What Is Applied Ecology?

Applied ecology refers to the application of the basic laws and relationships obtained in the theoretical ecology research to the practice of ecological protection, ecological management, and ecological construction, so that human social practice conforms to the laws of natural ecology, and enables people to live in harmony with nature. ,Coordinated development. Therefore, applied ecology is the science that studies and coordinates the relationship between humans and the biosphere and coordinates such complex relationships to achieve harmonious development. ^[1]

Applied ecology refers to the application of the basic laws and relationships obtained in the theoretical ecology research to the practice of ecological protection, ecological management, and ecological construction, so that human social practices conform to the laws of natural ecology, so that people and nature live in harmony ,Coordinated development. Therefore, applied ecology is the science that studies and coordinates the relationship between humans and the biosphere and coordinates such complex relationships to achieve harmonious development.

In actual research, theoretical ecology and applied ecology are intersecting and difficult to separate completely, because the former needs an instance of the research object, while the latter also needs a unique theory and model suitable for the research object. In fact, with the development of theoretical ecology, more and more attention is being paid to applied ecology as a bridge and link between ecology and various fields of biological production and human living environment and quality of life. The propositions of applied ecology present many new tasks to theoretical ecology, and the accumulation of research results in ecological theory, such as the disclosure of ecological phenomena, processes, and laws, undoubtedly provides a theory for applied ecology to solve practical problems in accordance with. ^[1]

As a major research category of ecology, the research object of applied ecology is very extensive, covering almost all types of ecosystems on the earth's surface, so its research content is also very rich. The basic research content of applied ecology is the composition, morphology, structure, function, environment of the ecosystem that is closely related to human production and life, and fluctuations in the production capacity of the ecosystem caused by their changes, changes in the ecological environment, and ecological disasters. The formation and prevention of ecosystems, and the management and regulation of ecosystems are discussed in depth to understand the rational and safe operating mechanism of the ecosystem in order to ensure that the ecosystem is in the best operating state and seek greater benefits for mankind. ^[1]

For humans, sustainability means transforming our contemporary way of life to maximize opportunities for environmental and social conditions to support human safety, well-being, and health. In particular, services from ecosystems must be able to be maintained. Ecology plays an important role in promoting understanding of ecosystems, environmental health, and how organisms, including humans themselves, depend on key ecological processes. When human society enters the 21st century, it will continue to face the reality of the increasing contradiction between population growth and resources and environment. Therefore, researchers and practitioners of applied ecology should be faced with this challenge. Forty years ago, the International Federation of Science and Technology and the International Biology Federation launched the implementation of "

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According to the characteristics of each branch discipline, applied ecology can be divided into different branch disciplines such as industrial ecology, management ecology, and benefit ecology.
1. Industrial ecology (industrial ecology): study the ecological relationships between major industries and externally. It pursues the high productivity of the industry under the premise of coordinated ecological relations, but productivity is not the same as production efficiency. Each industry sector has its own unique ecosystem and research objects, so it has its own unique research theories and methods. Examples include agroecology, forest ecology, grassland ecology, industrial ecology, and tourism ecology.
2. Management ecology: Study the management theories, methods, and strategies of some unique ecosystems, as well as the restoration theories and technologies of damaged ecosystems, to protect the balanced development of ecosystems. For example, urban ecology, restoration ecology, ecological engineering, resource ecology, disaster ecology, global change ecology, landscape ecology. ^[1]

The rapid development of ecology and its penetration into all areas of society and the economy since the 1970s are inseparable from the worrying facts such as the global population explosion, the gradual depletion of the earth's resources, and the continuous deterioration of the environment. It can also explain why modern ecology and its many branches of science that have developed recently are often strongly applied. Tracking the development history of applied ecology, it is not difficult to see that it has always addressed the issues of natural resource degradation, environmental degradation and other issues as the focus of its research.

Ecology is being challenged by environmental issues. This challenge arises from the inability of classical ecology to solve environmental problems as they continue to emerge and accumulate. Schimel calls on researchers and practitioners of applied ecology to face this challenge. Applied ecology focuses on the direct and responsive ecological consequences of human activities, but more on the long-term ecological consequences that are easily overlooked. This requires applied ecologists to use different research methods and technical methods to understand and study the relationship between humans and the earth's biosphere according to different time and space scales of the problem under study, and to seek countermeasures for harmonious development. So, which are the research areas that applied ecology should give priority to at present and in the future? Comprehensive research on international applied ecology in recent years, in the next few years, there may be a wide and active research boom around the following areas and some New features.

Sustainable use of ecosystems and biosphere

The research object in this field can be a certain biological industry such as agriculture, forestry, animal husbandry, fishery, or a specific space for human socio-economic activities such as cities, villages, mines, nature reserves, etc.

