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UNIVERSITY OF THE PHILIPPINES – OPEN UNIVERSITY

Ecosystem Dynamic and


Structure
Modules 1 – 3 : Faculty-Marked Assignment
Therese Marie Rico
7/4/2010
As would be environmental managers, why is there a need to internalize the
basic concepts and principles of ecology?

The concepts and principles of ecology are the basic foundation of environmental

science. These concepts and principles serve as a working framework and at the same

time establish a perspective in doing environmental tasks, which help environmental

managers make more informed environmental decisions that are in line with

maintaining a balance between what is essential to an organism’s existence and what

is essential in retaining balance in an ecosystem.

The concepts and principles of ecology emphasize that in an ecosystem, each

organism and component is interrelated with one another. An organism has a

relationship with its environment –the relationship may be of mutualism, parasitism

or predator-prey set-up. The existence of an organism also depends on the resources

available in an environment and the conditions it has. But each organism has an

adaptive capability in coping with changes in the conditions and the stresses an

environment has to face.

These are some of the things an environmental manager has to consider in making

decisions. Thus, it is essential for an environmental manager to internalize the basic

concepts and principles of ecology because he or she is applying what these concepts

and principles of ecology are.

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What is the consequence of a living system being in equilibrium, energy-wise,
with the environment? Explain briefly.

When an organism is in equilibrium, it means that it no longer utilizes nor passes on

energy. Living systems, according to Grisham and Garrett (2010), are complicated

and highly organized. Their biological structures are there for functional purposes –

from the limbs and organs of an organism down to the presence of enzymes. They

also added that living systems are actively engaged in energy transformations where

they emphasized that the living state is manifested by the flow of energy through the

organism, and it is only death that an organism reaches equilibrium (or state of

maximum entropy). Entropy is the transformation of matter and energy from an

organized state to a more random and disorganized state.1

What are the consequences of being a top predator/consumer (ex. man) in


relation to energy and matter? Explain briefly. (10pts)

The consequences of being a top predator/consumer is that an organism needs a

number of energy sources to retain the needed energy for it to function. Since, the

law of thermodynamics emphasized that in an energy transfer, energy lost happens

along the way, minute amount of energy is left to those that belong in the upper level

of the food pyramid, thus, the need to have a number of sources of energy.

An organism, or man in this particular example, sustain his or her life through the

transfer of energy and matter from the environment. Man, as a system, has been able

to adapt with its environment. Humans exchange energy and matter by eating,

inhaling and exhalation of air, and excretion of body wastes. A human body system is

1Medina, C. , Zafaralla, M., Sierra, Z., and et. Al. (1999). Module 1. Ecosystem Dynamic and
Structure. University of the Philippines Open University. Philippines. p. 14

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composed of cells, tissues and organs, where each has interaction with one another.

The human body has developed overtime wherein each cell has a coping mechanism

in interacting with energy flow (- capacity to store and utilize energy), to avoid

reaching the maximum state of entropy.

Being a top predator/consumer also imply that an organism is safe from being a prey

to other organisms, but has to look after itself to sustain its existence.

Why can't a food chain with infinite number of links exist in nature? (10pts)

A food chain cannot

have an infinite number

of links because there

would be no sufficient

energy left to support

organisms that belong

in the higher

stratum/strata of the

food chain.
Fig. 1. Food Pyramid

The law of thermodynamics expressed that energy can neither be created destroyed.

Energy can be transferred but lost of energy in each step of the food chain happens. It

can be illustrated this way, the 1000 unit of energy consumption at the primary

producer level, only 10% of the original amount of energy will be transferred or will

be received by the primary consumer. And the same goes with the succeeding links or

ascending consumer level.

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Because of the lost of energy in each step or link of the food chain, it takes a lot of

producers to support the energy needs of some of the top consumers. The implication

of having too many links would be an organism belonging in the higher level of

pyramid would consume as many organisms belonging to the lower level, if this

happens, there would be resource depletion or starvation in the process that may not

sustain the other needs of other organisms to exist or worst could lead to cannibalism.

Illustrate (sketch) energy flow in a rice farming village. How can village
inhabitants get a bigger share of solar energy converted during the
photosynthetic process considering the reality of the second law of
thermodynamics? (20pts)

In the visual representation (Fig. 2) prepared below, it shows the energy flow I have

perceived of a rice-farming village, the presence of primary producers (green blocks

represent the rice fields and other green and leafy organisms) and consumers

(carabao, chicken, worm and a rice farmer) can be found.

5a
1 2a
3a 5b

3 4a
2 4
5c

5d

Fig 2. Energy flow in a rice-farming village

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You can find different arrows with corresponding numbers. Each number set

represents an energy flow of a particular consumer. There are 4 consumers being

highlighted in this figure: carabao (#2), chicken (#3), worms (#4), and the rice farmer

(#5).

The plants (as the primary producer) receive a greater amount of solar energy in the

process, energy conversion decreases the amount being transferred from the plants to

its consumers. The rice-farmer can act as the primary consumer of the plants or the

tertiary consumer in the food pyramid. For the inhabitants to have a bigger share of

solar energy converted during the photosynthetic process, they need to feed on the

plants directly.

