Ecology: Biomes, Population Interactions, Nutrient Cycles, and Threats to Biosphere

Running Head: ECOLOGY
Ecology
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ECOLOGY
2
Ecology
Part A: Biomes
Biome
Biomes are defined as very vast ecological areas on the surface of the earth containing
flora and fauna adapting to their surroundings. They are normally characterized by abiotic factors
like vegetation, relief, soils, temperature, geology, and climate.
Tropical Rain forest
If I were given a chance to live in one of the main biomes, I would choose tropical rain
forest majorly due to its ecological characteristics, that is, average temperatures which are
relatively high, species richness, soils having poor nutrients and annual rainfall which are also
very high. Tropical rainforest biomes receive a high amount of rainfall throughout the year.
Thus, they are always wet (Liu, Zheng, Xu, Dong & Chen, 2018). The high biodiversity in
tropical rainforests makes it favorable for me to live in such a biome. For instance, in Borneo
tropical rainforest, empirical research has reported that there are more than 15600 plant species.
The temperature of the tropical rainforests is relatively high due to their closeness to the
equator. However, I will still choose to live in such kind of biome since they receive direct
sunlight which is good for both plants and human body skins and temperature. However, the
soils of tropical rainforests are not rich in nutrient.
PART B: interaction between populations
Definition and examples of biological interactions (a, b)

ECOLOGY
3
i. Competition; competition is described as a biological interaction involving two or
more organisms relying on the same environmental or a common resource which is
limited in supply. Specifically, competition is defined as a direct or indirect biological
interaction of organisms which results in fitness in the process of those organisms
sharing the same resource. Example of competition is a lion and cheetah competing
for the same Rabbit species.
ii. Predation; this is a type of biological interaction in which one organism feeds on
another organism, that is, it requires the predator to kill as well as eat the prey. In
most cases, the prey and the predator are both animals. This type of interaction
happens between species, yet if it happens within species, it is described as
cannibalism. An example of this type of biological relationship is between a crocodile
and a buffalo, lion and cape buffalo, bear and fish and cheetah and gazelle.
iii. Parasitism; this is a nonmutual biological interaction between species in which one
species known as the parasite benefit at the expense of another species known as the
host (aZhu et al., 2013). An example of parasites are tapeworms, fleas, and ticks. The
relationship is tick and a cow.
iv. Commensalism; this is a type of biological interaction in which one species
(commensal) obtains benefits from another species without benefitting or harming
that species. Examples include different fleas, lice being commensals on the birds and
skins of other mammals.
v. Mutualism; this is a type of biological interaction involving species which benefit
from each other. Example include bovine and bacteria in the intestines.