An Report on the Biogeography of Tideswell Dale, Peak District - Coursework Example

A Report on the Biogeography of Tideswell Dale, Peak District. Environmental condition is the of a particular location; it covers both biotic and abiotic factors. They include living elements such as plants and animals as well as non-living elements; soil and water (Healthy Minnesotans 2003). Biological data on the other hand is information collected from living sources and organised into categories for storage (Indian Agricultural Statistics Research Institute 2012). Based on key results obtained, Tideswell is located on a central carboniferous limestone plateau of Peak District (Stroud 2001). Its environment comprises of mainly Woodland dominated by Ash Fraxinus excelsior; Scrub derived from hawthorn Crataegus monogyra and blackthorn Prunus spinora; Grassland rich in meadow oat Avenula Pratense and glaucous sedge Carex flacca; Rock outcrops and Scree occupied by early flowering species of rue-leaved saxifrage and shining cranesbill (Stiles 2012). The soil around Tideswell is mainly Clayey mixed with fine calcarenite limestone (Gatlif 1982). Clay is fine with a diameter of >0.002mm, heavy in nutrients and low in organic matter. Chemically clay soil comprises alluminosilicates [Al4Si4O10 (OH) 8] and is of alkaline pH (Royal Horticultural Society 2011). The soil in Tideswell has provided optimum conditions for the growth and development of vegetation and other living organisms, most notable, the hole nesting redstart bird (Stroud 2001) in its environment. According to Redfield (1958), interactions of organisms and their environment is reciprocal; the environment regulates the conditions for existence of life and the organisms influence the settings of the environment. Environmental conditions dictate organism species, their distribution and interaction and in turn the organisms impact the environment by changing the flow of energy, water and nutrients. Almost all environments on the planet are inhabited by an organism/organism and each offers resources that govern endurance and breeding of present species. Carbon, Nitrogen and Phosphorous are essential to all living organisms; they form vital structures of biomolecules such as proteins, starch and Genetic material and act as nutrients in food. Nitrogen forms 78% of the atmosphere yet the concentration of its usable form (Nitrate, NO32-) for plants varies within soil (Malmstom 2010). Water is equally important as it is required by all living cells; it is however available in different forms – frozen in cold environments and warm in hot environments – organisms will thus adapt to retain water in their cells. Availability of water and nutrients in usable form will determine the species of organism that inhabit an environment (Redfield 1958). Physical attributes of an environment like density of the surface and temperature will also determine the distribution of organisms. Consequently aquatic mammals like the stellar sea lion have developed streamline bodies that enable them to move in water; organisms will also freeze in low temperatures and overheat in high temperatures losing function, species have thus adapted to extreme temperatures by growing unusually thick fur, avoiding direct sunlight and transpiring large amounts of water for warming up and cooling respectively (Malmstrom 2010). Organisms interact differently among themselves shaping an environment. In competition, organisms go for a common resource that is scarce. Competition may be intraspecific (among members of the same species) or interspecific (across different species). Organisms they employ strategies like spreading disease to weaken the competitor (Malmstrom 2010). Predation is interaction where one individual (the predator) attacks to eat another (the prey); it typically occurs across different species, when it occurs among members of the same species, it is called cannibalism (Lang & Benbow 2013). Symbiosis is interaction where two or more species of organisms live in close contact for mutual gain; it can be further broken into mutualism, commensalism and parasitism (Lang & Benbow 2013). Mutualism is an interaction where both or all the organisms in contact benefit from interaction; an example is seen among the leaf cutter ant and a certain species of fungi. Parasitism is interaction where only one of the organisms in interaction benefits and the other is harmed whereas commensalism is interaction where one organism benefits from the interaction and the other neither benefits or receives harm (Lang & Benbow 2013). Climatic factors such as rainfall, temperature, humidity and atmospheric pressure together with soil factors which include pH, temperature, moisture, organic matter and micro-organisms greatly influence plant distribution. The reciprocal action of climatic and soil factors create an ecosystem habitable only to plant species with suitable adaptation. It may favour the ‘invasion’ of an ecosystem by a foreign species of plants; as these conditions suit an alien species of plants, the inbred species becomes less adapted to their original environment. According to Dinyar (2001) in this ‘invasion’, some species associations are lost, this is because plants move and acclimatize to different environments at different rates. Migration of plants due to a change in climate and soil factors may leave a distinct species of plants vulnerable to extinction; those plants with long biorhythm and slow dispersion rates are left to compete with new species, they eventually become squeezed among the new ecosystem and slowly die off. The genetic make-up of plants may also change in response to changing climate and soil factors (Dinyar 2001) Britain’s natural flower; the blue bell – a bulbous spring flowering plant that creates a beautiful blue have in woodlands where it grows, widely distributed within the country – Hyacinthoides non-scripta has become a vulnerable