The Phenomenon of Ecosystems - Essay Example

ECOSYSTEM Introduction Earth is the only planet in the solar system that possesses life. The living components encompass plants, animals and all the minute microscopic entities called microorganisms. With geographical variations on the planet, life forms also vary. Thus, organisms belonging to one particular geographical domain are different in habits and climatic adaptability than others. For instance, living organisms on land are different in appearance, eating habits, metabolic activities etc. from organisms living in water. However, geographical conditions on the earth are not same, neither on land nor in water. Land mass of the earth displays diverse conditions for instance; land possesses grassland, forests, mountains, frigid areas, deserts, coastal areas etc. In similar way water mass also shows variation in terms of surface water and marine water. As components of soil on land and composition of water diverges so do the organisms. Camel can survive on desert land easily as it is adapted to the hot climatic conditions of the desert but polar bear cannot survive on desert land as it is adapted to live in cold climatic conditions of frigid region. Like animals, plants also show diverse forms. Plants growing in hilly or mountainous areas are conical to adapt themselves during snowfall and they possess needle like leaves to let the wind pass through in between the leaves. On the other hand, plants growing in desert do not get sufficient water so their leaves have adapted themselves in the form of thorns to prevent loss of water during transpiration process. The stem of desert plants is thick, carries out photosynthesis and stores food. These diverse living forms cannot do anything without the non-living components. Living beings on the planet are interconnected with each other and with other non-living components like water, air encompassing nitrogen, oxygen and carbon dioxide. Ecosystem is thus a composition of life forms existing in various forms and in a symbiotic association with the environment. These diverse life forms prevalent in ecosystem compete and interact with each other and with the non-living components in order to reproduce and survive in their niche or habitat. The interdependency of living forms is called as the food chain. However, one organism may utilize more than one life form for survival for instance a rat eats grains as well as it can eat animals also thereby the food chain takes the shape of a web where one organism is known to display dependency on two or more life forms. Green plants are the only autotrophs or producers on the planet while animals are categorized as plant eating or herbivores, flesh eating or carnivores and omnivores are organisms which are capable of consuming plants as well as animals. Thus, there persists a dependency between various organisms and their physical environment. However, there are microorganisms which decompose all the dead organic matter. Ecosystem is therefore a biological community where organisms interact in a complex network and with their physical environment (The Concept of Ecosystem, n.d.). It is observed that some species found in one ecosystem may not be present in other even though they are present close to each other. Nevertheless, some species may be present in two or three ecosystems. Thus, living organisms exist in variety of forms at diverse levels, this is called biodiversity. The present article deals with the North America Prairie grassland ecosystem (North America Prairie, n.d.). Geographical Location Prairie grassland is present in the interior, middle of North America. It covers a huge area of North American land. It is a part of temperate grassland. The grass gets hot in summer and cold in winters. Components of Ecosystem There are two components of ecosystems Abiotic component- Abiotic components encompass inorganic substances such as CO2, H2O, Carbon, Hydrogen, Nitrogen etc. Other factors involve climatic factors such as temperature, relative humidity, light, rainfall etc. Depending upon the geographical location the temperature varies. It is at foots of Rocky Mountains. Most of the rivers originate in Rocky Mountains and flow across the Prairie, thus the grassland is fed by snowmelt, rainfall and glacial runoff. However, due to slope many rivers show variable flows and dry for longer periods. The Rocky Mountains block the winds laden with moisture from Pacific, resulting in semi-arid to subhumid climate, whereas winters are very cold. The temperature in winters is as low as -9.4ºC at Lethbridge and even lower -18.3ºC at Winnipeg. Prairie witnesses short but warm summers. The maximum temperature in warmest month is 16.1ºC at Edmonton while it is 19.7ºC at Winnipeg. The climate is dry, in winter arctic air predominates. Water deficit conditions persist as precipitation may range from 250 mm in arid grassland to 700 mm in Lake Manitoba plain. The wind speed ranges from 18 to 21 km/h, wind enhances evaporation leading to dryness (Prairies Ecozone, n.d.). On moving from east to west in Prairie, the rainfall decreases. Climate is moist near Rocky Mountains while central portion is drier (North American Prairie, n.d.). The average annual rainfall in temperate grassland ranges between 10-30 inches while in tropical and sub-tropical it ranges from 25-60 inches. The plants in Prairie are Buffalo Grass, Crazy Weed, Sunflower, Blazing Stars, Goldenrods, Coneflowers, Wild Indigos and Clover (Grasslands, n.d.). Biotic components- All the life forms of an ecosystem encompass biotic components. Life forms of the ecosystem helps in transmitting and cycling energy. Producers produce energy by the process of photosynthesis by utilizing CO2 and H2O in the presence of chlorophyll and sunlight. Consumers comprise herbivores (feed on plants), omnivores (feed on plants & animals) and carnivores (flesh eating animals). The tiny living organisms called saprophytes such as bacteria and fungi which feed on dead organisms and release inorganic substances also belong to biotic components (Smathers, n.d.). In the Prairie, many animals find their homes as alternating sloughs and ponds serve as perfect breeding nesting and staging grounds for migratory waterfowl. More than 50 percent of North American ducks are born in Prairie. Black-tailed Prairie Dog, Short-horned Lizard and Western Rattlesnake, Red-fox, Sharp-tailed Grouse, Moose, Beaver, Black Bear, numerous species of toad and frog, fish including Walleye, Northern Pike and Lake Whitefish (Prairies Ecozone, n.d.). Prairie also possesses endangered and threatened species. Animals like Swift Fox, Grizzly, Black-footed Ferret and Greater Prairie Chicken have vanished from the ecosystem. A few endangered species are Peregrine Falcon, Eskimo Curlew, Mountain Plover, Piping Plover, Whooping Crane, Burrowing Owl are most prominent ones. The aquatic ecosystems display pressure on fish stocks especially on Sauger & Walleye as they are award-winning creatures for recreational and commercial purposes. The number of fish is constantly diminishing due to overfishing or due to altered composition of water. The composition changes due to contaminants in the form of pesticides (Prairies Ecozone, n.d.). Some more animals inhabiting Prairie are Coytes, Eagles, Fly Catcher, Canadian Geese, Bison, Crickets, Dung Beetle etc (Grasslands, n.d.). There are two kinds of grass in Prairie; tall-grass (11 feet high) that are very wet and humid while short grass is dry and hot in summers while it is cold in winters Impact of Human Activity Human intervention in the Prairie grassland is the cause of disturbing the habitat of several animals and plants. The fur trade permitted traders to kill thousands of bison as a result free roaming bison were eliminated from the ecosystem by 1880s. After 1870, there was a tremendous increase in settlements. Railways played a major role in defining the prototype of development, developed along the rail line, by 1940s 60 percent of Prairies Ecozone was covered by landscape and cultivation. Since 1950s, a decline in rural population was observed while urban areas became crowded. There were 50 percent farmers in 1936 while it is reduced to only 10 percent in present epoch. The population in Prairie Ecozone increased by 25 percent between 1971 and 1991 and is increasing tremendously. Crops are reduced, only 15 percent of the field crops are grown. Industries are being set up for mining and production of fuels, the value of mineral production increased, land use for oil production diminished as a result, the grassland economy is drifting (Prairie Ecozone, n.d.). Prairies are known for natural climate, fire and grazing. Rainfall shows variation every year, once in 30 years a situation of drought is observed, in 1930s situation of drought was seen and Prairie became “Dust Bowl”. Moreover, once in every 5 years fire spreads in Prairie, but plants have adapted by developing growing points beneath the ground surface. Initially, the soil of Prairie was fertile as lots of grazing animals used to wander and enhanced plant growth as Nitrogen was added to the soil through animal excreta. Today, the situation is different as 1-2 percent of original Prairie survived. There is a loss of plants and animal diversity (North American Prairie, n.d.). Future Human Impact If the conditions are not improved, climate of Prairie is going to be Mediterranean-like where winters are wetter and summers are hotter, as stated by Scott D Bridgham. Global mean temperature is expected to increase by 1 to 3 degree Celsius. According to Bridgham, "Its known that humans have decreased biodiversity through a number of different mechanisms, with land use being the most important currently,". Invasive species are also found of little use; rather they were detrimental to native species of the prairie ecosystem. Future climate changes are going to elevate the sea level which is the major concern as it is going to affect the flora and fauna (Phys.org, 2014). Guidelines Conservation of nature and its products is the need of time; organizations like the Centre for Natural Land Management and the Siskiyou Field Research Institute are instrumental in Nature Conservation. As the planet is for all species of plants and animals irrespective of geographical location, it is unlawful and shameful act of snatching away the habitat of innocent animals and plants and making them rush towards town and cities and attack people; the prime responsibility of the humans is to conserve the nature and prevent it from destruction. The best way is to maintain a perfect balance between supply and demand but at the same time it is not desired to introduce and market animal products in the market, this will prevent animal killing. Construction of infrastructure should be done through environmental friendly ways to prevent the ecosystems from destruction. If trade of one animal for fur or skin is promoted it diminishes its number which disturbs the ecosystem (Phys.org, 2014). References Grasslands. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.blueplanetbiomes.org/grasslands.htm. Nature Northwest Prairie Plants Being Grown at three sites under future climate conditions. (2014). Phys.org. Retrieved from http://phys.org/news/2014-08-native-northwest-prairie-grown-sites.html. Prairie Ecozone. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://ecozones.ca/english/zone/Prairies/wildlife.html. Smathers, M. O. (n.d.). The 2 Main Components of an Ecosystem. Retrieved from http://classroom.synonym.com/2-main-components-ecosystem-2576.html. The Concept of Ecosystem. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.globalchange.umich.edu/globalchange1/current/lectures/kling/ecosystem/ecosystem.html Read More