ECOLOGY

Ecology, the study of the interactions of organisms with their physical environment as well
as each other, has struck biologists as the focus of study for decades. Within these
interactions lies a concept of evolution know as the arms race . In a never ending
arms race, the battle between the species proves to be one that is nothing of a simple kind,
but one that entails an immense amount of adaptation and change. There is a constant
need to keep up with the pace of the enemy, which is why species must cope with this by
arming themselves with different methods of defense. Some of these challenges force them
to adapt or die out.
Predators-prey interactions are frequently marked by an ever-increasing arms race. The
seeds of legumes are the frequent prey of bruchid weevils, a kind of beetle. The adult lays
its eggs, and the larvae when they hatch, burrow into seeds. Each larva occupies one seed.
Some legumes have evolved seeds so tiny that one will not sufficiently nourish a larva to
pupatation and thus creating a successful defense against the bruchid weevils. In this
particular arms race, the legumes adapted themselves to face the challenges posed by the
bruchid weevils. Other legumes produce a chemical that inhibits the protein-digesting
enzymes. These defenses are still successful against most insects but bruchid weevils have
created a stronger weapon and have evolved metabolic pathways that bypass the enzyme
block. Soybeans appear to be a momentary victor as bruchid larvae laid in soybeans die
out. In this arms race, the challenges force the bruchid larvae to die out.
One of the most prevalent ecological interactions is competition for limited resources.
Paramecium is a single-celled, ciliated protozoan that feeds on bacteria. It can be raised in
a test-tube, in a broth of bacteria, which is its food supply. In fact, there are a number of
species of paramecium, which can be raised in this fashion

Questions on Ecology:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

What is Ecology?
What are in it?
It is said that it is a never ending, what?
What is the most prevalent ecological interaction?
What are the impotance of ecology?

Questions on Nature:
1.
2.
3.
4.

What is Nature?
What are in it?
What are the other name of nature?
What is the meaning of,
We all should find time to just stand and stare?
5. What are the impotance of Nature?

Prepared By:
Jericho Anthony G.
Rellata
(BAPS 1) English 1

NATURE

As a famous poet said, What is this life if, full of care, we have no time to
stand and stare. We have all learned that nature is mans best friend. Does
anyone find time to just sit and listen to the sounds around us? The answer is
sadly a big NO. India is a country which is adorned with much scenic beauty.
Due to the captivating geographical beauty, we have places that are called
Gods Own Country, City of Garden, paradise of earth etc. Sadly these
gifts of God are slowly diminishing. There are people who go for morning
walk to avoid health hazards like diabetes, cholesterol, blood pressure etc. If
we watch these people closely, we can see that even when they are walking
through canopy of trees in a park with sounds of birds chirping around them,
they will have their headsets plugged onto their ears. It would have been
better if they just listen to the music of the birds, feel the rattle of the breeze
and enjoy fresh air around them. This itself can improve our health. Many a
poets have described nature in its full beauty. If we live hand in hand with
nature we can avoid being stressed. As we all know stress is the prime cause
of all diseases. When we build villas, sky scrapers and concrete jungles
around us we should also think about planting at least one tree for each
building we construct. We all should find time to just stand and stare.