Ecology Lab Report

Ecology Lab Report
Ecology is the study of interaction between living organisms and nonliving environmental factors. The objective of the study is to determine the forest
ecology of the Manor House by calculating the density, size, and diversity of the woodlot (Biology 214 Laboratory Handout). Diversity is the degree
of the variability among the living organisms. It is important to study diversity because a larger variability of within a community will promote the
productivity of an ecosystem. In addition, the knowledge of the number of individual organisms present in a population is important to ecologists.
Many methods exist to quantify the numbers of individual organisms in a specific area. It is important to chose a measuring method that is most
practical for the sampling area. The point–quarter technique, developed by Cottan and Curtis, is widely used to estimate the area covered by an
organism based on random samplings on specific areas. The sample area is chosen at random along a transect, relying on the random distribution of
organisms in the area. From the random point, the area is divided into four quadrants and the point–to–plant distance is measured. From this
measurement, species density, diversity and importance value can be calculated. Khan and his colleagues (2016) investigated the discrepancy and
accuracy of...show more content...
I hypothesize that the forest woodlot will have moderate density, size, and diversity. Before measuring the characteristics of the woodlot, I observed
that the forest was not densely populated and the organisms were spaced apart evenly throughout the forest. However, I predicted that the transects
deeper into the forest, 50 feet, would show more diversity than the transects at 25 feet because the forest centralizes deeper into the forest and is less
disturbed, which results in a wider diversity of the
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The Importance Of Deep Ecology
Deep ecology is about always asking questions about human life, nature, and society.
Deep ecology is more meditative and goes beyond the factual scientific level, to the level of self and Earth wisdom. It goes beyond a shallow approach
to environmental problems. It articulates a comprehensive religious and philosophical worldview, along with ecological consciousness.
Ecological consciousness and deep ecology contrast the technocratic–industrial societies that isolate humans from nature.
Over time Western culture has been obsessed with dominance. Humans over non–humans, masculinity over femininity, wealthy over poor, western
over non–western cultures. Deep ecological consciousness allows us to see through the perception of this dangerous illusion. A dominant world view is
centered around maximizing and using natural resources for our destructive consumerist habits. Deep ecology is about minimizing and finding
harmony with nature.
Deep ecology means reflecting on ourselves. The search for deep ecological consciousness is the search for an objective consciousness and state of
active deep questioning and meditative process as a way of life.
Arne Naess said that deep ecology is "The shallow and the deep, long–range ecology movement"–
This quote describes the deeper, spiritual approach to nature. This deeper approach allows us to be more open and sensitive to ourselves and nonhuman
life.
Arne Naess developed two ultimate norms which were brought by deep questioning and reveal

Essay about The Ecosystem of the Coral Reef
The Ecosystem of the Coral Reef
Coral reefs are among the most diverse and productive communities on Earth. They are found in the warm, clear, shallow waters of tropical oceans
worldwide. Reefs have functions ranging from providing food and shelter to fish and invertebrates, to protecting the shore from erosion.
Although many corals resemble plants, they are actually members of the animal phylum Cnidaria. Most corals are colonial, which means that each coral
is made up of many individual polyps connected by living tissue (the coenosarc). Each polyp has a cup–like shape with a ring of tentacles around a
central opening (pharynx) that functions as both mouth and anus. The tentacles are tipped with stinging cells called...show more content...
The more famous coral forms huge deposits that take on the shape of small, underwater mountains of calcium carbonate. Corals are benthic organisms
in the fact that they are stationary for the most part, and do not swim or drift in the ocean. All coral feed on plankton. Soft coral are filter feeders,
filtering out plankton as the current passes through the porous structure of the coral. Hard coral have tiny "critters" located inside a limestone shell that
rely on plankton that float by as their food source.
Since they are very sensitive, coral require a very specific environment in order to survive. They are found generally in warm, shallow areas of the
tropical oceans. Although they are best developed in temperatures from about twenty–three to twenty–five degrees Celsius, coral reefs can be found in
temperatures as low as eighteen degrees Celsius. Corals are restricted to seawater with a salinity ranging from thirty to forty parts per thousand. They
also require a concentrated amount of calcium carbonate to assist in the process of forming their skeleton. The shape, size and structure of the coral
are directly related to their location in the ocean, and depth. Coral located near the surface tend to be flexible in order to flex and sway with the wave
action and tidal currents. The water currents and wind can also play an important role in the

