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What is
Ecology?
.
No ecology exists by
itself, but all ecologies exist within balance to each other. A small
conservation ecology in the rainforest plays a part in managing air, climate
and other resources needed by the human ecology a continent away. Natural
disruptions can come in the form of extreme weather such as prolonged droughts,
heavy rain or snowfall, storms, hurricanes, tornado, monsoons and more.
Man-made disruptions can come in all shapes and sizes. An increased drain on
natural resources, such as water or fossil fuels, can set up a disruption. All
forms of mining, including wind farms, disrupt ecologies as well.
Rinkesh
Ecosystem simply means ‘ecological
systems’. Ecology is defined as the study of ecosystems.
Ecologists study the interaction of all the
organisms in an ecosystem.
The study includes complex interactions
between thousands of plants and animals to the role of microbes living under
the soil to the effects of tropical rainforest on the Earth’s atmosphere.
The study done by ecologists can help us to
better understand the world around us and can influence our lives in a positive
way by improving the environment, managing our natural resources and protecting
the public health.
According to Wikipedia,
“Ecology is the scientific analysis and study of
interactions among organisms and their environment. It is an interdisciplinary
field that includes biology and Earth science. Ecology includes the study of
interactions organisms have with each other, other organisms, and with abiotic
components of their environment.”
Ecological society
of America says, “Ecology is the study of
the relationships between living organisms, including humans, and their
physical environment; it seeks to understand the vital connections between
plants and animals and the world around them. Ecology also provides information
about the benefits of ecosystems and how we can use Earth’s resources in ways
that leave the environment healthy for future generations.”
The best way to understand what is ecology
is to think of it as the study of relationships within a given environment.
You can even have an “office ecology”.
Scientists examine how resources are used
and replenished by life forms, the natural growth and decay cycles and
evolution within the balance and life forms that begin to move the ecology
through new developments.
While there are many different kinds of
ecology studied it is best to start with the basics.
The more clearly we can focus our attention on the
wonders and realities of the universe about us, the less taste we shall have
for destruction.
–
Rachel Carson
3
Basic Types of Ecology
All ecology breaks down and falls under
three basic types.
Under each of the basic types you can break
down the ecologies even further, but these are the ones that will give you an
understanding of what is an ecology.
1. Conservation Ecology – This refers to
the ecology of the natural world and how it exists without the presence or
interference of man, and how it exists with the presence and interference of
man.
It is common to find different areas in the
wilderness or portions of public parks set aside with entrance restricted or
forbidden because they are conservation areas.
Conservation areas are set aside to protect
conservation ecologies.
2. Urban Ecology – As you can guess by the
name this one is focused on the balance of life within urban settings.
It includes both conservation and human
ecology, but the nature of an urban ecology is so different in how phases of
ecological succession may develop that it is studied as its own entity.
Urban ecology looks at the impact of human
life on an area, how cities and urban areas manage resources and what the cycle
of growth and decay within these unique environments are.
3. Human Ecology – Human ecology is
multi-faceted.
It focuses greatly on patterns of
population and mortality, consumption of resources, conservation efforts and
how humans affect plant, animal and other human life.
Within human ecology you will also find
people studying the impact of the human race on the atmosphere, space and the
ocean.
3
Phases of Ecological Succession
Each of these ecology types go through
three distinct phases of ecological succession.
Succession is the term used to define how
the development in one phase of the ecology is then used to allow the next
phase to occur.
While it may seem like this is a very
ordered process, if the ecology is disrupted it may go back or forward a phase.
To better explain succession we will use
the example of what happens after a forest fire has destroyed life on the side
of a mountain.
1. Primary – This is the beginning stage
of an ecology.
That side of the mountain may begin to be
repopulated with seeds that have blown in on the wind, been planted by humans
in a conservation effort, and the area may gain animal life from different
types moving in to hunt or live for protection.
The key to understanding primary ecology is
that is begins with the minimal life that the area can support, which is then
followed by the next life in the food or resource chain.
2. Secondary – During the secondary phase
of the ecology life has begun again in the forest area.
Grass and flowers may grow, small birds and
mammals have returned and there have been two or three cycles of life to seed
to decay to birth that have occurred.
This then brings in more predators in the
cycle to complete the cycle of life.
3. Climax – The climax stage of ecological
succession sees a forest thriving on the mountainside again with all the plant
and animal life you would expect.
There is little evidence of the fire as the
forest has aged enough to still be young, but to be well established.
It is at this point that the ecology begins
to slowly decline as it begins to overuse resources and conservation is needed.
What
Can Disrupt an Ecology?
Problems happen when an ecology is
disrupted. This can speed an ecology through its successive phases and cause it
to die out quickly.
Remember that no ecology exists by itself,
but all ecologies exist within balance to each other.
A small conservation ecology in the
rainforest may not seem like a big deal, but it plays a part in managing air,
climate and other resources needed by the human ecology a continent away.
Natural
disruptions
Natural disruptions can come in the form of
extreme weather such as prolonged droughts, heavy rain or snowfall, storms,
hurricanes, tornado, monsoons and more.
These also can involve seismic disruptions
such as earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. These dramatic events can damage or
change the balance within an ecology.
Man-made
disruptions
Man-made disruptions can come in all shapes
and sizes.
There are the obvious ones such as clearing
land, but less obvious ones when you are looking at an ecology in its secondary
stage of succession that includes mankind.
An increased drain on natural resources,
such as water or fossil fuels, can set up a disruption. All forms of mining,
including wind farms, disrupt ecologies as well.
How
To Protect Ecology
There are many different ways that an
ecology can be protected.
Most of them are in place or in the process
of being put in place now as the world begins to understand the importance of
managing ecologies better.
The three main ways that an ecology is
protected are:
1. Conservation – As mentioned before,
conservation is when an ecology is protected by harm by being set aside so it
cannot be interfered with.
In the USA, many of the major state and
national parks are conservation areas.
You can only visit certain places in the
park while other areas are off limits to protect the ecology there.
2. Regulation – Regulations such as the
Clean Air Act and other laws try to set limits on the types of man-made
disruptions caused by expansion, exploration or industrialization that can
occur.
The goal is to limit the known impact on
the natural ecology to preserve and maintain the resources that mankind depends
on.
3. Replacement – This type of replacement
is twofold.
In areas where regulation has permitted
conservation to be removed, companies may pay to have a new area seeded or
protected to try and restore balance.
Another aspect of replacement is the search
for man-made substances that can replace natural resources.
One example of this is the search for a
viable alternative energy to fossil fuel.
Looking
Forward
When you are trying to understand what is
ecology you have to look in three directions – the past, present and future.
While conservation helps to preserve the
past, the present and the future need regulation and replacement efforts.
Scientists are also working to better
understand the first and third phases of succession better.
As the influence and demand of humankind
continues to grow on natural resources, it is becoming important to not only
recognize when an ecology can no longer be saved, but to spot new ecologies as
they come into being to protect them.
An ecology is another term for a relationship between life within a given area. Ecology is an important and necessary science to protect all life on Earth.
Rinkesh
A
true environmentalist by heart ❤️. Founded Conserve
Energy Future with the sole motto of providing helpful information related to
our rapidly depleting environment. Unless you strongly believe in Elon Musk‘s
idea of making Mars as another habitable planet, do remember that there really
is no 'Planet B' in this whole universe.
https://www.conserve-energy-future.com/what-is-ecology.php
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