question_answer

Why is the biosphere important for living organisms? How have we disturbed its delicate balance?

Answer:

The biosphere is the sphere of the earth where living organisms exist penetrating the lithosphere, the hydrosphere and the atmosphere. The biosphere is made up of the parts of the earth where life exists. The biosphere extends from the deepest root systems of trees to the dark environment of the ocean trenches of lush rainforests/ high mountaintops, deserts and plateaus.             The life forms that make up the biosphere also interact with the different realms of the earth to bring about changes here. The atmosphere has important gases?oxygen and carbon dioxide. Carbon dioxide constitutes only 0.03% of the air but it is an important gas needed by plants to carry out photosynthesis. This gas also traps the heat of the sun and does not let all of it to go back into space. This keeps the earth warm at night and is essential for germination of plants and survival of life?this process is known as greenhouse effect.             But we have increased the carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere due to burning of fossil fuels, pollution from factory smoke, forest fires etc. This increased carbon level strap heat and have increased global temperatures?leading to global warming which has dire consequences.