our ecology of care
ecology of care seeks to reimagine ways of approaching care as we move into our subsequent future by examining the distribution and interaction between organisms and their environment on micro levels (organism --> self), macro levels (subsequentsphere --> future generations), and everything in between.
1. i. organisms
ii. populations
iii. communities
i. organism: any individual entity that embodies the properties of life.
There are different types of organisms: producers, consumers, scavengers, parasites, predators, and decomposers.
All types of organisms are capable of reproduction, growth and development, maintenance, and some degree of response to stimuli.
Organisms are complex systems of chemical compounds that, through interaction and environment, play a wide variety of roles.
Although they are individual units of life, they are not closed to the environment around them. To operate they constantly take in and release energy.
The chemical properties of this element-- such as its great affinity for bonding with other atoms and capability of forming multiple bonds--make it ideal as the basis of organic life.
ii. population: individuals of the same species that live, interact, and migrate through the same niche and habitat
A population will grow (or decline) exponentially as long as the environment experienced by all individuals in the population remains constant.
Populations often can be divided into one of two extreme types based on their life history strategy. Some populations, called r-selected, are considered opportunistic and often have been shaped by an extremely variable and uncertain environment. Because mortality occurs randomly in this setting, quantity of progeny rather than quality of care serves the species better.
In another strategy, called K-selected, populations tend to remain near the carrying capacity (K), the maximum number of individuals that the environment can sustain. This equilibrial life history is exhibited in more stable environments where success depends more on privilege.
The effects of one species upon another that derive from these interactions may take one of three forms: positive (+), negative (–), and neutral (0). Hence, interactions between any two species in any given biological community can take any of six forms:
-Mutualism (+, +), in which both species benefit from the interaction.
-Exploitation (+, –), in which one species benefits at the expense of the other.
-Commensalism (+, 0), in which one species benefits from the interaction while the other species neither benefits nor suffers.
Interspecific competition (–, –), in which both species incur a cost of the interaction between them.
-Amensalism (–, 0), in which one species suffers while the other incurs no measurable cost of the interaction.
-Neutrality (0, 0), in which both species neither benefit nor suffer from the interaction.
iii. community: a group or association of populations of two or more different species occupying the same geographical area at the same time. a community is defined by the interactions between the organisms in it.
All species are interdependent, each playing a vital role in the working of the community. Due to this, communities are repeatable and easy to identify, with similar abiotic factors controlling throughout.
Within the community, each species occupies a niche. A species' niche determines how it interacts with the environment around it and its role within the community. By having different niches, species are able to coexist.
Certain species have a greater influence on the community through their direct and indirect interactions with other species. The loss of these species results in large changes to the community, often reducing the stability of the community.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Organism
www.britannica.com/science/population-ecology/Species-interactions-and-population-growth
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Community_(ecology)
2. ecosystems
ecosystems: the complex of living organisms, their physical environment, and all their interrelationships in a particular unit of space.
Within an ecosystem, organisms are linked to the physical and biological components of their environment to which they are adapted. Ecosystems are complex adaptive systems where the interaction of life processes form self-organizing patterns across different scales of time and space. Ecosystems are broadly categorized as terrestrial, freshwater, atmospheric, or marine. Differences stem from the nature of the unique physical environments that shapes the biodiversity within each.
An ecosystem can be categorized into its abiotic constituents, including minerals, climate, soil, water, sunlight, and all other nonliving elements, and its biotic constituents, consisting of all its living members. Linking these constituents together are two major forces: the flow of energy through the ecosystem, and the cycling of nutrients within the ecosystem.
The fundamental source of energy in almost all ecosystems is radiant energy from the Sun.
Ecosystems are stable, but not rigid. They react to major changes in the environment, especially climate changes.
www.britannica.com/science/ecosystem
simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ecosystem
3. biospheres
biosphere: the parts of Earth where life exists.
The biosphere extends from the deepest root systems of trees to the dark environment of ocean trenches, to lush rain forests and high mountaintops.
Since life exists on the ground, in the air, and in the water, the biosphere overlaps all these spheres. Although the biosphere measures about 20 kilometers (12 miles) from top to bottom, almost all life exists between about 500 meters (1,640 feet) below the ocean’s surface to about 6 kilometers (3.75 miles) above sea level.
The biosphere has existed for about 3.5 billion years. The biosphere’s earliest life-forms, called prokaryotes, survived without oxygen. Ancient prokaryotes included single-celled organisms such as bacteria and archaea.
Some prokaryotes developed a unique chemical process. They were able to use sunlight to make simple sugars and oxygen out of water and carbon dioxide, a process called photosynthesis. These photosynthetic organisms were so plentiful that they changed the biosphere. Over a long period of time, the atmosphere developed a mix of oxygen and other gases that could sustain new forms of life.
The addition of oxygen to the biosphere allowed more complex life-forms to evolve. Millions of different plants and other photosynthetic species developed. Animals, which consume plants (and other animals) evolved. Bacteria and other organisms evolved to decompose, or break down, dead animals and plants.
The biosphere benefits from this food web. The remains of dead plants and animals release nutrients into the soil and ocean. These nutrients are re-absorbed by growing plants. This exchange of food and energy makes the biosphere a self-supporting and self-regulating system.
The biosphere is sometimes thought of as one large ecosystem—a complex community of living and nonliving things functioning as a single unit. More often, however, the biosphere is described as having many ecosystems.
People play an important part in maintaining the flow of energy in the biosphere. Sometimes, however, people disrupt the flow. For example, in the atmosphere, oxygen levels decrease and carbon dioxide levels increase when people clear forests or burn fossil fuels such as coal and oil. Oil spills and industrial wastes threaten life in the hydrosphere. The future of the biosphere will depend on how people interact with other living things within the zone of life.
www.nationalgeographic.org/encyclopedia/biosphere/
4. subsequentspheres
subsequentsphere: looking toward our collective futures
what will exist after the preset moment?
what will follow the other in order in a cause and effect relationship to our current and future realities?
what will follow in time, indefinitely?
*adapted from dictionary definitions of subsequent*
