Ecology

the study of the relationship between plants and animals and their environment. Ecology is also known as bionomics and is concerned with, for example, predator-prey relationships, population dynamics and competition between species.

Taken from Dictionary of Science

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Ecology (from Greek: οἶκος, "house" ; -λογία, "study of") is the interdisciplinary scientific study of the interactions between organisms and their environment. Ecology is also the study of ecosystems. Ecosystems describe the web or network of relations among organisms at different scales of organization. Since ecology refers to any form of biodiversity, ecologists can conduct research on the smallest bacteria to the global flux of atmospheric gases that are regulated by photosynthesis and respiration as organisms breath in and out of the biosphere.

Ecology is a recent discipline that emerged from the natural sciences in the late 19th century. Ecology is not synonymous with environment, environmentalism, or environmental science. Ecology is closely related to the disciplines of physiology, evolution, genetics and behavior.

Like many of the natural sciences, a conceptual understanding of ecology is found in the broader details of study, including:

• life processes explaining adaptations

• distribution and abundance of organisms

• the movement of materials and energy through living communities

• the successional development of ecosystems, and

• the abundance and distribution of biodiversity in context of the environment.

Ecology is distinguished from natural history, which deals primarily with the descriptive study of organisms. It is a sub-discipline of biology, which is the study of life.

There are many practical applications of ecology in conservation biology, wetland management, natural resource management (agriculture, forestry , fisheries), city planning (urban ecology), community health, economics, basic & applied science and it provides a conceptual framework for understanding and researching human social interaction (human ecology).

Taken from Wikipedia

Taxis

(plural taxes) the movement of a cell or organism in response to a stimulus in environment. This stimulus may be temperature (thermotaxis), light (phototaxis), gravity (geotaxis) or chemical (CHEMOTAXIS).

Taken from Dictionary of Science

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A taxis (plural taxes, pronounced /ˈtæksiːz/) is an innate behavioral response by an organism to a directional stimulus or gradient of stimulus intensity. A taxis differs from a tropism (turning response, often growth towards or away from a stimulus) in that the organism has motility and demonstrates guided movement towards or away from the stimulus source. It is sometimes distinguished from a kinesis, a non-directional change in activity in response to a stimulus that results in the migration toward or away from a stimulus.

Taken from Wikipedia

PLANET EARTH NEEDS YOU!

If you’re concerned about our planet, but not sure what to do, here are nine ways you can help save the environment.

By Rick L. Shallenberger

“The earth is slowly dying, and the inconceivable—the end of life itself—is actually becoming conceivable.”

These words, spoken by Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands, reflect the thinking of people worldwide.

Surveys among young people in the United States and Europe reveal that you are concerned about the environment and for good cause.

Look around you. Chances are you are surrounded by air pollution. You may have to drink filtered or bottled water because the water in your area is polluted.

Landfills around the world are filling up and we are running out of places to put our garbage. It is a serious concern for many nations, especially the United States.

Many lakes and streams are no longer fit for swimming or fishing. Much of the pollution is caused by waste being dumped into the streams and a general lack of care.

You’ve probably heard of the forests being cut down in South America and Alaska. This leads to the extinction of animals and insects that may not have even been discovered yet.

What can you do?

While you can't solve all the world's pollution problems, you can make a difference in helping to save the environment. Too many people think they can't change anything, but that's just not true.

No matter where you are, you do make a difference. The average person in the United States, Canada and Britain discards three to four pounds (up to 1.8 kilograms) of refuse-- daily. The West Germans discard about 2 pounds (.9 kilograms) and the Italians 1.5 pounds (.7 kilograms). Most of that ends up in landfills.

Here is a list of nine things you can do to lessen your personal impact on our endangered ecosystem.

1. Cut down on your trash. Trash can often be reused, repaired or made available to others. Your trash can be another's treasure.

Before you throw something away, whether old clothes, shoes, albums or toys, offer it to someone else.

There are organizations that make used clothing available to the needy. These include charities such as Goodwill Industries and the Salvation Army.

One organization in the United States is looking for old tennis shoes. They clean and relace them and make them available to the homeless. (Those in the United States can send them to World Shoe Relief, P.O. Box 423, Trabuco Canyon, CA 92678.)

2. Up to 18 percent of trash is yard waste. Grass clippings, leaves and vegetable waste can be put into a compost heap. This can be used as mulch and fertilizer for plants and gardens. Talk to your parents about composting your yard waste.

3. Recycle all you can. Check around for places to recycle glass, cans, plastic, newspapers and other paper products such as magazines, junk mail and cardboard.

One archaeologist from the University of Arizona was digging through an old landfill and found a newspaper from 1951. It was still readable after being buried 37 years.

Things generally do not decompose in landfills. We need to recycle all we can.

4. Don't litter. Litter really damages the environment. Plastic is especially harmful because it doesn't decompose for years, if at all. Many animals choke and suffocate on it.

5. Make a habit of cleaning up messes with rags rather than paper towels. Rags can be washed and reused. On the other hand, most paper towels end up in landfills.

6. Car pool, walk, ride your bike or use public transportation to and from school or work. Walking and riding a bike are good exercise and don't pollute the air.

Driving is something we all look forward to, but every car on the road adds to air pollution. Save driving for special or must drive occasions.

7. Plant a tree. (Check with your parents first.) Trees absorb carbon dioxide and every one planted helps cut down on air pollution.

Trees can also save your family in heating and cooling costs. They also help prevent soil erosion and add beauty.

8. Avoid purchasing endangered plants or animals or products made from these species. The extinction of any species can have a serious effect on the ecology. Even things as small as earrings or rings can have products made from endangered species.

The world's lust for ivory has all but wiped out the elephant populations in Africa.

9. Organize a cleanup party. Get a group of friends or your church group to clean up a park or an empty lot in your town. (Check with the owner first.) Recycle what you can and dispose of the trash.

While you can't solve all the world's pollution problems, you can make a difference...

These are just a few things you can do to help the earth. You can make a difference.

Taken from Youth 90 magazine