The Differences between Natural Ecosystems and Agro-Ecosystems
An ecosystem is by definition the processes and interactions of the
biotic community (living organisms) and inorganic component (physical
and chemical features) of a particular environment. In a natural
setting a stable, or climax ecosystem represents a state of natural
equilibrium, whereby all occupant species compete for resources, and
energy and nutrient cycles are balanced. Human farmers effectively
out-compete most natural species for resources, and through select
harvested species export energy and nutrients for consumption
elsewhere; this is an agro-ecosystem or plagioclimax.
An ecosystem unaffected by man has a structure characteristic of its
climatic region, for example deciduous oak woodland in the U.K has a
typical biomass of 30Kgm-2, and an average productivity of 1.2Kgm-2
per year. This reflects the maximum mass of flora and fauna that can
be supported by the climate and soil. However, when such woodland is
cleared and tilled by man new characteristics appear. Arable crops
have a far lower average biomass, wheat is typically 1.6Kgm-2, with
productivity falling to 0.6Kgm-2 per year. This is caused by the loss
of the multi-storey vegetation that photosynthesises at maximum scale
and optimum rate, and in arable fields there is not the habitat to
support faunal species such as woodpeckers and other woodland birds,
resulting in lost animal mass. Livestock farmland is characterised by
similar primary productivity as grassland, but again this is far below
the potential for the temperate climate and fertile soils. In
addition, livestock farming results in a far grea...
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...at may lead to global warming.
It could, however, be argued that with the exponential growth of the
human population intensive agriculture in the long-term reduces the
rate at which new areas of land have to be cultivated, effectively
reducing the need for extensification and environmental damage.
However, the opposing argument suggests that if farming was not only
extensified, but also made sustainable, then the positive ecological
gain would outweigh the loss of some natural habitats. Technology has
provided few suggestions as to how intensive productivist agriculture
could be replaced, and the protest against GM crops is narrowing down
current alternatives. The impact of modern farming on the environment
is certainly damaging, but it provides a tangible and potentially
successful solution to the worlds hunger.
Hydroponics and organic farming, both provide food but there is one difference, one could help you and one could hurt you. Did you know that some of the food you eat doesn't come from the ground? It's true, scientist have come up with a source of farming called hydroponics. Hydroponics consist of water, unnatural sunlight, and unnatural chemicals. The water replaces the soil, the unnatural sunlight replaces the natural sunlight, and the unnatural chemical replaces the nutrients that the soil usually gives off. When eating organically grown food you might start to notice changes in your weight, mood, and even your health. These things may improve because in organic and natural food, there are different kinds of nutrients that help your body
Time and time again it has been seen that human interaction with his/her environment and it’s ecosystems has shown to be increasingly arrogant and self-serving. These endless accounts are proven by the amount of important biological diversity that is being lost to the surrounding environment due to these threats of human development and population growth. There are two forms of these losses of diversity by human hand: direct and indirect. Direct losses would be the destruction of an area needed for human requirements be it social or economical. Examples of these losses would be housing, agriculture, and others. Indirect losses would be those caused by the destruction of an area also needed for the same requirements but the area’s commodities which are valued, water, food, land in general, is needed elsewhere. These losses are few in number compared with those of direct losses yet they are of the greatest importance. They are important because they involve the removal of resources of an area in which other inhabitants are dependent upon. A great example of this regrettable indirect expansion is the loss of the rich habitat of the area known as Owens Valley.
The ecosystem I have chosen is tropical rainforest. In the following paragraphs, I am going to firstly introduced the structure of tropical rainforest in brief, with the second part of the plant ecology and last the diversity within this ecosystem.
Traditional agriculture requires massive forest and grassland removal to obtain land necessary to farm on. Deforestation and overgrazing has caused erosion flooding, and enabled the expansion of deserts. But with drainage systems, leveling, and irrigation provided by the Green Rev, all this terra deforming will unlikely happen again. We can retain clean air and lessen the global warming effect caused by deforestation.Many people argue that a revamp in agriculture will be way too expensive and unrealistic especially for those poor farmers in third world countries. However many times, they exaggerate the price.
My starting point for this paper was the movie Food Inc. directed by Robert Kenner. Although the film’s main purpose was to expose how detrimental today’s food industry is to our health, at the same time I found myself wondering how the food industry and our diets affect the environment. The film mentions how the meat industry takes heavy tolls on the environment because of the land that must be devoted in order to raise livestock—both to grow the food for the animals to eat and to provide a place for the animals to reside. The film also mentions how there are only 4 or 5 major crops that are grown in America—including corn, wheat, and soybean, which are used a lot for animal feed—which decreases America’s biodiversity (Food). All of these things led me to pursue the question: how does our consumption of animal products affect the environment?
Take, for example, that livestock agriculture and the plant-based agriculture specifically used for feeding that livestock utilizes 30 percent of land on Earth. With crops in high demand to feed the many animals that are slaughtered or otherwise used by humans, it's been found that the soil has lost a great deal of its nutritional value and has eroded to the point that, in the United States, nearly 33 percent of topsoil is diminished.
