AIN SUFIZA BT NORMAN ZAIRI (D20171078202)

LEARNING JOURNEY IN ECOLOGY

Ecology is a  branch of science including human science, population, community,

ecosystem, and biosphere. Ecology is the study of organisms, environment and how the

organisms interact with each other and their environment. It is studied at various levels such

as organism, population, community, biosphere, and ecosystem. The main aim of ecology is

to understand the distribution of biotic and abiotic factors of living things in the environment.

The biotic and abiotic factors include the living and non-living factors and their interaction

with the environment. The examples of biotic components include bacteria,  animals, birds,

fungi and also plants. While, the examples abiotic components are non-living chemical and

physical factors of an ecosystem. These components could be acquired from the atmosphere,

lithosphere, and hydrosphere. A few examples of abiotic components include sunlight, soil,

air, moisture minerals, and more. So basically, in our surroundings are full of ecology that

consists of biotic and abiotic components. We as human being, must cherish our environment

because Earth is our only home so it makes sense that we respect, care for, nourish

and cherish it.

As I grow up, I experienced a lot of things in life. There were many places that I went

to in our country and most of it I went with my beloved family. When I was 12 years old, I

went to Zoo Negara that located in Kuala Lumpur. Then we entered the zoo. We walked up

and down. A deep canal ran parallel to the footpath. Beyond the canal there were small trees.

The cages of the birds were hanging down the branches of the trees. Their multi-coloured

feathers gleamed into sunlight. Next we saw a small water pond with many kinds of birds

swimming in it. It was interesting to see new birds in an enclosure. They twittered, chirped

and whistled. They presented nature’s voice. It was pleasing indeed to hear them. We saw
many birds there - sparrows, nightingales and owls of different colours set in the closed cage.

The owls sat with closed eyes lost in thoughts. We bade a silent farewell to those

philosophers among birds and walked on. We visited the tigers, lions and bears shut in cages.

We saw some hippos and also a rhino. We heard the loud roar of a lion. One tiger was in a fit

of anger. There were various types of population of animals that actually I can relate with

ecology at that time.

But, as I only 12 years old and as a very young girl I did not know that all of those

were type of ecology that how organisms interact with one another and with their own

physical environment. A population is all of the individuals of the same species within an

ecological community. So, all of the animals had their own populations inside their cage at

the zoo. But for certains animals like birds, in their cage there were many types of species

that live together at the zoo. It is called a community. A community is all of the populations

of different species that live in the same area and interact with one another. A community is

composed of all of the biotic factors of an area.

I also remembered when I was in Form 3 and it was school holidays. My family an I

went to Tioman Island in Pahang. It was a very enjoyable trip that I always remembered. The

most enjoyable activity that I did in Tioman Island was snorkelling. At first, I was very

scared because I did not that skillfull as it was my first time snorkelling. As I dived into the

sea, I open my eyes and saw the reef that stretched for miles filled with all types of exotic

underwater creatures. I dove down getting close to the bottom which was only ten to twelve

feet deep at that point. The fish were an arrangement of colours that was very mesmerizing. I

swim for a few minutes fascinated by all the creatures that I’ve seen like sea urchins, trigger

fish, eels, turtles, crabs, and anemones. It was as if I was in an aquarium filled with the most

exotic fish in the world. I came up every minute just for air and then went down again to

explore. There many types of creatures were explored and what I like the most was the
beautiful and colourful of corals in the ocean. As I float up again to the surface, I just floated

there for minute, dazed, thinking how incredible mother nature is. I looked around then,

hoping someone else had seen it happen too. This snorkelling experience also related to our

ecology that I see an ecosystem in the ocean with many types of biotic and abiotic

components that has interaction among each other. It was so beautiful. An ecosystem

includes the living organisms (all the populations) in an area and the non-living aspects of the

environment. So, there were varieties of populations inside the ocean and I saw many

colourful corals and other types of plants that I did not know the name specifically inside the

ocean. The populations of all kind of fish, seahorse, prawns, squids and others are actually in

ecosystem which had corals and some else in the sea. That was the relation of my snorkelling

experiences with ecology.

