How to Use Mind Mapping in Your Everyday Life

 Nature's Complexity: Can Wolves Be Absent From The Environment?

What if you knew that a manager of a nature reserve full of deer and pets decided to simulate the ecosystem and send to the reserve a pack of predatory wolves?

 

Do you believe that his decision is vainness and destruction of a secure and peaceful life?

 

Another question! ….

 

What if we removed predators or disgusting insects from life, won’t the world be nicer?

 

How far does the presence or absence of a living creature –even if it was undesired- affect the overall biological system?

 

What happened in Yellowstone?!

 

In 1995,

 

the wolves were reintroduced to Yellowstone Park in the U.S. after their absence for seventy years from the park. Although the pack of wolves was small, its existence led to dramatic changes in almost everything concerning this reserve! 

 

At first, the herding behavior of herbivorous animals changed, as they started avoiding valleys and open areas. Which led to the regrowth of trees and plants largely.

 

In addition, after Yellowstone had almost turned into a desert and lacked life manifestations, it reverted to be covered with green areas.

 

It is time for the next fluctuation!

 

After the growth of trees that have been multiplied five times in only six years, birds began to re-exist and build nests. Beavers also returned to build dams on rivers. Reptiles, amphibians, falcons, and eagles also pre-existed consequently.

 

Moreover, as the growth of plants and trees fixes the soil and prevents its erosion, rivers changed their course. 

 

Wolves…

 

 these that seemed as absolute evil, its existence appeared to result in so much goodness!

 

Wolves were one of the factors that preserve the balance of the whole ecological and geographical system, that if it hadn’t been made in such complexity and obscurity, we probably wouldn’t have noticed this fine-tune in it.

 

Trophic Cascade

 

The powerful indirect interactions that control the ecosystem, are referred to as a trophic cascade. This term was applied to that phenomenon because of the imbalance of the ecosystem caused by our interference in it by removing a living organism from it or by damaging a natural factor, is similar to a waterfall racing down in a series of cascades, every downfall is followed by another downfall till it reaches the bottom.

 

That is exactly what happened on the coasts of the pacific ocean when the anglers saw the sea otter with its precious fur and decided to densely hunt it until it was almost extinct…

Will you believe me if I told you that the absence of this luxurious animal would cause an ecological and geographical issue for the entire area?

  

Seems strange, isn’t it? Just a furry animal living most of its life lying on its back in the water and continuously eating sea urchins and starfish.  

 

However, with its absence, the sea urchins have greatly increased which caused the complete destruction of kelp forests that shelters a huge variety of marine organisms.

 

The destructed forests have been absorbing a large amount of carbon dioxide present in the atmosphere, which its accumulation leads to life suffocation, global warming, and climate change.

 

The annual carbon absorption level through kelp forests has decreased after the absence of sea otters- from forty-three billion kg to only thirteen billion kg. 

 

What is interesting about trophic cascades is... that it does not only occur from the top-down but also from the bottom up.

 

The absence of either the head or the tail of the food chain will lead to the same result.

 

For example,

 

what do you think would happen if disgusting cockroaches are absent from life?

 

Cockroaches feed on decomposed organic substances that trap nitrogen; it digests it and releases nitrogen in their feces so it could return to the soil.

 

With cockroaches’ absence, the nitrogen cycle imbalances. This nitrogen plays a vital role in the growth of plants and insects that feed on plants and contribute to their fertilization.

 

Slight changes in plant characteristics such as the length and density of the grass or nitrogen concentration are followed by a complete change in the inhabitants of the area from insects and animals.

 

It's hard to believe that the sea otter or the ugly cockroaches preserve life as we know it, but it's another truth about this magnificent world and pre-destined nature!

 

The tragedy of the Commons

Imagine there is a public pasture open for all herders to have their cattle graze with no limits.

 

Now, everyone should add the largest possible number of cattle to make the utmost gain and save the cost of buying feed for his cattle.

 

However, any pasture has a capacity, which if was surpassed, plants would not be able to complete their life cycle, hence leading to the destruction of the pasture and the loss of everyone.

 

Yet, if one herder wanted to maintain the pasture and prioritize others over himself by buying feed for his cattle, this would not stop the tragedy, because others would keep adding more cattle. Then he would lose twice, one when he stopped adding more cattle and another when the pasture is consumed and everyone loses.

 

The perfect action, according to the materialistic benefit/loss standard, would be selfishness; by adding more cattle from everyone, until the free pasture is consumed even until all free pastures are consumed!

 

This important phenomenon is called the Tragedy of the Commons, which means that competing for common resources shall lead to their destruction and the loss of all competitors.

 

Do you know what's strange about it?

 

That common resources characterize life in general, however, it's not that much of a tragedy!

 

The non-tragic tragedy of the commons shows you that there is a higher power managing and controlling everything in this system which can never be self-managed according to the benefit/loss principle directing the members of this system.

 

Old Maids' Cats

 

Darwin! The well-known biologist and the developer of the most famous theory, has written in his book (The Origin of Species) something about this correlation between living creatures and environmental balance.

 

As he noticed a relationship between the increase of cats of his neighbors and the flourish of clover flowers!

 

He explained this by saying that cats kill mice hence they decrease, and since mice tamper with beehives, then the decrease in mice shall lead to an increase in bees, and the increase of bees shall lead to more pollination of plants, so flowers would flourish and the harvest would increase as well.

 

Then Thomas Huxley, his loyal student, began to dwell on that and to promote it politically, saying that old unmarried women always raise cats, which eventually leads to the increase of clover harvest, so cattle would graze more efficiently, leading to providing more meat for the soldiers in the British army which contributes to the glory of the British kingdom. 

 

So, the cats of old maids lead to a powerful army and kingdom!

 

Thus, the supporters of the theory of evolution have marketed it claiming that we can organize the laws of nature which control and explain the phenomena of life, and of course, we can then harness these laws for our own benefit and development.

 

It took humans other decades to realize that it wasn't that simple and that the connections among living creatures within the biological system are substantially crucial, and it affects the existence of all kinds of life and even the weather and geography.

 

Life is a strict fussily made system!

 

As we saw with the trophic cascades and the tragedy of the commons, interfering in the system by adding or taking away a living creature, may lead to the destruction of the whole system, including the increased species itself.

 

Also, if we assumed that the mechanisms of evolution -like the random sabotaging mutations which constantly manipulate nature- extend back to millions of years, then this life shall reach an inevitable end, that is the impossibility of the existence of persistence of life or the whole biological system.

 

Can this ultimate precision and perfect calculations be explained by anything but the fact that this fussily balanced world as if it's standing on the edge of a knife, and this vast rich life with known components?