Ecology is the study of the relationships between the organisms and the environment, how the roles of each part of nature, whether abiotic or biotic, work together efficiently. At the BioBlitz event, I was able to witness and experience, first-hand, how biotic and abiotic factors are related in nature, namely insects and the environments in which they are found. Insects are found all over nature and they represent a group that has some of the largest diversity, not only in species, but also in how they function in nature.
Just a few of the specimens found during BioBlitz that contribute to and play important roles in the ecosystem in Alley Pond. #BCSFH2O pic.twitter.com/elzgDXIfUJ
— Naveera Arif (@NaveeraArif) September 10, 2017
In my twitter post, I put up pictures of a few specimens that I witnessed, as well as the long list of insects (along with a few amphibians) that we collected as a group. These pictures include a carrion beetle, a syrphidae fly (also known as a flower fly), and a wood frog. I chose these pictures specifically to show the wide variety and versatility present in the different species that we collected during the BioBlitz, that each have their own roles in the ecosystem. As I continued learned facts about all these specimens, I realized how much they affect the environment, as well as how they utilize their environment to benefit themselves. Carrion beetles are known to feed on dead flesh, flower flies are pollinators and have the appearance of a bee, and wood frogs, native to North America, have skin colors and patterns that allow them to camouflage into branches and logs near pond or swamp environments.
Each of their traits help them fit into the environment ecosystem, either as allowing for dead animals to be properly decomposed, which allowing nutrients back into the soil, or utilizing the environment to benefit themselves through camouflage. As found in different food webs and explanations of how ecosystems function, I was able to witness how ecological relationships work in nature through my own eyes and, in particular, how insects present an incredibly diverse and irreplaceable group that complete their versatile role in the ecosystem.