Environmental Science Essay
Environmental Fundamentals
Laura Jackson
Env/100
April 8, 2013
JOHN ENSWORTH
Environmental Fundamentals
Introduction
Environmental science is defined as the study of the environment and the interconnecting systems it contains, furthermore, the way people interact with
their natural surroundings and use natural resources (wise geek, 2013). Scientist in this field is highly interdisciplinary and extremely diverse, for
example, a scientist might study volcanoes or climate change. This essay will cover the following; the definition of environmental science, the
relationship between science and technology and how it affects environmental problems; the concept of environmental sustainability and why it should
be studied; how human...show more content...
Environmental Sustainability
Environmental sustainability is the process of making sure current processes of interaction with the environment are pursued with the idea of keeping
the environment as pristine as naturally possible based on ideal–seeking behavior (Wikipedia, 2010). What makes environmental sustainability so
important is that it demands that society designs activities to meet human needs while indefinitely preserving the life support systems of the planet
(Wikipedia, 2010). Human consumption can only use the nature's resources at a rate that can be replenished naturally.
Human Values affecting Society
The most devastating environmental change of all is the loss of biodiversity. The rate of species extinction has remained at one species per million per
year, furthermore, the accelerating destruction of habitats throughout the world leads to projections of the loss of two–thirds of all species on earth by
the end of this century, and millions of years to recover from the Cretaceous period (mindfully.org, 2013). As individuals, we obtain our food, directly
or indirectly from plants, for example, plant our primary use of medicines. Biodiversity also determines the properties of communities and ecosystems,
which capture energy from the sun. The world is less resilient, more homogeneous, less interesting, and with fewer opportunities for our descendants

and ourselves: where the process reaches

Deep Ecology Essay
Whether its watching a whale jump up in the air and seeing him crashing back into the water, or looking at all of the trees leafs changing colors in the
fall time; nature is a beautiful thing. In the past, traditional Native Americans once cared about the land. The grass, trees, rocks, and everything else
had value. Nowadays most people are moving away from these ideas and moving towards a capitalist mindset, only caring about their own personal
gain. Deep ecology is defined as "an environmental movement and philosophy that regards human life as just one of many equal components of a
global ecosystem" (Google). Arne Naess was a Norwegian philosopher who coined the term Deep Ecology. It may seem very similar to traditional
Native...show more content...
This could potentially lead to the human population becoming extinct. I'm not saying this is going to actually happen or be an immediate result of our
actions but this is what the world is coming to. The companies are the indirect problem in this issue. It's the population's demand that keeps these
companies going which makes us the direct source to the problem. Almost everyone is caught up in the capitalist mentality, only caring about
themselves and seeing how much money they can make. And when that happens they go out and buy more products which have negatively affected
the environment. It's a vicious cycle that doesn't seem like it is coming to a stop anytime soon.
In the story "Creations" written by Linda Hogan, Hogan talks about her travels to the YucatГЎn. Hogan is a Chickasaw poet, novelist, essayist and an
associate professor at the University of Colorado. She is traveling there to search out her Chickasaw roots according to elders. She explains how in
traditional native American thought everything on the land has value and is considered sacred; everything is living .She says "the mud people of the
first creation did not endure; when it rained, their bodies grew soft and dissolved". "In the next

