Human Geography Essay

12

Assignment #3

Wenqing Zhao

QUESTION 1:

All living organisms during and after their life cycle relate to the environment in one way or another. The study if this is what is referred to as ecology. It aims at defining the relationship that all living things have with their environment; from humans to animals and lastly to plants. Through studying ecology, the already established connection between animals, humans, plants, and the general environment can be fully comprehended and supported.

It does not end there, it goes beyond to include how these living things adjust to their geographical and social environments. That is why it involves various levels of study which are; organism, population, community, biosphere, and ecosystem. All these can be classified into biotic and abiotic components of the environment, which form the backbone of what ecologists do.

Biotic components of the environment are simply the living features which are plants, bacteria, fungi, animals, etc. while the abiotic components are the non-living factors of the environment e.g. soil, air, water, etc. put together, they all form the ecosystem, which is basically the bubble of life, where all components of life exist together.

Ecology focuses on the forces that arise from complex interactions leading to selective pressures and eventually natural selection, this is what eventually causes evolution. The 5 types of ecology;

· Global Ecology

· Landscape Ecology

· Ecosystem Ecology

· Community Ecology

· Population Ecology

QUESTION 2 (a):

grassland ecosystem

precipitation

/ / / / /rain / / / / / / photosynthesis water cycle

Primary producer secondary producer

decomposition

Soil and grass

QUESTION 2 (b):

Grassland ecosystems have average moisture and rainfall is consistent. The precipitation is mostly through rainfall which is the source of life in such an ecosystem. All the components of this kind of ecosystem depend mostly on rainfall. The water cycle is continuous as rainwater is absorbed into the soil. Bearing both biotic and abiotic factors in grassland ecosystems (Dana, 2018), it provides a habitat for soil organisms. The texture allows water to flow through it, which is also absorbed by the plants which are producers. Plants absorb the water and use it to make food. In addition, the energy from the sunshine is used by the plant together with the water absorbed from the soil for photosynthesis.

Through this, the goats that are in the representation above become the primary consumers. They eat directly from the plants which in this case are the grass and the tree which produce leaves that goats graze on. Secondary and tertiary consumers exist in a grassland ecosystem in the form of carnivores and hawks respectively. They complete the food chain, therefore living things are all catered for.

Decomposition takes place on the grass and in the soil. In a grassland ecosystem, the organic matter comes from the animal waste which in this case is the goat, it also comes from plant waste which is basically the dead leaves that fall from the trees. All these are acted upon by the fungi, aerobic and anaerobic soil bacteria which are all constituted underground. They are responsible for releasing the minerals back into the soil. The minerals are at this point in their usable forms meaning they will be taken in as nutrients by the plants and animals. The nutrient cycle is important for plant and animal survival, the ecosystem cannot be complete without the availability of the bacteria which convert minerals and nutrients.

The abiotic components of this ecosystem cannot be seen but they do actually exist. The carbon cycle, hydrogen in the air, nitrogen in the soil, etc. all have a purpose. Without a continuous supply of the same or rather their existence in the atmosphere then there is a guaranteed collapse of the ecosystem. Sunlight as the main source of energy in the ecosystem aids in the processes of conversion of such factors to usable form by the consumers.

the main function of this ecosystem is productivity. The producers utilize the energy from the sun and produce complex organic matter which is essential for the survival of the components of the ecosystem. The minerals contribute to this process. This means that at the end of the day, plants will have their food which is in form of nutrients absorbed from the soil, and at the same time, the animals which are mostly herbivores will also have grass to graze on. The secondary and tertiary consumers may be present depending on the seasons.

The grassland ecosystem is one of the simplest ecosystems among all the other 5 ecosystems and easiest to understand.

QUESTION 3:

Biomass

Biomass is the organic material that comes from living things; both animals and plants. It contains stored chemical energy that is released from the sun. it can be converted to energy through direct combustion for heat or it can also be converted to renewable both gaseous and liquid fuels by way of various processes. Its sources for energy include the following; Agricultural plants/crops and waste materials, human waste and animal manure, biogenic materials, and wood.

GPP

Also referred to as GPP, Gross Primary Productivity is the rate at which energy from the sun or rather solar energy is captured in the sugar molecules when plants make food (photosynthesis). Scholarly, it is defined as; ‘energy captured per unit area per unit time’. This energy that is produced by the plant and other living organisms is used for metabolism, growth, and development.

NPP

Net Primary Productivity is the rate at which the energy gets stored in the form of biomass by producers which are primarily plants and animal waste, and then availed to the consumers who exist in the ecosystem. Basically, it is the rate at which plants absorb the energy from the source (sun) and release it in the form of biomass.

Factors influencing productivity in Terrestrial Ecosystems

Terrestrial ecosystems are only found on landforms, they include rainforests, tundras, deserts, grasslands, etc. productivity in these systems is affected by the following key factors;

1. Moisture

2. Temperature

Seasonal and periodic variations depicted on a year by year basis have an influence on the net primary productivity of terrestrial ecosystems across the globe. Disturbance, climate, and ecological succession cause changes in primary production. Highly humid areas are bound to be more productive than those with less humidity. In addition, high temperature means less moisture and therefore less productivity rate. Examples are how tropical rain forests being that they have warm and wet conditions, are highly productive in the terrestrial ecosystems. However, desserts and generally dry areas are low-productivity ecosystems.

