Ecology: The Delicate Balance of Life on Earth

Ecology: The Delicate Balance of Life on Earth — page 3
Economy THE DELICA BALANCE OF LIFE ON EART one or more elements that coexist in various habitats Every inhabitant must be accounted for because each has a role to play The sub title of this book is right on target Life on Earth is a balancing act one so delicate that any disruption to even the smallest living or nonliving element can have a ripple effect upsetting the balance in several areas As shown in these pages ecologists use applied methodology and experimentation to exam ine activity within the various types of life groups Doing so allows them to figure out if everything is running smoothly and identify where trouble spots might occur How ecologists study the environment also requires a multipronged approach For scientific purposes the Earth is divided into several life sustaining layers The largest is the biosphere which is the thin life supporting stratum of Earth's surface The biosphere can be broken down into major life ones called biomes But in order to fully understand how plants and creatures interact with one another ecologists break things down even further The majority of ecologists focus their studies on a smaller scale at the population community and ecosystem