Understanding Ecosystems in Today's Society

Introduction:

An ecosystem is all the organisms in a given area as well as the abiotic factors with which they interact; one or more communities and the physical environment around them (Campbell, 2012, G-11). Our aim is to observe how these factors interact with each other and give a record of our observations in our particular ecosystem. By observing these interactions we gain an appreciation of the diversity and complex nature of ecosystems. Through observing our environment we can make predictions of the feeding relationships that shape the ecosystem. By observing the plant life in an ecosystem we can predict the following heterotroph factors, as autotrophs are the providers of all energy. Through understanding ecosystems we see that they provide us with essential chemical cycles and by understanding these we see relevance for understanding ecosystems in todays society.

Materials and Method:

Choose a site that is at least 32m squared and has a constant naturally occurring ecosystem. This can include sites like

• Parks.

• Bush land.

• A sand dune on a beach.

It needs to be constant in the fact that you cant have two types of ecosystem in the same research area eg: section of bush that opens onto grass land.

I completed my study on Wednesday the 14th of May at 9 am with Jacob Mitiloneos and Mitch Crameri. We chose a section of bush land on the Gardviers Creek on campus at Deakin. We spent 2 hours completing our research, you should allow at least this amount of time to complete the research and this allows you to gather all data about other biotic factors. My area was of bush land close to the creek but not close enough to ecologically influenced. See figure 2. It had tall trees and a dense layer of bark. My se...

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...o that the living plants may use these nutrients.

Conclusion:

Through this exercise we can understand and appreciate elements of our ecosystem more. Therefor we can understand the importance of many of the processes and living organisms that play an important role in maintaining these processes. From the producers to the decomposers we see that ecosystems rely on a complex array of systems. Through taking and recording this information we can use it to communicate the importance of preserving our ecosystems in todays society.

References:

Ecology and the Environment. Janine McBurnie. McGraw-Hill Create. VitalBook file.

Campbell Biology. Campbell, Reece, Meyers, Urry, Cain, Wasserman, Minorsky, Jackson & Cookie. Pearson Australia Group. 2012.

Ecology : The Delicate Balance of Life on Earth. Hollar and Sherman. Britannica Educational Group 2011