species due to invasion by its half bred counterpart the Spanish bluebell (Wilson 2001). Due to climate change and subsequent change in soil factors, the Quiver tree Aloe dichotoma is at risk from an intruding desert in Northern Cape Province of South Africa. This tree thrives in cool climates thus prevailing hot and dry climate escorted by reduced soil fertility, organic matter and moisture content conditions witnessed on Northern Cape are subjecting it to stress brought about by climate change (Cherry 2005) Disturbance is an occurrence in time that brings about change in an ecosystem, community or population. It alters resources, available substrates and the physical environment (White & Pickett 1985). Examples of a disturbance are; - storms, oil spills, fires, volcanic eruptions and land clearance. According to White & Pickett (1985), disturbances affecting an ecosystem can be characterized by various parameters: kind, spatial characteristics, temporal characteristics, specificity, magnitude and synergisms. Kind refers to the type of disturbances, which vary with climate, topography, substrate and biota. Spatial characteristics are the area, shape, and spatial distribution of patches created by disturbances. Temporal characteristics are the frequency, return interval, cycle, and rotation period of disturbances. Specificity is the correlations between a type of disturbance and specific characteristics of disturbed sites, such as species, size class, serial stage and location. Magnitude includes the physical force per event per area per time and severity, the impact on organisms and ecosystem. Synergisms are the interactions among different kinds of disturbances.  Disturbance is likely to; - a) Change biodiversity where organisms from affected environments seek to colonize new and more habitable habitats. An example is burrowing animals may not adapt to an aquatic environment during a flood and will thus flee seeking new environments to settle. b) Facilitate the emergence of new habitats, ecosystems and communities. c) Facilitate invasion of environments by alien species of organisms. d) Change the landscape; - a disturbance occurrence may change configuration of affected land. e) Change soil factors; factors such as organic matter, pH, temperature, micro-organisms and moisture content. f) Clear vegetation. Soil nutrients commonly increase as mean annual precipitation increases. Conditions of elevated levels of soil moisture result in greater biomass production, which provides more residues, and thus more potential food for soil biota. Soil biological activity requires air and moisture. Optimal microbial activity occurs at near “field capacity”, which is equivalent to 60-percent water-filled pore space (Linn and Doran, 1984). On the other hand, periods of water saturation lead to poor aeration. Most soil organisms need oxygen, and thus a reduction of oxygen in the soil leads to a reduction of the mineralization rate as these organisms become inactive or even die. Some of the transformation processes become anaerobic, which can lead to damage to plant roots caused by waste products or favourable conditions for disease-causing organisms (Linn and Doran, 1984). Some key ecological principles are; Growth and development, Energy flow, Diversity, Behaviour and Regulation. Growth and development shows the way organisms, communities and systems increase in size. This increase triggers changes that allow their survival. When carrying capacity is attained, growth rate reduces due to stress caused on the now limited resources; Energy flow describes transformation of energy across trophic levels and interaction of organisms in an environment; Diversity describes the changes that occur in an environment that leads to variety at each level of organization; Behaviour describes how living organisms adapt their responses to changing conditions in their environment to enhance survival and Regulation describes the maintenance of balance within an environment as signals are passes within a system (Mengak, Routledge & McDonald 2009). In conservation management, the above principles imply reproduction and competition; heat exchange, food chains and thermodynamics; land use, genetics and survival; dispersal, pest control and predator-prey interaction; Feedback loops and organismal systems respectively (Mengak, Routledge & McDonald 2009) REFERENCE Cherry, M 2005, Ministers agree to act on warnings of soaring temperatures in Africa. Nature, 473(1217). Dinyar, G 2001, The No-Nonsense guide to climate change, 2nd edn. New Internationalists, Oxford. Gatlif, R W 1982, Limestone and dolomite resources of the country around Tideswell. Institute of Geological Science, London. Healthy Minnesotans 2003, Environmental conditions. Environmental protection Agency, Minnesota. Indian Agricultural Statistics Research Institute 2012, Biological Databases. Indian Agricultural Statistics Research Institute, New Delhi. Lang, J M & Benbow, M E 2013, Species interaction: Competition. Nature, Education, Knowledge 4 (4): 8. Malmstrom, C 2010, Ecologists study the interaction of organisms and their environment. Nature, Education, Knowledge 3(10): 88. Mengak, T M Rutledge, E H & McDonald B 2009, Ecological Principles – A unifying theme in Environmental Education. Journal of Extension, 47(5). Redfield, A C 1958, Biological control of chemical factors in the environment. American Scientist, New York. Royal Horticultural Society 2011, Clay soils. Royal Horticultural Society, London. Stiles, K 2012, Results for Ecological Data Search, Derbyshire. The Wildlife Trusts. Stroud, G 2001, Derbyshire Extensive urban Survey Archaeological Assessment Report. Archaeological data service, Tideswell. White, P S & Pickett S T A 1985, Natural Disturbance and Patch Dynamics: An introduction. In: The Ecology of Natural Disturbance and Patch Dynamics (Eds Pickett S T A & White P S) PP 3 -13. Academic Press, New York. Read More