The Effects of Competition, Predation and Disturbance - Essay Example

Introduction There are different processes that can affect the survival of the different organism in a biological community. Included in the processes are competition, predation and other forms of disturbances. In the research undertaken, the main objectives include the definition and presentation of the effects of the said processes and the models that are used to predict such effects in natural systems. These concepts are considered important in the study and understanding of ecological processes. Definition and Effects of the Different Processes The different biological interactions in an ecological community include predation, competition and disturbance. Predation can be defined as a form of species interaction between a predator and a prey population. The predator is the population that attacks and hunts the prey population for survival. The process of predation ultimately leads to the death of the prey in cases which are either intentionally or unintentionally and also directly or indirectly undertaken by the predator. The said process then can be defined as consumption of the prey population. There are different types of predation that is undertaken by the four types of predators namely the true predators, the grazers, the parasitoids and the parasites. The said classification is based on the type of action wherein the process of predation is completed (Begon, Townsend and Harper, 2006). The process of predation can result into different effects which can either be beneficial or detrimental to the prey population, predator population and the ecosystem in general. One of the most important effects of predation is the maintenance of balance between species population by prevention of the domination of a single type of organism in a community. The said process can be attributed to the action undertaken by the predators. For that matter, predation can be beneficial to the predators. On the other hand, the prey population is the main group that can achieve the detrimental effects of the process of predation. Although this is the case, due to the interactions of the different organisms in an ecosystem as exemplified by the food web and food chain, an organism can be a prey of a larger species while at the same time a predator of a smaller species. This process of interaction is the main cause for the achievement of the ultimate balance in the ecosystem (Botkin and Keller, 2003). One of the ways to better understand the predator-prey interaction is through the use of the Lotka-Voltera model. The said model is based on the propositions that include: the increase of the birth rate (B1) of the predator population (N1) is directly proportional to the increase of the prey population (N2) and that the death rate (D2) increases due to the increase in the number of the predator population. d N1/dt = (B1 N2 - D1) N1 d N2/dt = (B2 – D2N1) N2 In addition, the population of the predator based on birthrate is dependent to the number of prey or food although the death rate is independent to the said factor. The said model is a simplistic view of the basic effects of predation in an ecosystem. It is important to consider that there is a complex interaction of factors and processes that can affect the survival of any type of organism such as population movement or emigration, limitations due to the carrying capacity of the environment and the genetic changes and adaptation mechanisms (Van Driesche and Bellows, 1996; Wilson and Bossert, 1971). In an ecosystem through, aside from predation, there are other processes that are needed to be taken into consideration to be able to achieve a holistic view. Included in the said processes are the competition and disruption that can result due to other organisms or due to the action of different factors in the physical environment. Competition is an ecological process between organisms of the ecosystem which can either be of the same species, the same niche or the same needs for territory and resources. Such relationship can be considered antagonistic between participating population due to the fact that the object or cause of competition cannot be shared which can be exemplified by supplies of water, food and even mate (Begon, Townsend and Harper, 2006). The said process can also be observed in human population but in a wider variety of causes which often pertain to the survival in the modern technological environment. There are different types of competition namely interspecific competition and intraspecific competition. The interspecific competition occurs between and among population of organisms that belong in different taxonomic classification. The main reason for the said type of competition is the same need for a particular resource required for survival. The effect of the said type of competition is the improvement of the capability of the involved population to survive in the particular environment. In addition, competition is a good tool to be able to determine the organism fittest to occupy a particular niche. Intraspecific competition is the type of competition for certain resource or territory of organisms of the same species. One of the most important examples is with regards to the method of reproduction. For higher organisms that reproduce through the form of sexual reproduction, competition in finding a mate is the most significant example. Through competition between males of the same population to get the female or the other way around, the most capable individual will get the chance to pass on the genetic characteristic through reproduction, thus, exemplifying the most common cliché in ecology which is the survival of the fittest (Begon, Townsend and Harper, 2006; Botkin and Keller, 2003). To be able to capture the environmental occurrences through quantification of data, models are used. One of the examples of a model pertaining to the effects of competition in a population is the logistic model which focuses on the intrinsic exponential growth in the population size of organisms which can occur in the absence of the effects of different factors such as food or survival resources. Based on the said model, the food resource can limit the growth of the population due to the fact that in the significant reduction of resources due to reaching a particular value equivalent to the carrying capacity of the environment, the competition puts stress to the members of the population causing them to fight for survival. The said model then presents the sigmoidal growth curve representing the limiting effect of the carrying capacity of the environment as compared to the exponential growth that can theoretically occur in the absence of the interaction of the population with other groups of organisms. The said process of species interaction, represented in the logistic model, is one of the important processes to balance the number of every species in nature (Begon, Townsend and Harper, 2006). Another ecological occurrence that can affect the survival of the organisms in an ecosystem is the different forms of disturbances. These disturbances can be natural or man-made in nature such as flood, earthquake and fire that can be related to climate, weather and geographical location. These phenomena can be considered periodic due to the fact that it can affect an ecosystem in a cyclic manner due to the interaction of the different environmental factors. Such conditions in the natural environment are meant to control the population of the different organism thus resulting to the balance in the components of the environment. On the other hand, there are disturbances that are not naturally occurring such as the presence of human and species of organism that are not endemic to the ecosystem. Such introduction and occurrence of different forms of disturbance can alter the basic characteristics of the ecosystem (Begon, Townsend and Harper, 2006; Botkin and Keller, 2003). The main effects then of the disturbances in an ecosystem are the changes that can occur in the physical and biological components. For that matter, the introduction of such factors can force the organism to adapt and survive for the main cause of being fit to the resulting environment. Conclusion Based on the study of the different processes occurring in an ecological system, though beneficial or detrimental, it can be concluded to have important role in the balance of nature and the proper functioning of ecosystems. This is the basic lesson that should be learned by human beings to be able to prevent the subjective judgment of what can be good or bad for the environment. The natural process is well organized and balanced. Deaths and births of organisms are part of the plan, thus, in general the effects of the different types of species interaction are beneficial in biological communities. References Begon, M., Townsend, C. R. and Harper, J. L. (2006). Ecology: From Individuals to Ecosystems. Blackwell Publishing. Botkin, D. and Keller, E. (2003) Enrivonmental Science: Earth as a living planet. John Wiley & Sons. Van Driesche, R. G. and Bellows, T. S. (1996). Biological Control. New York: Cha[man and Hall. Wilson, E. O. and Bossert, W. H. (1971). A Primer of Population Biology. Stanford, Conn.: Sinauer Associates, Inc. Publ. Read More