Essay on Ecology
Ecology An organism has several ways to avoid being prated upon. One way to avoid this is to practice crptis. Crypis is the action of organisms
avoiding predation by blending in with their backgrounds and matching the color pattern of a bark, twigs or leaves. Palatable animals often utilize this
strategy as well. Another type of defense is aposematism or warning coloratio. Organisms that produce noxious chemicals or accumalate them from
food plants, advertise the fact that they are harmful with conspicous color patterns. Mimicry is the resemblence of an organism toward some other
organism or an object inthe enviroment, evolved to decieve predators or prey into confuding the organism with that which it mimics. The prey involved
within...show more content...
These hypothesis are based on the assumption that the birds realized that the red larvae are more tasteful , while the blue and lime larvae were often
distasteful. The focus of this experiment is to find out whether or not mimicry developed and whether the birds either learnt from the effects of
mimicry or caught on to the color pattern.
Materials and Methods
The procedure that was utilize from this experiment was very time consuming and involved an assortment of small procedures. The first step was
to decide upon the different colors of the food, and which speculate on whch colors would be most efficient for the experiment. In our case we
choose red,which represented a kind of dangerous color, blue which was still dangerous but a little more attractive than red and lime which seemed
like a nice friendly color. After than the ratios between the models were agreed upon based upon what we thought the colors would represent toward
the birds. The pattern that was used is pattern A. The red color had 100% mimicry, (palatable) and 0% for models (unpalatable). The blue color had
75% mimicry (palatable) and 25% for models (unpalatable). The lime had 25% mimicry and 75% for models (unpalatable). After that decision making
the class broke up into different groups to facilitate the larvae making process. The class divided into mixers, cutters,those that

Ecology Terrarium Project: Study Of Ecosystem
Ecology Terrarium Project–Essay
Ecology is the study of the interaction of living things between themselves, as well as their surrounding in their environment. It is important to study
ecology so we can understand how the world around us works. The major components of an ecosystem are abiotic factors and biotic factors. Abiotic
factors include rocks, the temperature of the ecosystem, the soil, sand, and the PH of the water. The Biotic factors are all the the autotrophs and
animals that live in the ecosystem. A biosphere contains all of the ecological levels, and the only biosphere we know of is our Earth. In our Earth, the
biosphere contain all ecological levels, but also the atmosphere. Our model shows a miniature biosphere because it contains both abiotic and biotic
factors, as well as the moisture from the water input, that represents the atmosphere of the Earth.
Inside our terrarium, there is both abiotic and biotic factors, as well as gasses such as carbon dioxide, oxygen, water vapor, and nitrogen. The only
factors that can enter and exit the glass jar is sunlight, because it can pass through the glass, but everything else is concealed inside the jar, unless we
open the jar,...show more content...
The water cycle is the process in which water changes states of matter, from a solid, to a liquid, to a gas, and the cycle continues. You can see this
cycle in our terrarium. The condensation on the glass is the visual representation of the gas for of the liquid water that we sprayed into the terrarium,
that evaporated. Unless it is cold enough, the water will freeze into ice. Photosynthesis is the process in which plants take sunlight, carbon dioxide, and
water, and transform them into glucose, sugar, and oxygen. The plant breaths when it takes in sunlight, carbon dioxide, and water, but when put in the
dark, or there is no water or carbon dioxide left inside the terrarium, then the plant will die and