Besides that, I also went hiking when I was in semester 1 in UPSI. At that time, my

friends and I was so excited when heard about the hiking programme that was held on

Saturday at Fraser’s Hill, Pahang. We readily prepared our belongings that we must brought

during the hiking. On that day, as we enter the woods I was mesmerized with the nature and it

was very cold all the way we hikes the hill. The woods seclude me from the rest of the world.

I’m on my own with nobody else in sight, just nature, and only nature. Eventhough there

were my friends there but I was so starstruck with the nature. The sounds of nature give me a

welcoming feeling. I’m part of nature for the duration of the hike. There are no roads,

buildings, or any type of infrastructure. There is only a dirt path, leading me through the wild

and finally to my destination, the top of the mountain. This is when I start to experience the

presence of nature. At first nature has to adjust to my presence. The squirrels scatter away as

I walk towards them, and scurry up atop the trees. The birds silence their chirping

simultaneously. On my continuation of the hike, nature presents me with a number of

pleasures. The birds form a band together, chirping with different pitches and tones. A calm
flow of the streams gives a relaxing tone to my ears. They apply the music as I trek. The

plethora of plants and trees provide me with a variety of different scents. The scents seem to

mix together, giving a fresh air that makes it feel as if breathing is easier. It is when I get to

the larger boulders that you know you are getting closer and closer to the top.

Once I get to the end of the tree line I know I am there, but I don’t want to rush

because I want to experience every bit of nature possible. At the top of the mountain the

reward is spectacular. I can see for miles and miles. It’s as if I’m everywhere at once. We can

see thousands of lakes and rivers blending in with the red, yellow, and orange colours of the

fall. The view makes me feel as if I could stay there on the top forever, but I know I must

continue down to the base of the mountain before nightfall. And as I descend I carry with me

a feeling of satisfaction like no other. These ecosystems are complex webs of organisms that

include plants, animals, fungi and bacteria. Forests also play a critical role in mitigating

climate change because they act as a carbon sink—soaking up carbon dioxide and other

greenhouse gases that would otherwise be free in the atmosphere and contribute to ongoing

changes in climate patterns. But forests are being destroyed and degraded at alarming rates.

Deforestation comes in many forms, including fires, clear-cutting for agriculture, ranching

and development, unsustainable logging for timber, and degradation due to climate change.

This impacts people’s livelihoods and threatens a wide range of plant and animal species. So,

we must protect our forest so that the ecosystem will be reserved for our better future.

One of my favorite things to do before starting my day is to take a jog in the local

park which was at Botanical Garden, Shah Alam. My mind will clear, and I will be able to

face whatever may happen that day. It makes me appreciate the simple things in life a lot

more. Jogging in the park during early hours opens up opportunities to see different scenes

and portraits and open my mind to a new perspective. Entering the park, a slight breeze

rustles the leaves making them fall to the solid ground one by one. The sun begins to rise,
waking the tired sleepers. Flowers are vast, and they conceal the freshly cut green grass.

There are sun-colored daisies, vivid purple lilies, carrot tinted hydrangeas, and cotton candy

pink hyacinths. The pathway is nothing more than dirt littered with random rocks. The park is

barren except for an elderly couple feeding the ducks and a couple of fellow joggers

breathing in the fresh morning air. Walking by the minute green and brown tinted pond, the

milky white, soft feathered ducks can be heard a block away as they quack and battle for the

food being thrown for them. Behind the oddly shaped rocks and algae in the pond, orange,

red, and yellow fish dart back and forth whish these are related to ecology which are

ecosystem. If I look closely enough, you can see a turtle, colored forest green, blending in

with the algae. The park offers a variety of scenery, which make the jog more worthwhile.

As the end of the jog nears, my mind is refreshed and my body is energized for the day. The

correlation with ecology was the lake ecosystem. A lake ecosystem includes biotic (living)

plants, animals and micro-organisms, as well as abiotic (nonliving) physical and chemical

interactions. Lakes and ponds (also known as lentic systems) are a diverse set of inland

freshwater habitats that exist across the globe and provide essential resources and habitats for

both terrestrial and aquatic organisms.