The Impact on the Ecosystem - Essay Example

The Impact On The Ecosystem Pravishti Sukhdeo ENV300: Environmental Biology Bryan Lombard August 12, The Impact on the Ecosystem The world is made up of different kinds of communities – communities in which both human beings as well as animal and plant life survive together. Since the inception of the modern era, the ratio of humans to plants and animals has been ever increasing because of various factors addressing population explosion and the inability for humans to control the same. However, this is no excuse to give up protecting plant and animal life since humans depend on the same for more than one aspect of their sustenance. This cannot rule out the vast number of negative impacts that the human population has on the ecosystem around it; human beings, over the years, have become so greedy that their actions have begun to pollute rivers and lakes as well as the air that is breathed; factories have been dumping toxic wastes everywhere possible leading to hazardous manifestations like soil erosion and deforestation, not to forget further polluting the environment and making it impossible for beings to survive. Making room for more people to live on the planet has started resulting in a clash with the existing varieties of other species that fearfully roam the earth. Even though biological communities do exist, it must be noted that human beings are overpopulating the ecosystem that they live within and in the process, making life difficult for other beings that depend on water, air and soil for their well being too. Every species plays a strong role in the environment which represents a niche; this ecological niche encompasses the relationship that each organism has with its environment as a single entity or as a plural society. Looking at the niche from the point of view of humans, they have been impacting the environment that they live in, rather strongly and negatively at that. Within my personal local area, an ecosystem of interest would be my neighborhood – it is made up of various kinds of plants, animals and human beings, all co-existing together. The entire area has slowly been concretized over the years however it still retains its natural environment as a small lake thrives around the corner around which a number of plants and animals exist; the area is very well greened, giving the opportunity to a number of birds as well as small animals to make their home and live there. It must be understood that an ecosystem also consists of the non-living objects that are present within it for example, the air, water, soil around the living objects which assist the living objects to survive and thus live in conjunction with each other. This is why it is important to take care of not only the living but the non-living aspects of nature; water, air and soil are very integral to the survival of any human being and thus their contamination may lead to catastrophic circumstances for living beings. Most people in the area keep pets of all kinds as well – dogs, cats, birds, turtles, fish etc. Thus, this environment may be referred to as an ecosystem because all kinds of living creatures have been undergoing a basic biotic way of life in their natural environment. Nonetheless, with time, more and more buildings and housing societies have made their way into the area and this has led to cutting down of a significant number of trees. This further, has led to a number of small animals and plants living with the help of those trees (creepers, squirrels etc.) bar their home and move to a different place to seek shelter. With respect to this paper on how the ecosystem is being impacted, it must be understood that man has interfered within nature to the extent that every individual is now taking up a lot more space in the environment than an animal or a plant would; this means that because of manmade interventions, it has become impossible for other aspects of the environment to survive within. It is every individual’s duty to understand the harmful manner in which he is contributing towards a negative impact in the environment and thus make a change in which he conducts himself so as to not disturb nature’s other creations that are trying to live in harmony with humans. Various aspects in the neighborhood that I have chosen to observe and understand have led to the decline in biodiversity over the years; to begin with, the number of cars in the area have increased because of the number of people inhabiting it and this has led to an increase in the pollutants given out in the atmosphere making it difficult for animals as well as human beings to survive well. Thus it must be noted that there are a vast number of pollutants in the atmosphere in the area that I live in, also the area that may be known as an ecosystem for the various plants and animals living within it. There is a lot more pressure on water because of a larger population and thus water is being pumped out in abundance; moreover, the natural land or the soil has now made way for concrete pavements and land for homes to built on – all these aspects have led to a sharp decline and migration of animals as well as the death of very many plants and their kin. In terms of an ecological niche, the area could be understood by understanding the concept of an Eltonian niche which means refers to the role of the species in its community rather than understanding the entire habitat. In this context, it would mean to understand the role of say a squirrel living in one of the trees in the neighborhood as opposed to understanding the life within the tree itself. Biodiversity refers to the degree of variety of the life forms that exist within a particular area or environment; in this case, the neighborhood consists of a vast variety of plants and animals. After close observation it must be noted that the neighborhood consists of animals like cats, dogs, birds, squirrels, rats, fish in majority. Some other animals would include ducks near the pond in a park in the neighborhood as well as turtles that a few people keep as pets. There are a number of different kinds of trees that provide shade to humans and shelter to animals – notable trees include broad leaf and deciduous trees, hardwood trees, and a few rare conifers in the park. The soil in the park is very well maintained and thus the trees that grow there both help prevent soil erosion as well as protect the soil and ensure its continued fertility. It is possible for the animals like squirrels to survive in these trees and form their homes because of the food that they get from the trees as well as the content of the soil that allows them to live peacefully. The air around the trees is also very pure making it very comfortable for people to enjoy their evenings walking or sitting around near the park and enjoying the scenery of nature. Moreover, the small pond in the park has made it easy for the ducks to survive outside their comfort zone; the water is usually cleaned by the local authorities and thus pure for habitation. However, despite being well maintained, the park is littered by people every now and then. The lack of conscience among people to not litter with plastic, cans and paper needs to be enhanced and awareness needs to be spread to not only not litter the park but also the streets nearby. Some roads are very well kept and adorned with dust bins for people to throw their wastes into however there still are a number of people that do not care enough to keep the environment clean and thus the plant and animal life gets affected by the same. Cats and dogs take to eating garbage and causing a greater amount of litter which needs to be kept in check. They may lead to the spread of harmful diseases too. All in all, the ecosystem that I have chosen to discuss contains a great amount of biodiversity however this is going down, rather has gone down since the last ten years, due to the concretization of the area as discussed before during the course of this paper. Furthermore, the other reasons for the growing decline in biodiversity in the area are the non-willingness to maintain and keep plants in homes as well as outside, the lack of awareness to not litter the place, and also the increase in driving cars and polluting the atmosphere. People also need to be made aware of conserving power and electricity as they are important sources of energy that need to be used well. The overuse of water as well as contamination of the water pond and other water sources in the environment has caused a decline in the number of water based plants and animals that existed earlier, as has been understood by the local authorities that stay in the neighborhood and have observed this growing trend of negative impacts on the ecosystem over the last few years. It has become imperative to train the younger generations to use lesser electricity and water, ride their bicycles in order to not only maintain healthy but also conserve both petrol as well as reduce the amount of contaminants in the atmosphere due to smoke, light less fires, take care of stray animals in the neighborhood and all in all, maintain it as a clean and hygienic place to live in. the lack of biodiversity in the ecosystem has mainly been caused due to man-made influences and thus the onus of recreating and bringing back the plants and animals lies on man. It is every individual’s duty, living in the neighborhood, to lessen his carbon footprint, which is the amount of pollutants and contaminants that he gives out into the air, water and the soil, harming not only himself and other human beings but also the animals and plants around him, and thus making life difficult for them to survive in. References Connect neighborhood gardens to save biodiversity, researchers urge. (2012, January 20).National Geographic. Retrieved August 15, 2012, from http://newswatch.nationalgeographic.com/2010/01/20/connect_neighborhood_gardens_for_biodiversity/ Marcotte, D. (n.d.). Ways to Conserve Ecosystem. eHow. Retrieved August 15, 2012, from http://www.ehow.com/way_5534200_ways-conserve-ecosystems.html Protecting and restoring the Rahway River and its ecosystem . (n.d.). Rahway River Association. Retrieved August 15, 2012, from http://www.rahwayriver.org/neighborhood_biodiversity/neighborhood_biodiversity.html Read More