Ecological Restoration Essay
There have been many ongoing debates over the definition of ecological restoration. While there are still many definitions that people use to define this
term, ecological restoration is generally defined as "the process of returning, as nearly as possible, a biotic community to a condition of biological
integrity" (Callicott, 577). This term, however, means different things to different people. It not only encompasses the environmental aspects, but the
cultural, social, historical, political aspects as well. Considering how these aspects are different to different regions, it becomes difficult to develop a
term that everyone can agree on unanimously. The campus lagoon, 94 acres in total, is "surrounded on the north, east and west by the...show more
content...
The expanded wetlands have also significantly increased the number of birds, animals, reptiles and amphibians. Much of Campus Point is covered
with an ice plant, Carpobrotus edulis. These plants grow year round and individual plants compete with native plants by forming mats up to 40 cm
thick and 8–10 m in diameter. Examination shows that this ice plant has a very dense tough root system concentrated in the upper 50 cm of the soil,
and that new roots form at each node as the plant spreads outward (D'Antonio, 886). In 2006, CCBER planted 2,000 acorns along Campus Point with
hopes that in 15 to 20 years a small oak woodland habitat will be reestablished (CCBER). The eastern edge of the Lagoon, near San Nicolas Hall and
Parking Lot 5, is dominated by Kikuyu grass, a rhizomatous plant with matted roots. Data from 2009 illustrate that even at that time, the site was
completely covered in non–native Kikuyu grass (San Nicolas Slope Restoration Monitoring). Kikuyu grass favors moist areas and therefore it occurs
in hydric soils. A Mediterranean climate, the site records rainfall averaging 16–20 inches per year. A myriad of different birds also inhabit the riparian
and coastal sage scrub habitats as seen on wildlife surveys done monthly of the site due to the Lagoon Survey requirement (San Nicolas Habitat
Restoration Plan). If Manzanita Village does not undergo restoration, the confined underground pipe systems

Predator Prey Paper
The role of predation is critical in shaping ecosystem structure and function (Berger et al., 2001; Hawlena and Schmitz, 2010). Predator–prey
interactions can alter community composition (Kneite and Chase, 2004), mediate trophic cascades (Mooney et al., 2010), increase biodiversity (Letnic
and Ritchie, 2012), and affect species invasions (Snyder et al. 2004). Furthermore, predators can control the dynamics of prey populations by
influencing such aspects as survival, growth, behavior, size structure, and distribution (Beauchamp et al., 2007) while prey can likewise regulate
predator populations (Yoshida et al., 2003; Ishii and Shimada, 2010). One of the primary components of predator–prey interactions is the behavior and
subsequent survival of prey in the presence of predators which we focus on in this study. For decades scientists have studied the behavioral response
of prey to predators. Numerous studies have directly linked prey activity levels (e.g. Skelly, 1994; McIntyre et al. 2012) and refuge use (e.g.
Cowlishaw, 1997; Belgrad and Smith, 2014) to predation risk, while other investigations have determined that predator avoidance behaviors (e.g.
migration, reduced foraging) can limit prey growth (Werner et al., 1983), development (Skelly and Werner, 1990), and fecundity (Peckarsky et al.,
1993). These behavioral changes also have an enormous...show more content...
However, ecologists have yet to establish a relationship between predator hunting mode and prey mortality while incorporating personality. Here, we
test this theory and examine the roles prey personality and predator species play in governing predation risk within a simple food

Ecology Personal Statement
My decision to pursue graduate study and research in the field of ecology comes from my aspiration to become a leading researcher. I feel that the
knowledge what I have gained in this field is little. Therefore, to help me acquire a better understanding of this multi–faceted field of ecology, I would
like to pursue my doctoral degree major in ecology.
During my undergraduate level, I have been fascinated with the field of biotechnology. It is why I choose this field as my MS thesis research.
However, after deliberate thought and careful study, I changed my mind and have decided to build my career as an ecologist. My aspiration to pursue
a research–based career in the field of ecology, and climate change, comes from my visits of the world's...show more content...
I was among the top performers in these courses in my class. After completion of my undergraduate level, I started my steps towards research by
joining the plant breeding and biotechnology lab where, I completed my thesis entitled "Agrobacterium–mediated genetic transformation of potato
(Solanum tuberosum L.) for the development of fungus resistance variety" under the supervision of Professor Dr. Rakha Hari Sarker. During my
undergraduate and graduate studies, I have been involved with several field studies. These studies included the flora of the world's largest mangrove
forest (Sundarban), ethnobotany of medicinal plants used by native and tribal people, inventory of the plant diversity (herb, shrub, climber and tree)
in an area adjacent to the University of Dhaka and on Saint Martin Island. In addition, as part of my course requirement I have studied the flora of
Lawachara rainforest, Dulahazra Safari park and Remakelanga wildlife sanctuary. I have also presented a seminar presentation on the effects of
tannery wastes on the ecosystems of the river of "Buriganga". Field experiences provided me with the opportunity to explore real examples and to be
involved, physically, in a real world setting, which further reinforced my desire to explore the natural

