Effects of Human Interference and Climatic Changes on Four Different Habitats

This study explores the effects of human interference and climatic changes on wetlands, forests, grasslands, and disturbed habitats, leading to a reduction or loss of species of invertebrates and plants. The research aims to understand the direct relationship between the interaction of organisms with one another and with the physical and chemical environment. The study provides a theoretical framework for the four habitats and examines the hypothesis that species richness, particularly of plants and invertebrates, is influenced by ecological interactions and diversity. The research also investigates the impact of climate change and human activities on the habitats and the loss of species. The study includes examples of plants and invertebrates found in each habitat and discusses their roles and diversity.

Running head: Biology ecology 1
BIOLOGY ECOLOGY

Biology Ecology 2
INTRODUCTION
A habitat in ecology is a natural environment in which a particular species of organism is able
to live and thrive as here the organism had access to food , shelter and mates for
reproduction. Types of these habitats can be wetland, forest , grass land and disturbed
habitats. These are characterised by both physical and biological features . Different
organisms possess different habitat needs for the conditions in which it will thrive, some can
tolerate variations while others remain adhere to their strict habitate conditions in order to
thrive .Habitats change over time may be due to natural factors like earthquake, volcano,
widespread fire , ice glaciers etc. or can be due to man made activities causing destruction
like deforestation , pollution of rivers , roadside vegetation , damming of rivers etc. These
changes affects seriously to the biodiverse habitats thereby causing destruction to the plants
and invertebrates and other organisms living and thriving there.
A disturbed habitat is one where the natural succession in a plant community is interrupted
regularly or frequently . Examples of disturbed-adapted habitats can be mininig areas ,
extensive roadside vegetation, sand beds, woodlands, savannas etc. (Robinson J et al. 2015)
Wetland is largely covered by water, fresh water or salt water. Examples being ponds and
marshes , a river mouth , delta ,lake edges. (Miranda C et al. 2017) . Forest habitat is a home
to a majority of terrestrial biodiversity. It also plays a crucial role in the continuos climatic
changes as tress takes up the carbondioxide and green house gases which adversely affects
the climate leding to global warming .But intensely increasing human activities and
interference mainly deforeststion is negatively affecting the forest ecosystem .In the last half
century around 20% of the forest cover is lost due to deforestation.( Potapov P et al. 2017) .
Grasslands are majorly open wide areas mostly where grass and flowers usually grow. This
accounts for almost 45% of earth surface exsisting in both tropical and temperate regions.
This mainly consist of microorganisms ,plants and animals but the primary form of
vegetation is grasses. Human interactions causing imbalance in the species diversity thriving
in the grasslands (Liang W 2017)
Tropical grasslandsare located near the equator, between the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic
of Capricorn cover much of Africa ,North Australia, South America, and India. These have
terrestrial biomes located in semi-arid to semi-humid climate regions of tropical latitudes.
Example- Savannas of Sahara Africa and Northerrn Australia
Temperate grasslands are a division of a larger biome grouping of grasslands that includes
tropical savannas. Both biome types are characterized by a dominance of grasses.
Examples- Eurasian steppes , Argentine pampas
RESEACRCH TOPIC- The study here deals with the effects on four different habitats of the
ecosystem by the various factors including human interference and climatic changes as well ,
and regards to the reduction or loss of species of invertebrates and plants in different sites due
to the causative factors.
Importance of the scientific study is to understand the direct relationship between the
interaction of organisms with one another and that with the physical and chemical
environment.

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RESEARCH QUESTION-
1. Are manmade activities continuous climatic changes posing threat wetlands,
forests, grasslands and disturbed habitats also where various plants and
invertebrate genera is thriving?
2. Is continuous climatic change being a direct function of the loss of natural
habitats of invertebrates and plants in these four sites?
Here we provide a simple theoretical framework of four habitats that, individually
or combined having the plant and invertebrate diversity and are likely to explain the
hypothesis as under;
HYPOTHESIS- Species richness mainly plants and invertebrates when more
ecological interactions are present in different habitats in an ordered succession of
species from low to high ecological efficiency and diversity.
PREDICTION- Change in climate and human activities had a negative impact on
the habitats and normal functioning of natural ecosystem and there was a loss of
species.
Plant diversity is lowest in a disturbed habitat as here it depends upon severity and
frequency of destruction, which is greatest here . This site is dominated by early
successional plants like weeds. The seeds are small and disperse widely and easily, often
through a variety of mechanisms blowing on the wind, floating in water, sticking to animal
fur.
Plants often contain bitter or toxic chemicals, hairs, or spines that deter herbivores.
Examples of some plants can thrive in such habitats-
1. Beefsteak plant
2. Dead nettle

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3. Cattails
4. Sedges
5. Reed canary grass
6. Henbit
7. Shepherd’s purse
On the other hand diversity in invertebrates is richer as compared to plants specially ants
and other species including
 Spiders
 Scorpions
 Ants
 Butterflies
 Dragon flies
 Beetles
 Moth
 Centipedes
 Millipedes
 Grasshoppers
Invertebrate diversity is richest - Plant diversity is lower in highly disturbed habitats but
invertebrate richness is abundant specially ants
Plant species along with wetlands environmental gradient separates out an elevation
gradiesnt. It shelters plants with certain diverse mechanisms as living adaptations.
 Nuphar lutea -also called as floating leaf water lily . It has a special gas flow
mechanism that is pressurised, as it grows in anaerobic wetland soil which is oxygen
deficient and this mechanism overcomes the deficiency of oxygen in the roots of the
plant.
 Spartina alterniflora
 Juncus roemerianus
 Marine couch
 Creeping brookeweed
 Swamp weed
Invetebrate are mainly the tropihic link between the higher animals and lower plant and
wetlands are mostly diverse with the resident invertebrates .
These includes-
 Cray fish
 Fairy shrimp anostraca
 Leech hirudinea
 Water scavenger beetle
 Predaceous diving beetle (Cleoptera)
 Mosquito male and female (Diptera)
 Hellgrammite (immature Dobsonfly) Neuroptera.
Invertebrate diversity is richer as compared to the plants in wetland habitats. Surveys have
identified over 350 genera of macroinvertebrates in marshes with crustaceans and insects to
be the most dominated ones. This is because wetlands are known to be biological super

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systems because they supply a surplus amount of food that sustains the great level of
biodiversity.
In forest habitats tress are main significant component examples being Quaking Aspen, sugar
maple , white oak to name a few.Wide variety of invertebrates can be found in forest habitats
with different roles as they can be –
 Predators- Praying mantis , spiders
 Herbivores- Stick insects
 Parasites- Ticks and licde
 Detritivores- worms
 Pollinators – Butterflies and bees
In Forest habitats plant diversity is the richest , as they provide habitat for all other forest
species.
In grasslands plant diversity is lowest as usually grasses and only some tress constitutes the
significant component.
Examples-
 Grasses- long and short
 Golden rod
 Wildflowers
 Acacia tress
 Baobab tress
Invertebrate diversity is rich in grasslands as these are mainly characterised by lower
floral and invertebrate diversity . Invertebrates are the main components as they have the
substantial role including pollination and nutrient cycling , and therefore grassland
ecosystems are heavily dependent upon the invertebrate communities.
Examples-
 Insects
 Arachinids
 Crustaceans
 Earthworms
 Leeches

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REFRENCES
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of the landscape complexity and heterogeneity of the Pantanal wetland. Brazilian Journal Of
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(2017). The last frontiers of wilderness: Tracking loss of intact forest landscapes from 2000 to
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