Sebastian Lean L.

Lopez
2020-03763
Prof. Madonna Danao

Ecological Disturbance & Change: The One True Constant

Disturbances are some of the most naturally-occurring phenomena in nature. It has always existed in many forms
and will continue to exist for all time. Disturbances and changes in the environment are not limited to catastrophes or
anthropogenic hazards. They are also caused by the slow yet steady processes occurring at every level of life that
accumulate over time and continue to change the scheme of our world.

As aspiring landscape architects, it is paramount to us to understand ecological disturbances, i.e. what it means,
what they are, and how they affect us on a large-scale. Rogers (1996) describes ecological disturbances as the study
between two components of an environment, biotic and abiotic. Contrary to what many people would assume ecological
disturbances mean, the scope actually stretches beyond the normal perception. In the most widely quoted definition of
ecological disturbance, “It is any relatively discrete event in time that disrupts ecosystems, community, or population
structure and changes resources, substrate availability, or the physical environment” (White & Pickett, 1985). Of course,
there are so many definitions of ecological disturbance, and no single definition will satisfy all ecologists, but this definition
allows a general audience to understand what it means. Ecological disturbances can range from trampling small shrubs and
small trees to wide-range calamities like fires and floods, to planet-altering events like meteor strikes. Most, if not all events
that transpire within an environment can be classified as ecological disturbances. How it affects it, though, varies from its
scale.

There are many things to consider when studying ecological disturbances and changes. There are many angles
and approaches to understand such a wide range of phenomena. We can look at an environment’s inhabitants, how said
disturbances affected them and their lifestyle, if and how they will recover, what this means for the future of these inhabitants
and their environment, etc. We can also study the disturbance’s characteristics and frequency, how these created/destroyed
patches and corridors and how they make new matrices and such. Disturbances are the one true constant of our world, they
are what made us and how we are today. One can argue that disturbances and changes are the catalyst for evolution and
progress. In the immortal words of the great philosopher Plato, “Necessity is the mother of invention”. Evolution sprouts from
the requirements of survival, be it internal or external stimuli.
 Figure 1. Primary Ecological Succession

Ecological succession in an environment is something that can be surmised by studying its history of disturbances
and changes. We can see which species survived and died through the lens of history. The changes that a terrestrial
ecosystem experiences from disturbances and how it recovers depends on the magnitude and intensity of said disturbances
(Paine, 2012). There are generally 2 ways to classify disturbances: internal and external. Internal disturbances are those
that occur within the ecosystem and bring about change by its inhabitants. It can be an imbalance of species, or changes
within microorganisms. External disturbances are those usually outside of the control of its inhabitants, such as floods, fires,
hurricanes, earthquakes, etc. Anthropogenic disturbances, or changes brought about by human activity, are classified within
internal disturbances and are arguably the most prominent and lethal forms of disturbances.

Our ecosystems change freely through these ecological disturbances and will surely continue to do so. We, as the
inhabitants, can only study as extent allows us, as it is a force we cannot stop. Ecological disturbance and change is the one
true constant of our world. It is our history and our future.

References:
1) Disturbance ecology and forest management: a review of the literature (Rogers, 1996). Retrieved from
https://www.fs.fed.us/rm/pubs_int/int_gtr336.pdf
2) Ecological disturbance (Paine, 2012). Retrieved from
https://www.britannica.com/science/ecological-disturbance/additional-info#history