Ecology And Architecture Case Study
TABLE OF CONTENT
Abstract
Acknowledgment
List of figures
Chapter 1 – Introduction to ecology and architecture
1.1 – A brief on ecology and architecture
1.2 – Research Questions
1.3 – Aims and Objectives
1.4 – Outline of the study
1.5 – Focus and challenges
1.6 – Methodology
Chapter 2 – Ecotecture towards sustainability
2.1 – Ecology and architecture
2.2 – Ecotecture – Less bad approach
Chapter 3 – Paolo Soleri – early 20th century principle
3.1 – Brief of Paolo Soleri
3.2 – Understanding the principle – Arcology
3.3 – Case study 3.3.1 – Cosanti in scottsdale 3.3.2 – Arcosanti 3.3.3 – Lean linear city
3.4 – Design for the city of future
Chapter 4 – Ken Yeang– later 20th century principle
4.1 – Brief of Ken Yeang

4.2 – Understanding the principle – eco architecture
4.3 – Practice of Ken Yeang...show more content...
Since ancient times "designers" looked to nature for "solutions" to their common problems; they saw nature as the perfect model to follow. Ecotecture
is the art and science of designing human systems that are integrated, functionally and aesthetically, with natural ecosystems. The word "ecotecture" is
a combination of the words "ecology," meaning pattern of relations between living organisms and their environment, interactive with

Sustainability And The World's Ecology
While Sustainability and the world 's ecology are a well–known topic in most countries these days we are nonetheless a long way from achieving the
measures of progress needed to gain a big difference to the universe. There are many factors that contribute to this lack of progress, such as low
government funding or personal struggles with financial issues that prevent the use of more sustainable options and a generational gap of knowledge
and education. These are some of the contributors to the limitations of education on this subject that will be looked at more in–depth further on.
Benefits to ecological education now and into the future are that it aids to create critical thinking and empathy towards our surroundings. It gives
thought to...show more content...
When you book a plane ticket they call for you to pay more money to help render the trip more sustainable, but why would you do that as its cheaper
not to pay that extra money, things like this should be the contrary of what they are and you would discover more people willing to be sustainable if it
is not costing them extra. This is where government funding should be stepping up helping the average person realize the modification. Schools call
for funding to make sustainability an everyday function not just a topic they learn in a schoolroom. Their whole environment needs a makeover to
replicate how we want our sustainable world to look, edible gardens need to be carried out so the children have a responsibility to care for and
produce food for themselves, recycled and reused resources should be the foremost to be chosen, it necessitates to be second nature and easily
accessible for schools to be ecologically literate and while we accept these limitations stopping us making this outcome we cannot truly go ahead. In the
Australian Curriculum the cross curriculum priority is sustainability, however there is a vastly restricted depiction of unequivocal explanation of
training that will ensue in the specified national objective of effective, educated people who work for

Ecology And The Climate Change
Ecology is a branch of environment or natural science that has to do with how living things interact with each other in the nature and to be specific in
the same environment. Ecology dates back since Aristotle and Hippocrates, it also content some of the observations of Earth science, genetics and
biology. Ecologists can apply their skills to the following fields such as forestry, urban renewal, health science, and agriculture as well as climate
change. Climate change relates to changes in the world 's temperature, as you know it global warming is an example of climate change, and in addition,
the effect of climate related events, for example, heat waves, hurricanes, droughts, rainfalls, earthquakes, and tornadoes. This essay is about ecology
and the climate, and the relationship between the two, within the context of sustainability, which is the capacity of the planet to keep up itself despite
the natural occurring changes within the Indian Society and the rest of the world. (Smith, T.M., Smith, R.L. (2012)).
Ecology
Ecology, in the Indian society, is especially rich in vertebrate fauna. This is a consequence of its one of a kind biogeography, and, transformative and
social histories. It contains faunal components from different civilization such as the Afro–tropical, Indo–Malayan, and palearctic areas. For instance,
There are 226 extant carnivore species on the planet, 52 species – going from lions, hyenas, tigers, wolves, snow panthers, panthers and 3 types of bears
–