Interactions between human and the ecosystem have been operating for millenniums, and are impossible to eliminate, as each depends on the other in order to survive and flourish. However, as modern technology advances, as well as the increase in the world’s population, the need for natural resources begin to rise to an alarming rate which has started to gradually destroy the ecosystem. Recently, there has been an increase of sea levels in region whilst other rain-bounty areas have begun to experience their first droughts. This phenomenon is known as climate change. Climatologists have concluded that human activity has played a major role in contributing to the changes, therefore requiring extreme measures before this phenomenon evolves into a catastrophe. In this essay, we will discuss human activities that contributed to climate change, as well as addressing possible solutions to the phenomenon.
The aquatic ecosystems are home to some of the most diverse life forms on the planet. From plankton and plants to fish and even to large mammals, the aquatic ecosystem provides shelter to such a diverse range of life that few other ecosystems can ever compare to this large scope. In the aquatic ecosystem, there are many factors that allow for biotic life to flourish. Some of these factors include biodiversity, energy flow, and nutrient cycling. Not only do these factors allow for the prosperity of the aquatic ecosystem function, but also allow for the proper function of the other factors.
Genetically modified food’s, or GMOs, goal is to feed the world's malnourished and undernourished population. Exploring the positive side to GMOs paints a wondrous picture for our planet’s future, although careful steps must be taken to ensure that destruction of our ecosystems do not occur. When GMOs were first introduced into the consumer market they claimed that they would help eliminate the world’s food crisis by providing plants that produced more and were resistant to elemental impacts like droughts and bacterial contaminants, however, production isn’t the only cause for the world’s food crisis. Which is a cause for concern because the population on the earth is growing and our land and ways of agriculture will not be enough to feed everyone sufficiently. No simple solutions can be found or applied when there are so many lives involved. Those who are hungry and those who are over fed, alike, have to consider the consequences of Genetically Modified Organisms. Food should not be treated like a commodity it is a human necessity on the most basic of levels. When egos, hidden agendas, and personal gains are folded into people's food sources no one wins. As in many things of life, there is no true right way or wrong way to handle either of the arguments and so many factors are involved that a ‘simple’ solution is simply not an option.
In the past 50 years, we have drastically changed the environment to meet our growing demands. These alterations are causing major problems in several ecosystems. Living unsustainably, changing natural order, and reversing the degradation of ecosystems are the three main problems we face.
A United Nations report states that land used for animal agriculture, both for grazing and production of crops fed to livestock, takes up an astounding 30% of land on Earth. ("Meat Production Wastes Natural Resources") To meet the industry’s demands, over 260 million acres of forest in the U.S. have been cleared to grow grain fed to farm animals. ("Meat Production Wastes Natural Resources") With that in mind, the meat industry also dumps disease-causing pathogens through animal waste that pollutes water and forces the need for waste lagoons to be constructed, which are susceptible to leaking and flooding. ("Facts about Pollution from Livestock Farms”) Scientists say that about 14% of the world’s greenhouse gases are released by said agriculture industries, which is a growing concern for climate change and global warming. (Silverman) The meat industry uses one-third of all the fossil fuels consumed in the United States. (Moore) There is no question that farming animals has a negative effect on the environment and steps should be taken to mitigate air and water pollution risks and future deforestation. If animal agriculture was phased out, land used for animal grazing could be returned to forest land and some of it converted into fields for cultivating crops for humans. A global shift toward veganism, resulting in the elimination of the meat and animal agriculture industries, would protect the environment from various detrimental effects.
This tendency of developed countries to exceed the minimum standard of living combined with the increasing population is steadily depleting nature’s offerings. The nitrogen cycle, the carbon cycle, and the water cycle have been disrupted as a result of human activity which is destroying the cycle of life.
...o climate change. All of these have caused an impact on the ability to produce crops and grow agriculturally. Climate change has been increasing the number of droughts, floods, health hazards of employees, natural disasters, and sea level elevations. All of these put in danger the crop productivity resulting in famines and food price increments. Climate change affects agriculture in every country differently due to its location. Countries such as Canada and Russia are being affected positively by climate change since it has enabled the country to prosper agriculturally. Other countries cannot handle drastic temperature changes, such as Sudan and Bangladesh, whose agricultural growth has been affected negatively by the climatic changes. Agriculture is fundamental in a country, creating a balance between agriculture and the increasing climatic changes would be ideal.
Agriculture has changed dramatically, especially since the end of World War II. Food and fibre productivity rose due to new technologies, mechanization, increased chemical use, specialization and government policies that favoured maximizing production. These changes allowed fewer farmers with reduced labour demands to produce the majority of the food and fibre.
Biology is an amazing subject because it is the only thing that explains why and how things are supposed to function in life. This essay is going to identify the terrestrial and the aquatic ecosystem with details of the different organization. Also, it is going to explain the population and community. Lastly it is going to differentiate living from non-living by identifying and stating the characteristics of living.