The Catastrophic Collapse of Nature's Ecosystems

The ecosystem is the term that refers to the surroundings that comprise biotics and abiotic. Biotics implies living beings such as animals, plants, micro-organisms, etc., whereas, abiotic implies the physical surrounding with physical traits such as weather, climate, temperature, etc. So, the ecosystem is a complete set of plants, micro-organisms, insects to the mountains, rivers, and all the natural resources. However, the ecosystem is categorized into four types.

They are as follows:

● Terrestrial

● Lentic

● Lotic

● Artificial

The first type, terrestrial ecosystem, refers to forests, deserts, coastal areas, tundra’s, fields, etc. The second category, the lentic ecosystem, implies the marine ecosystem like rivers, ponds, lakes, swamps, etc. Next, the lotic ecosystem refers to all the aquatic animals such as whales, fishes, crocodiles, dolphins, etc. Lastly, the artificial ecosystem is the man-made ecosystem consisting of beaches, animal and bird’s sanctuary, etc.

How does human life relate to nature's ecosystem?

Humans are solely dependent on the ecosystem. They depend on the food, water, climate, natural resources, etc. which are the primary services provided by the ecosystem. So, the relationship between human beings is directly proportional to nature’s environment. Additionally, the natural ecosystem has its significant and primary contributor to the economy. There is a wide variety of ecosystem services that are utilized by the people l; living on this earth. They are food production services, marine fisheries, marine aquaculture, fossil fuels, minerals, oil, and many more. All these resources result in the economy and the well-being of humans.

What is the importance of the ecosystem in human life?

The ecosystem is very much necessary for the survival of living beings. The air from the surroundings is the source of oxygen to them. Animals, insects, micro-organisms depend on plants for their survival. Plants turn on to the oxygen for their survival. However, humans are most dependent on nature’s resources, such as plants, animals, forests, etc. As stated above, the various services of nature are beneficial for people’s well-being. So, these freely available resources aid people to increase their business and become economically stable. Industrial development is also possible due to ecosystem goods.

Today, the world is progressing into advanced and modern life, which results in the depletion of natural resources. Also, the application of services and goods of the ecosystem have relatively increased for the luxury of the people. So, the ecosystem is at higher risk and harm. For the last decade, humans are devastating the beauty and the glory of nature in many ways. This all results in the catastrophic collapse of nature’s ecosystem. You can read all about ecosystems and environment here.

Why is the ecosystem breaking down or collapsing, and what are its factors?

Ecosystem collapse refers to the idea of the destruction of nature’s services and goods. Human activities are responsible for the devastation of the ecosystem. Various distinct human factors led to the collapse of the ecosystem. They are as follows:

● Pollution

● Global Warming

● Genetic Modification

● Deforestation

Pollution:

Pollution is the major and primary factor for the breakdown of the ecosystem. Humans have polluted air, land, and water for their convenience. As the world is progressing industrially, the rate of air pollution has risen accordingly. The polluted and contaminated gaseous emitting from the industries has led to higher amounts of air pollution.

Moving towards water pollution, the waste outcomes or discharges from the factories are thrown in the rivers and the lakes. This contaminated the water. So, the life of aquatic creatures is at greater risk. The higher the water is polluted, the less the oxygen aquatic creatures get to survive. The business of marine fishery had led to a decrease in the number of fishes in the water.

Land pollution is caused due to the emission of plastic. The survey throughout the world has shown that humans develop approximately 300 million tons of plastic every year. As plastic is non-biodegradable, this may lead to land pollution. This plastic is also found inside the rivers and lakes, which can provide a threat to the water animals.

Global Warming:

Global warming is yet another major and most affecting cause of nature’s breakdown. The main reason for global warming is a large number of emissions of carbon dioxide in the air. The more considerable the amount of carbon dioxide, the lesser the oxygen in the surroundings. It has been noticed that the increasing global warming is resulting in the depletion of the ozone layer. Also, the glaciers are melting to a greater extent, and the temperature of the earth is increasing.

Genetic Modification:

In the field of biotechnology, the usage of genetic modification is high. This technology has increased the production of crops, fruits, and vegetables. But it has adverse effects on the plants. Farmers are making use of pesticides and insecticides to save crops from parasites and micro-organisms. This may harm and damage the plants.

Deforestation:

Deforestation has become a social issue nowadays. This is the primary cause of devastating the ecosystem. Cutting down of plants and vanishing of forests for the human comforts has brought the life of many animals at risk. Even human life is in danger due to deforestation. It is proved that every year approximately 18 million acres of trees and forests are cut down.

Trees and plants are major sources of oxygen. If their number decreases, the amount of oxygen also deteriorates subsequently. Also, animals living in the woods have their survival on the plants. If the pants are cut down, they will not have any source of livelihood.

Major Ways to Save the Ecosystem:

The following are some ways to save the ecosystem from collapsing and the natural resources from being exhausted.

1. People should follow the three “R’s”, i.e., Reduce, Recycle, and Reuse. Reduce the use of natural resources, reuse them wherever possible, and recycle the components. This will surely aid in preserving the ecosystem.
2. People should be made aware of the importance of the ecosystem. They should be made educated to save the ecosystem. Rules should be made to make the use of freely obtainable resources so that the use of these resources will be reduced.
3. People should avoid the extraneous use of plastic. The government has made the rule of not using plastic. This is an excellent measure of the preservation of the ecosystem.
4. People should take an interest in planting trees in large amounts. Plantation will undoubtedly save many wild lives. Also, the amount of oxygen in the air will increase.