Population Ecology
INTRODUCTION
" The growth of a large business is merely the survival of the fittest : it is merely the working out of a law of nature" John D Rockefeller
Population ecology is a perspective that seeks to explain the factors that affect the life cycles of organizations. It also suggests why some organizations
survive for longer than the others. Earlier theories such a the such as the strategic choice theory argued that organizations try to adapt to changing
environments and the ones that do it successfully survive. The population ecology perspective states that it is the environment that selects organizations
that will survive over time and organizations have no say in this matter....show more content...
The concept of species identification is one of the central problems in this complex model.
c> Niche Width Theory One of the strong points of the population ecology perspective is that it analyzes populations of organizations rather than
individual organizations. All organizations within a particular population tend to draw from the same resource pool. Hence competition must exist
within the same population when they fight for survival. This is the basis for the niche width theory. Simply put, a niche may be defined as a domain
of unique environmental resources to support an organization. Populations of organizations are said to occupy the same niche to the extent that they
depend on identical environmental resources. Based on the width of the niche, there may be two types of populations that exist: specialists and
generalists.
Generalists tend to have a wide niche (in other words, a broad range of products/markets). They thus maximize exploration although they increase their
risks at the same time. This kind of strategy is not suited to any single situation. Specialists have a narrow niche (or a narrow range of products
/markets). They thus maximize exploitation and security. This kind of strategy is suited to particular situations.
According to the perspective, depending upon the В‘distance' between two states in the environment, variations may be divided into fine–grained
(short–term

The Bible And Ecology Essay
"More science and more technology are not going to get us out of the present ecologic crisis until we find a new religion, or rethink our old one..."
Those words were written by a man, Lynn White, who in 1967 brought to our attention a crisis we continue to face today. Christians tend to view our
relationship with nature as a take as needed relationship where God's creations are present for our survival. It can be hard to blame them when their
evidence comes from the Bible but the problem isn't the Bible, the way it's being read is. Bauckham's, author of "The Bible and Ecology", approach
to the interpretation and reading of the Bible can change the way Christians view their relationship with nature and the false dominion they feel they
have over God's creations. Humans must recognize the significance nature has related to our lives and changing our perspective on the Bible can
help us learn to appreciate and acknowledge the importance of nature and all creations. We can accomplish this by reading verses such as Genesis,
Job, Colossians, and Isaiah by taking them as a story than literal. It's crucial we recognize our arrogance and false superiority before we destroy this
beautiful Earth and understand this world can work with or without us. Bauckham gives a road map in his book on how Christians can change their
way of reading the Bible and see how much love God has for all His creatures. Hubris's definition is excessive pride or confidence in oneself.
Bauckham uses this

Essay about Deep Ecology
Deep Ecology/Ecosophy The ideas behind deep ecology have major implications today. They allow people to think more profoundly about the
environment and possibly come to a better understanding of their own meaning. People are intensely concerned about the world’s technological
adolescence, massive consumerism, and overpopulation. A man named Arne Naess, former head of the philosophy department at the University of
Oslo founded an idea that can direct people’s anxiety away from their "shallow" notion of the problem to one that is much "deeper." "Deep
ecology goes beyond the limited piecemeal shallow approach to environmental problems and attempts to articulate a comprehensive religious and
philosophical worldview." (EE...show more content...
Governments need to make even greater efforts and more drastic goals for the future. One key point they argue is that most effort should go into
lowering population growth in developed industrial societies. Obviously, these people’s lifestyles have far more negative influence on the
environment. This ties into the principle that human interference with the non–human world is out of control and getting worse. Naess and Sessions
concede humans do and can modify ecosystems, just as other species do the same. Just how far we go with that ability remains the concern.
Preservation, is the key, specifically ‘large wilderness’ areas because they allow and promote speciation of plants and animals. It is
important to note that these deep ecologists do not specifically address pollution problems. They do this because they feel it falls in the context of
shallow ecology. They think that worrying about pollution face value is really just a Band–Aid solution. Naess gives an example that show how
anti–pollution implements could increase "evils of the other kinds," (EE p.135) by somehow increasing the price of vital needs, resulting in greater
class differences. This is somewhat abstract, but it allows for new and interesting perspective. The next principle demands a major change in the
policies that effect economic, technological, and ideological norms. They