The law of thermodynamics emphasized that energy lost happens in every interaction

it has with an organism in the process. By directly feeding into the primary

consumers, rice-farmers get a bigger share of a converted solar energy. The farmers

may consider planting vegetables or crops rich in protein that can substitute meat

proteins that has been part of their dietary requirement, and at the same time sustain

its living state.

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Show in a detailed sketch that sustaining a closed nutrient cycling in the tropical
forest ecosystem will ensure clean waters in springs and rivers flowing towards
lakes and coastal areas. (20pts)

Fig. 3 Nutrient Cycle in a forest ecosystem

Above is the sketch on nutrient cycling in a tropical forest ecosystem. I would just to

emphasize that the absence of factories and other man-made industries help in

ensuring that clean waters flow through the bodies of water from the tropical forest

ecosystem. Also, the presence of rocks and soil help in filtering water coming from

the rain/the ground, producing much cleaner underground water.

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Identify your enjoyable lifestyle that would disrupt closed cycling of each of the
following: Phosphorus, Nitrogen and Sulfur

How can you enjoy life and at the same time sustain the closed cycling of
these nutrient elements? (20pts)

I have identified the following enjoyable lifestyle that could disrupt the cycle of

Phosphorus, Nitrogen and Sulfur: washing clothes using detergent soaps, eating

poultry and riding a cab.

Detergent soaps are one of the many sources of phosphorus running off to the bodies

of water. I prefer using detergent soaps over organic-based soaps because I feel like

my clothes are cleaner using the detergent soaps. After reading further the

implications of disturbing the natural flow of the phosphorus cycle, I am now more

convinced to shift to organic-based soaps (like Perla) to atleast minimize my

phosphorus contribution to the bodies of water.

Eating poultry products (chicken, ducks, eggs, etc.) is something that I have been

doing since birth. I may not be the one owning a poultry farm, but the fact that these

poultry products have body excretions, which contain nitrogen and may have been

produced in a large amount, could basically affect the nitrogen cycle. From my part,

since poultry product has been basically part of my lifestyle already, the best way to

contribute in minimizing disruption is to lessen my consumption of these products

and at the same time educate poultry owners. Help in managing poultry waste

products that do not totally disrupt the nitrogen cycle.

Lastly, riding a cab has been part of my busy life. I find it more convenient to ride a

cab instead of using a public utility vehicle. But since the burning of fossil fuel and

car emissions have added drastically to the presence of sulfur in the atmosphere, my

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contribution in minimizing its presence is to walk if the place I am going to is just

nearby or take a public utility vehicle instead of riding a cab to minimize the

emissions from the vehicle.

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Annotated Bibliography

Environmental Education and Training Partnerships (2002). Ecology and


Environmental Education: Key Principles. EETAP Resource Library,
Number 107. Retrieved June 5, 2010 , from EETAP Resource Library:
http://eelink.net/eetap/info107.pdf
The authors prepared a summarized article on how environmental education could be
effective in conveying care to the environment to students. It gave an overview of the
principles of ecology. The article focused on molding students to have an
environmental and ecological perspective.

Grisham, Charles M. and Reginald H. Garrett (2010). Chapter 1: The Facts of Life-
Chemistry is the logic of Biological Phenomena, page 2. Biochemistry.
Retrieved June 30, 2010, from the Google Books website:
http://books.google.com/books?id=iGPsen3fSOIC&lpg=PP1&pg=PR11#v=one
page&q&f=false
In this particular chapter, the authors gave a list of distinctive properties of a living
system, where they have tackled about energy and its role in a living system.
Halls, Chares (2009). Ecological Energetics. The Encyclopedia of Earth. Retrieved
June 26, 2010, from the Encyclopedia of Earth website:
http://www.eoearth.org/article/Ecological_energetics

The author gave an overview of what Ecological Energetics is. It gave a snippet of the
energy study of Howard Odum on the efficiency of transfer of energy in a food level.
Ho, Mae-wan (2007). Thermodynamics of Organisms and Sustainable Systems.
Lecture for the conference on Environment, Agriculture, Food, Health and
Economy, World Food Day, La Sapienza University, Rome, Italy. Retrieved
June 30, 2010, from the Institute of Science in Society website: http://www.i-
sis.org.uk/ThermodynamicsOfOrganisms.php
The author presented her paper on a conference in Italy. Her presentation revolved
around the zero-entropy model of organisms and sustainable systems. The article
gave an overview of Schrodinger’s negentropy and the importance of cycles. It also
tries to redefine the second law of thermodynamics. It introduced the zero-entropy
model, gave a snippet on sustainable systems as organisms and diagnostic signs of
sustainability.

Medina, C. , Zafaralla, M., Sierra, Z., and et. Al. (1999). Modules 1-3. Ecosystem
Dynamic and Structure. University of the Philippines Open University.
Philippines.
The authors tackled the history of ecology and explained concepts on ecology. They
also discussed energy flow, and the physical processes on earth. They described the
nature of solar energy, and tackled components of the earth – atmosphere, climate
and weather, in the context of ecology. They also discussed each biogeochemical
processes and how these processes are affected by disruptions or interventions of
humans.

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