Definition of Ecological Balance

In a society, there are many jobs that help keep it running smoothly. A doctor, mailman, garbage man,
waitress, and farmer all play an important role in our society. Similar to a society, species in an ecosystem
each have a role in keeping the ecosystem running smoothly. For example, predators keep the population
of mice under control, insects pollinate flowers, and worms decompose leaf litter. All species are important
and help keep the ecosystem balanced. Ecological balance is a term describing how ecosystems are
organized in a state of stability where species coexist with other species and with their environment.
Even if an ecosystem is balanced, that does not mean that no changes ever occur. A windstorm might roll
through wiping out a swath of trees, a predator might be overhunted, or a drought might reduce the
availability of food resources. These ecological changes are called disturbances. A disturbance is any
change that causes a disruption in the balance of an ecosystem.
You can think of ecosystems like a house of cards, with each card representing a species. Each card, or
species, is necessary to keep the tower - the ecosystem - balanced, and removing one species can cause
a chain reaction felt throughout the entire ecosystem. The good news is that an ecosystem will typically
recover back to a balanced state after a disturbance occurs.

Examples of Ecological Balance

Let's take a look at some examples demonstrating the importance of ecological balance:
A great example of ecological balance is the predator-prey relationship between the Canadian lynx and
snowshoe hare. When the snowshoe hare population increases, there is more food available for the
Canadian lynx. Since there is more food available for the Canadian lynx, its population increases. Since
there are more Canadian lynxes, they eat even more snowshoe hares and thereby cause the snowshoe
hare population to decrease. When the snowshoe hare population drops, there is less food available for
the Canadian lynx. This reduced food availability causes the lynx population to eventually drop. This cycle
continues over and over with each species keeping the other species population in check.

ecological balance important

Ecological balance is important for the continued survival and existence of organisms as well as the
stability of the environment. The natural balance in the ecosystem, which must be maintained, may be
disturbed as a result of natural hazards, the unexpected death of a particular species, man-made causes
or the introduction of new species to the ecosystem

Ecological balance is a condition of a dynamic balance within an ecosystem in which the

species, genetics and the ecosystem diversity remain in a stable state irrespective of the
gradual variations through natural succession. The ecosystem stability is characterized
by two properties: resilience and resistance. Resilience is a property that is manifested in
an ecosystem when organisms are killed or weakened. Resilience also refers to the rate
at which the density of a population in an ecosystem comes back to the equilibrium after
a particular disturbance. Resistance stands for the potential of an ecosystem to prevent
the animal population and trees from succumbing to stresses such as high pollution or
drought.
Diversity is maintained when organisms interact, and enhancing or destroying a specific species in an
ecosystem may affect the entire population density over time. Some species, such as the sea otter, play a
significant role in maintaining ecological balance and are known as keystone species.

Ecological Balance
Ecology is the science of the study of ecosystems. Ecological balance has been defined
by various online dictionaries as "a state of dynamic equilibrium within a community of
organisms in which genetic, species and ecosystem diversity remain relatively stable,
subject to gradual changes through natural succession." and "A stable balance in the
numbers of each species in an ecosystem."
The most important point being that the natural balance in an ecosystem is maintained.
This balance may be disturbed due to the introduction of new species, the sudden death
of some species, natural hazards or man-made causes. In this field trip we will explore
how human population and development affects the ecological balance.
Take time to explore this site as your gateway to the world of ecology. It has interesting
articles and facts. There are features such as the Environmental Timeline that shows how
there were different concerns about the environment throughout history.
The environmental impact of war is an interesting article on how preparation of war and
warfare leads to environmental losses.
The carpet bombing of the lush green forests during the Vietnam war led to the loss of
habitat of many species. Special features on population and the environment show how
population has increased from the industrial age and how it will affect the environment.
There are additional resources for higher classes.
In the name of development, we remove trees and vegetation, change how we use land,
and keep expanding paved areas. All these not only affect the soil ecology, but also the
water balance. Increased urbanization also requires more water to feed the city's
population and industry, often requiring deeper and deeper wells to be drilled or water to
be moved from even more distant locations.
Increase of pavement area not lonely lessens the amount of water vapour that transpires
back from the vegetation but also contributes to groundwater pollution if the salt used to
melt road ice were allowed to runoff into the natural drainage system.
Visit this site for a detailed look at water as a precious resource and how human
development affects water and its ecosystem. It is dedicated to Water Day.
To understand how human population and increased developmental activities affect the
ecosystem, there are live examples all over the world. Armenia is one such example of
what is happening to the ecosystem because of increased population and developmental
activities. Over the last 1,000 years human impacts on the land have increased, mainly
through deforestation and increased use of pastures.
Such problems have intensified over recent years with unprecedented population growth
and urbanisation since 1920, resulting in increased human impacts not only on individual
species, but also on whole ecosystems. Read the article on this site and you will
consciously become aware of what unchecked industrial development and urbanization
could do to your region.
The fast pace of development has led to many unwanted results. Exotic species get
destroyed faster than we can discover them and ancient ecosystems are getting
disturbed in our scientific explorations. Find out about amazing facts on human impact
on oceans, toxins, and much more as you explore this site for environmental education
on the web.
It is designed primarily for kids, but the features and articles are good reading for any
grade. There are also handy tips on what you can do to help protect the environment and
ideas on how you can start an ecology club in your neighbourhood. Visit the resources
given on the Ecology and great Links pages to know more about this science