QUESTION 4:

Historical ecology is basically a research that is based on the concepts and methods for studying the cycle of relationships between the living organisms and their environment since the beginning of time. It focuses on finding out how the various components of the ecosystems related in the previous centuries through archaeological, environmental, historical, ethnographic, and other records which are not short or evidence of relations between the biotic and abiotic features of the system (Carol, 2014). It has a definition of ecology where humans are the backbone of ecosystems and are a component of all ecosystems. For example humans existed for thousands of years back and ate from plants which have always been the source of food, while the sun has always existed to enable plants to carry out photosynthesis.

Open systems in ecology are those systems that are open to external interactions. They relate with the external features of their environment and do not function independently as they depend on the whole system. It is a system where matter moves in and out. Here energy can be transferred between the system and the environment. Examples of open systems are biological organisms that exchange energy with their surroundings.

Closed systems on the other hand are those that cannot or are not in a position to transfer matter to their surroundings. They do not consume then release energy to the environment like open systems. Matter exchange in such systems is only within and does not involve the external features of the system (Alida, 2020). An example of such a system is green algae.

The nutrient cycle is a description of the process through which nutrients move from the physical environment which is the external part of the ecosystem, into the living organisms which actually utilize this and then back into the physical environment. It is a vital function of the ecology of any ecosystem and it determines the survival of the same (Katharina, 2020). An example is the basic nutrient cycle which involves rainwater which leads to plant growth that produces food for humans and animals who then release waste that is also the energy used by the system. It is a continuous process.

Nitrogen fixation is the reduction of atmospheric nitrogen through a natural process or an industrial process to a form of nitrogen which includes nitrates, nitrites, ammonia, etc. in the natural form it cannot be used by living organisms like plants and therefore the processes enable its usage by living organisms. An example of nitrogen fixation is Symbiotic Nitrogen Fixation where symbiotic plants partner with the host plant to aid in the process (Stephen, 2011).

QUESTION 5:

Traditional knowledge are what humans have known since time immemorial, they have no specific definitions or scholarly precedence but are facts. Unlike western scientific knowledge that is back by the presence of evidence that is research-based and majorly scholarly. Before science advanced, the evolved man understood changes in the ecosystem using their basic knowledge and senses. Western scientific knowledge can arguably be agreed to just supplement the knowledge that has always been there.

Climate change like global warming could be foretold by ancient man. Traditional knowledge could define the changes a climate without basically requiring instruments to tell why. Indigenous and local understandings of the phenomenon are what brought about the industrial revolution. It provided a reason for conducting studies. Basically, the two depend on each other. They all focused on identifying changes in the ecosystem, and finding out why, the only difference is that western scientific knowledge is more qualitative and quantitative thus a lot more sophisticated than traditional knowledge.

Research by Matera & Jaime (2020) is perfect proof that both traditional knowledge and western scientific knowledge are important in solving natural calamities like global warming. The research seeks to find the link between the old knowledge and the new scientific knowledge, and use it to define the current occurrence, and subsequently come up with the perfect solution that will save humanity from extinction. Both knowledges has a part to play in this century and western science would not exist if not for traditional knowledge.

Skills and procedures in both indigenous and western scientific knowledge are similar. They both involve; pattern recognition, prediction and interference, verification via repetition, and finally empirical observation in natural settings. The way of acquiring extra knowledge about a phenomenon or a situation is systematic and relies on the physical nature of the occurrence. Without actually seeing and through observing, then both knowledge would not exist.

There is no knowledge without study, and in this case, the sources of both traditional knowledge and western scientific knowledge are the same. They all relied on animals, plants and, ecosystems. By observing the behaviors of each and every single component of the ecosystem, analyzing it and, evaluating it, there is the acquisition of knowledge (Stuart, Patricia, Orville & Lily, 2013). Properties and motions of objects and materials, coupled by the cycles and changes that exist in the earth systems are all transformed into knowledge and have existed qualitatively, subjectively and, quantitatively since time immemorial.

Experimentation forms the basis of knowledge. For information to stick and be transformed into knowledge, the occurrences must be proven. Here, the scientific knowledge carries more water, however, traditional knowledge also has a part to play. All in all, experimentation has always been there and we cannot start to prove that it only happens scientifically. There are various forms of experimentations which if the research was to go by, have always been consistent. They all lead to the same findings even if not the same but similar at some point. This means they are more of related than they are non-related.

Therefore, it is arguably wrong to suggest that one of the two is superior of inferior to the other, since they are more alike that different and can be used independently to solve problems in the current world as it is.

References

Alida, C. (2020). Open System in Management: Definition & Example

Dana, S. (2018). Biotic and Abiotic Factors in the Savanna Grassland.

Katharina, C. (2020). The Nutrient Cycle. Retrieved from: https://sswm.info/arctic-wash/module-2-environment-pollution-levels-implications/further-resources-environment-and/the-nutrient-cycle

Matera & Jaime. (2020). Bridging Traditional and Scientific Knowledge of Climate Change: Understanding Change Through the Lives of Small Island Communities. anthropology Program, California State University Channel Islands, 1 Universtiy Dr, 93012, Camarillo, CA, USA

Stuart, C., Patricia, C., Orville, H. & Lily, R. (2013). Traditional Knowledge and Wisdom: A Guide for Understanding and Shaping Alaskan Social-Ecological Change.

Shakeel, A. (2019). What is Grassland Ecosystem? Environment and Ecology. Retrieved from: https://www.jagranjosh.com/general-knowledge/grassland-ecosystem-components-structure-and-economic-importance-1556176113-1

Stephen, C. (2011). Biological Nitrogen Fixation. Nature Education Knowledge 3(10):15. Retrieved from: https://www.nature.com/scitable/knowledge/library/biological-nitrogen-fixation-23570419/