Ecology And Plant Ecology
In this article examples are going to be discussed of the application of molecular biology in the field of plant ecology, what molecular biology is as
well as what plant ecology is. Plant ecology is one of the branches in the scientific field of ecology that mainly focus on plant population and their
surroundings (McMahon, 2016). Plant ecologists also look at other factors that have an impact on the plants and their environment. According to the
MIT Department of Biology, plantmolecular biology is the study where biological data such as plants genetics, genomes, biochemical and the cell
biologics is inserted into computers to understand the development, growth and physiology of plants at a molecular level. The examples that is going
to be...show more content...
Researchers do not just look at the plant but keeps in mind how the plants interact with each other and their environment. A Plant ecologist do not
just look at plants but also the soil conditions, animals and other influences that might have an impact on the plants environment. According to
McMahon (2016) plant ecology is not just a plant itself but, is everything from understanding the plants environment functions as well as the
interaction of humans with the natural environment. The area most focused on in plant ecology is topics like climate change, plant diseases and
the symbiotic relationship between plant species and how plants spread in nature (McMahon, 2016). Plant ecology involves a lot of field work
because the plant needs to be viewed in their natural habitat to understand why the plant looks like it does. Plant ecology covers a wide range of
research for instance the study of plants growing in a specific ecosystem for example the rainforest, or a specific area that is of interest, like a
population of plants that is growing next to a polluted river or dam. It can also help researchers to study endangered ecosystems and plant populations
including not vascular plants like mosses. Plants make up a very large part of the natural environment. Plants do not just provide people and animals
with food but also with shelter for animals, prevents erosion and the most important part is that plants provide us with oxygen (McMahon,

A Study On Aquatic Ecosystems
Title
Aquatic ecosystems such as the one created in this report help convey the simple yet complex processes that are required in order to establish a stable
and thriving environment.
Abstract
In this study a freshwater ecosystem was created to observe the changes that would take place over the period of 5 weeks. This included creating a
food web to outline the trophic levels that would take place in the ecosystem as well as developing a hypothesised outcome. Over the course of the
experiment measurements and observations were recorded once every week which included how well the ecosystem was thriving as well as trends
depicted through chemical data testing. At the end of the 5 weeks it was found that the ecosystem created was fairly...show more content...
(Rawi et al., 2014)
Three major groups were included in this aquatic ecosystem. One is the ecosystem's primary producers, in this case vallisneria gigantean and
duckweed. They are submerged freshwater aquatic plants which support all other trophic levels by creating energy via photosynthesis, acting as a
nutrient filter and providing shelter for other organisms in the system (Wigand et al., 1999). Its survival is integral to the flourishing of the ecosystem
with availability of light being a primary deciding factor. The second is the primary consumer in which aquatic snails are used. They are herbivores
which eat plant material and algae and ultimately keep the food web in balance. The third is the decomposers in which macro invertebrates are used
which consume nutrients from the water and some can also act as decomposers to consume decaying material. They effectively are able to recycle
nutrients in the system to sustain the food web and provide nutrient uptake for other organisms (Ribas et al., 2006).
Based on these assumptions the hypothesis was made that the plants would photosynthesise and repopulate providing food for the herbivore
consumers while others would die off and decay providing food for the decomposers. Ultimately this would be affected by the biotic and abiotic
factors as they influence chemical processes such as

Ecology Lab Report

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Ecology Lab Report