The Role of Ecology in Improving The Natural Environment's Understanding

Introduction

Ecology is a branch of biology that deals with the scientific analysis of how organisms are distributed, their abundance, interactions, and relations in and with their respective environments. Some of the critical areas of focus include animal and plant populations, animal and plant communities, and the nature of their ecosystems, or the web of networks that define the relationships of organisms at various organization scales.

The discipline of ecology emanated from natural sciences during the late 19th century, when researchers were interested in conducting studies on almost everything in the environment, from the formation and recycling of nutrients, minute bacteria, how tropical rain forests affect the atmosphere of the earth, and sundry. Another important area includes the study of how chemicals, nutrients, and energy flow in a certain ecosystem to establish ecological efficiency (the process that describes the transfer of energy from different tropical levels).

It is determined by a series of coordinating efficiencies that relate to assimilation and organismic resources in a particular ecosystem. Consequently, ecology seeks to enhance the understanding of the natural environment by focusing on the distribution and abundance of biodiversity in the environment, the stages of adaptations, how ecosystems develop successively, and how energy and materials find their way through living communities.

Ecology, Energy, and Chemical Cycles

In order for the natural world to function efficiently, there are various factors that are responsible for regulating the amount and rate of biomass and energy flow. Imperatively, energy flow is defined as the amount of energy that is contained in a certain food chain (Ansari, 2016). The energy that enters the ecosystem, or the energy input, is measured in calories or joules, such that the energy flow is also associated with the term “calorific flow.” As such, while studying about energy flow, the fundamental objective of ecologists is to quantify the value of species and their respective feeding patterns and relationships (In Rawat, In Dookia, & In Sivaperuman, 2015).

The sun is considered the largest producer of energy in an ecosystem, and the some of its unused energy are lost in the form of heat. Nutrients and energy are passed around through food chains when organisms feed on each other and the remaining are used up by decomposers (Hanski, 2016). It means that energy fades away with time but nutrients undergo the process of recycling. As such, to consider the way energy flows and chemical cycles, it is crucial to consider how it is passed from one tropical level to the next and how solar energy is transformed into heat and eventually lost.

Chemical cycles are also critical in the efficient working of the natural environment. As such, a chemical cycle is defined as a pathway through which chemical elements use as they move into both the abiotic and biotic earth components (In Rawat, In Dookia, & In Sivaperuman, 2015). Secondly, a cycle includes a series of changes that repeat themselves from the starting point to the end and back. For instance, there is a water-cycle when it rains, some water seeps to the sea and oceans by moving in as ground water.

Others evaporate back to the atmosphere to feed the clouds. There is also the carbon dioxide/oxygen cycle, the nitrogen cycle, and others. All have to undergo complete phases so that there could be efficiencies in the natural world. For instance, the water cycle has to take full shape so that water that is lost through evaporation and other means could be made available for the survival of plants and organisms (Reddy, Karanth, Kumar, Krishnaswamy, & Karanth, 2016).

Community Structure

According to Reddy et al. (2016), the segment of community structure is concerned with the diversity and richness of species, including the investigation of why ecosystems that reflect relatively higher diversity are considered more stable and the role of keystone and foundation species. Based on this, a community structure is determined by the richness of its species, which measures the number of species presents (In Rawat, In Dookia, & In Sivaperuman, 2015). It is also concerned with the diversity of species, which covers both species evenness and richness (In Rawat, In Dookia, & In Sivaperuman, 2015).

There are many factors that affect community structure, including species interactions, abiotic factors, chance events, and level of disturbance. There are some species that are found to play some critical roles with regards to determining their community structure, including foundation and keystone species (Reddy et al., 2016).

In light of the previous discussion, a community is regarded as a set of populations that dominate a certain area (Hanski, 2016). They are often studied with difficulties because they have different boundaries and sizes. As such, an ecosystem covers a higher level of community, involving the respective physical environment so that the ecosystem comprises both the physical and biological components that interfere with the routine functioning of the ecosystem/community. It means that the ecosystem could be studied from a functional view that focuses on energy flow or from the view of population distribution.

The concept of species diversity has a close connection with efficiency in the natural world. It is a function of both the relative abundance of species and the number of different species within a given community (Reddy et al., 2016). Generally, ecologists consider communities that are more diverse to be stable than the less diverse ones (In Rawat, In Dookia, & In Sivaperuman, 2015).

Biodiversity and Succession

Ecological succession refers to the process that a biological community undergoes as it evolves with the passage of time (Reddy et al., 2016). There are two succession types, including primary succession which takes place in areas that are lifeless, for instance, a region where lava has flowed more than once thus rendering the soil infertile.

On the other hand, secondary succession takes place where there was a community occupying a certain region but had to be displaced because of conditions that do not support life. They are regarded as small-scale disturbances that take away nutrients and life from the respective environment (Ansari, 2016). The two form the basis of working of the natural world by creating a mix of species that is continually changing (Reddy et al., 2016).

How Each Idea Works?

The other sections have discussed how the ideas of chemical and energy cycles, community structure, and biodiversity and succession fit together to form a basis of how the natural world functions. Firstly, chemical and energy cycles need to be balanced in the atmosphere to guarantee their movement to where they are needed. Specifically, when there are interferences with the carbon cycle, there will be insufficient oxygen for plants and animals. Secondly, community structure evaluates the level of diversity that exists in a certain ecosystem. Since animals depend on each other for survival and growth, an environment that is highly diverse is likely to promote a high survival rate for organisms than a low diverse environment (Reddy et al., 2016).

The working of the natural world is complex and involves a lot of elements, such as efficiency in energy flow, uninterrupted food chains, biodiversity and succession, community structure, and others. Of late, experts have sought to create a distinction between natural history and ecology, by stating that the latter is basically concerned with studying about organisms in a descriptive way. As such, there are multiple ways of applying such knowledge, including conservation biology, the management of natural resource, wetland management, community health, city planning, applied and basic science, economics, and others. In short, it offers a comprehensive and conceptual framework that is useful in researching and understanding the interaction of human beings with their environments and the respective organisms.

From a personal experience, biodiversity is highly critical for fostering the survival of organisms in an ecosystem. It measures the level of variety of plants and animals present in a given ecosystem. This refers to the variation of species, ecosystem variation, and the presence of biome. Biodiversity plays an important role in nature since it ensures that there is continued supply of food, shelter, fuel, medicine, and other resources (Reddy et al., 2016). It means that when a human being exists in an environment that is highly bio-diverse, they are likely to extract more satisfaction and lead longer lives because their demands are met.

Conclusion

Finally, the analysis has demonstrated how ecology seeks to enhance the understanding of the natural environment by focusing on the distribution and abundance of biodiversity in the environment, the stages of adaptations, how ecosystems develop successively, and how energy and materials find their way through living communities. Since the natural world is complex and made up of sub-systems, gaining an in-depth knowledge is critical in ensuring that the environment is conserved and life conditions are guaranteed.