermally comfortable thus
encouraging outdoor activity.
• Urban designers need solid evidence on how to reverse this trend, and they need proven strategies for
redesigning cities so that they will be more thermally-comfortable and safe during heat waves.

8. MICRO-CLIMATE
• The Another feature of the microclimate is the ability of the soil to absorb and retain moisture,
which depends on the composition of the soil and its use. Vegetation is also integral, as it controls
the flux of water vapour into the air through transpiration. In addition, vegetation can insulate the
soil below and reduce temperature variability. Sites of exposed soil then exhibit the greatest
temperature variability.
• Reduction of wind speeds – shelter from wind movement reduces the amount of moisture loss
from evapotranspiration – vegetation is sometimes used as a wind break; however, its competition
for soil moisture may reduce crop yields close to the barrier (economic factors to be considered).

9. DRAINAGE PATTERN
• Drainage :-
• The flow of water through well-defined channels is known as ‘drainage’ and the network of such
channels is called a ‘drainage system’.
• Drainage Pattern :-
• It refers to the system of flow of surface water mainly through the forms of rivers and basins.
• The drainage system depends upon factors such as slope of land, geological structure, amount of
volume of water and velocity of water.
• Roads will affect the natural surface and subsurface drainage pattern of a watershed or individual
hillslope. Road drainage design has as its basic objective the reduction and/or elimination of energy
generated by flowing water. The destructive power of flowing water, increases exponentially as its
velocity increases.

10. DRAINAGE PATTERN
• Types of Drainage Patterns :
• Dendritic Drainage Pattern
• It is the most common form and resembles the branching pattern of tree roots.
• The dendritic pattern develops where the river channel follows the slope of the terrain.
• The pattern develops in areas where the rock beneath the stream has no particular structure and
can be eroded equally easily in all directions.

11. DRAINAGE PATTERN
• Parallel Drainage Pattern
• It develops in regions of parallel, elongated
landforms where there is a pronounced
slope to the surface.
• Tributary streams tend to stretch out in a
parallel-like fashion following the slope of
the surface.
• Rectangular Drainage Pattern
• The rectangular drainage pattern is found
in regions that have undergone faulting.
• It develops on a strongly joined rocky
terrain . The tributary streams make sharp
bends and enter the main stream at high
angles.

12. GEOLOGY