Ecology and Environment - Research Paper Example

Ecology and Environment Introduction The term ecology is a word that was derived from Greek. Its translation refers to the study of the existence ofliving organism in reference to their immediate environment. It fundamentally refers to the study of the relation that exists between living organisms to one another in an ecosystem. Living organisms are countless in every habitat; they range from such basic organisms as plants to human beings. The manners in which these organisms relate to one another define life. It is in these systems that they derive their food, which has to be other organisms or plants, thus, developing a food chain. They also excrete and this leads to the buildup of toxins in the ecosystem. However, in an interesting twist, it is the very organisms that have ways of cleaning up the environment from their excrements. However, this status quo is interrupted by human activities. Humans are the most advanced organisms in the ecosystem; unlike other organisms that adapt to their environment, humans normally try to make their environment adapt to their needs. In this attempt to unbalance nature, effects of human activities are always more detrimental than any other. These would include such drastic effects as deforestation and the nowadays much publicized global worming (Druskat & Pescosolido, 1998). My surrounding is an exciting place full of life and activities. Organisms live and interact with one another freely. However, occasionally, there would always be conflicts within the ecosystem. A highly agricultural terrain with lots of vegetation to show for it, the cool wet climate ensures that tea, coffee, pyrethrum, and other crops do well and are, therefore, planted in large scale. A lake lies to the eastern end and to the southern border lies a game reserve. These two are representations of the existence of all spheres of life in this ecosystem. All the basic needs that any organism would need lie within range. The presence of us humans, however, complicates issues. With humans always wanting large trunks of arable lands for themselves, they would go to any length to get what they want. This would always see to it that more animals are killed as others migrate from the area in an attempt to seek further hunting fields. From time to time, this has seen the extinction of some indigenous animals as previous reports show. It does not also escape my observation that humans too normally suffer from the conflict that results within the ecosystem; these conflict would often result in the death of humans. Such diseases as malaria are spread by mosquitoes, which are organisms that must derive their daily meal from humans. Malaria is responsible for plenty of infant deaths in the region and this would just be the tip of the iceberg. In the course of daily human activities, snakebites occasionally are reported resulting in deaths in some cases. An edge that humans always have over these other organisms is the fact that they are innovators, crafty, and often dominating. This ensures that few humans fall victims to the conflicts within the ecosystem. For instance, humans have drugs that would treat ailments that would affect their comfortable stay in the given ecosystem. In addition, humans invented ways of eliminating the organisms that would pose threat to their survival. Killing such beastly animals as buffalos from gunshots and spraying pesticides on crops are just but examples of the ways that humans use to eliminate risk from their environs. This tendency of man eliminating his risks has resulted in higher population of humans in the ecosystem at the expense of other organisms. A description of my environment would be elaborate. It is a place with modern apartments with social amenities that include schools, social halls, and health facilities. Humans are the majority of all the organisms that live around. The park talked of earlier offers sanctuary to close to a thousand different species of organisms ranging from worms to moles. The presence of a conservation and a recreation park are a show of the fact that vegetation also forms a greater part of the ecosystem. There are large trunks of plantations, which are responsible for the plenty of food that the region produces. Human population has significantly increased over the years. Seeing that the region risked losing its wild organisms, the government did set up the conservation park to offer homes to some of the organisms. To replace the wild animals, the little families that settled in the region and appreciated its climate introduced domestic animals. This is responsible for the high number of cows, goats and sheep besides pigs that graze the vast landscape. The introduction of these animals culminated in more conflicts between humans and the other wild animals. In attempt to get their meals, wild animals such as hyenas, wild dogs, and leopards would always attack the grazing cows and goats. Humans had to fight back to protect their animals. This resulted in the deaths of some of the wild animals. This is one of the reasons that could be attributed to the near extinction of some species. Settlement of humans in the region has affected the wild life in the region. Humans clear land to set up structures within which they live. In clearing land, tress and shrubs are trampled upon or uprooted. Organisms such as worms and ants fall victim to these structures. In clearing fields and playing grounds for them, more trees are cut and this has impacted the region negatively. Large machines that release carbon monoxide to the air pollute the environment. The toxic gas can only be recycled back into useful oxygen by the very trees that humans cut to grow crops, build homes, and playing grounds. The build up of this poisonous gas in the atmosphere results in rise in temperature, a phenomenon referred to as global warming. In finding more arable land, humans have always had the tendency of invading forested regions, and felling the trees to give way for the crop. This has had adverse effects on the ecosystems of these regions. The trees form a tight grip for the soil on which other vegetation grow. The soil also provides habitation to millions of worms and ants. When the soil is loosened when the trees are cut, rains wash away the top soil through a phenomenon referred to as erosion. Erosion results into the loss of the fertile top soil, which renders the soil more unlikely to support any other vegetation including trees (Joel 2004). Regions like these are left to survive only on fertilizers for them to do better agriculturally. Subsequent erosions wash away these fertilizers and pesticides sprayed on the crops. The eroded chemicals find their way to streams and rivers whose waters are used for consumption by other organisms downstream. This has always led to deaths of unsuspecting organisms. Furthermore, some of the chemicals are normally non-biodegradable. This means that they stay in the soil for as long as millions of years and their effects are still as detrimental as they were primarily meant to be. Global warming as a concept whose rationale had been explained earlier, has had profound negative effect in the region. The change in climate can be traced to human activities and global warming. The short rain period that would come from August to December is now no more. The period is characterized with lengthy spells of drought until December, a time within which it rains heavily. The rain does not give space for land preparation and planting. Instead, it gives rise to destruction of property with instances of floods being repotted from one region to another. The long rainy season that would run from January to around July is no more too. The December rains halt in January. Farming, which was the backbone of the economy of the region, is now in indetermination. Farmers are now left to carry out farming based on their abilities to water their crops, fertilize their lands, and spray pesticides to their crops. The use of these chemicals leads to more build up of the toxic substances into the ecosystem casting gloom into the future. A glimpse into the future leaves nothing worth being proud of. Farmers use more chemicals and machines. More carbon monoxide is, thus, released into the environment. The lake in the area, for instance, has been affected too. During the rainy season, the level of the lake threatens the survival of those living around. The little efforts the government is making in terms of planting more trees and offering sanctuary to animals would not bear more fruits as the effects of the global warming are more severe. It is an international obligation; governments world over must see to it that their countries regulate emissions of greenhouse gases. References Druskat, F., & Pescosolido, K.(1998).Effective Environmental Management. New York: Mc Gaw Hill. Joel, E. (2004). The twenty first century pandemic; global warming. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Kevin, M. (1998). Climatic Changes; its causes and consequences. New York; Sage. Read More