Ecosystem services and ecodesign

The increasingly crowded earth needs to strengthen the research of ecological science, which should make human activities an integral part of the earth's ecosystem. In the next 50 to 100 years, the world population will reach 8-11 billion. Maintaining the constant demand caused by population growth will be a huge challenge for humanity. In today's human society, the consumption rate of many very critical resources exceeds the supply capacity of these resources; the ecological problems caused by urbanization are becoming more and more prominent; the future environment will be more composed of human-affected and managed ecosystems. The ecosystem services that humans rely on in the system will become increasingly difficult to maintain. Applied ecological research must address the tension between human needs and ecosystem needs. Therefore, ecological research should shift from studying undisturbed ecosystems to those that will be affected and managed by humans (recognizing the role of humans in most ecosystems), and more ecological research should be focused on ecological Services and ecological restoration and ecological design, which will help maintain the quality and diversity of life on Earth. Maintaining ecosystem services requires a better understanding of ecosystem patterns and processes. Scientific research needs to answer some key questions, such as which ecosystem services are irreplaceable or even replaceable but very expensive or have adverse consequences? What habitats need protection to ensure they provide critical ecosystem services? What factors can weaken ecosystem services but can artificially regulate this impact? When conservation action plans are not possible, what other options can ecologists provide? How do ecosystem services depend on changes in time and space? How to design ecological solutions to environmental problems? What are the principles and evaluation criteria of eco-city planning and design? How to regulate the ecosystem in a targeted manner to provide the necessary ecological services for human beings? These problems need to be solved in the future applied ecology.

Ecological Evaluation of GMOs

The biotechnology industry will become one of the important pillar industries in the 21st century. Genetically modified biotechnology is a method that uses molecular biology to transfer the genes of certain organisms to other biological species, so that they appear to have traits and functions that the original species do not have, or to cause certain organisms to lose some of their original characteristics. And means. The organisms produced by this technology are called genetically modified organisms or genetically modified organisms (GMOs). Through the transfer of biological genetic information, new genetically modified organisms continue to become new strains and varieties of animals and plants, and new processed foods, new feeds, new pesticides, new veterinary drugs, new fertilizers, etc., and their production and trade are also growing. However, in recent years, as the core content of modern biotechnology, transgenic recombination technology and genetically modified organisms or products, due to their many uncertain factors in safety, the potential harm to human health and the ecological environment has attracted increasing attention. There has been widespread controversy worldwide. Therefore, while expanding the production of genetically modified products, it is particularly necessary to strengthen their safety research and management.

Biological invasion ecology

Since the 1970s, with the acceleration of global economic integration, the rapid development of tourism, and the impact of global climate change, the problem of biological invasion has become increasingly prominent, and it has gradually become a threat to the natural ecological environment, biodiversity and natural resources. Ongoing international issues. Understand the status, process, and consequences of biological invasion, study the mechanisms, management, and control methods of pest invasion, explore scientific issues in invasion biology and invasion ecology, and new technologies to control the mutual invasion of alien organisms, and assess animal and plant population predictions The ability of future biological invasion, as well as the environmental and economic problems caused by biological invasion, and the development of effective countermeasures will be important research contents in this field.

Epidemiological ecology

In recent years, many epidemics (such as mad cow disease, foot-and-mouth disease, bird flu, and SARS) have caused severe direct economic losses and threatened people's lives and property safety. This theme is gradually emerging. The epidemic is highly contagious and has a complex life cycle, and its links with nature and disturbance ecology are also very complex. Climate change may begin to play a large role in their spread. In addition to studying the background of current disease transmission events, epidemiological statistics and simulations, occurrence and development, transmission routes, and forecasting, it is also necessary to consider the potential role of disease ecology in evaluating biological weapon risks. But now, much of this knowledge that people hope to obtain is still in theory and expectation. Therefore, Schimel strongly encourages extensive and in-depth research in this area, and hopes that Ecological Applications will become a major channel for publishing research results in epidemiological ecology.

Ecological forecast

Ecological forecasting is a comprehensive interdisciplinary research, which can help scientific managers to set priorities for research, monitoring, simulation and evaluation, and is an important basis for resource and environmental management and decision-making. Ecological forecasting will play an increasingly important role in the decision and management of resources and the environment. Advances in computer science and quantitative analysis, the development of ecological theories, and the application of new technologies have increased our ability to predict ecosystem changes. When human society enters the 21st century, the problems of environment and sustainable development remain unresolved. In the new century, human society is facing more uncertainties, rapid changes in climate and chemical cycles, the depletion of natural resources that support regional economies, and exotic species The proliferation of diseases, the spread of diseases, and the deterioration of air, water, and soil have posed an unprecedented threat to human civilization. The continuous supply of food, fiber and fresh water, as well as the maintenance of human health, depend on our ability to forecast and prepare for uncertain futures. Therefore, ecological forecasting will be an important direction of ecological research in the future and will require close cooperation among multiple disciplines and departments.

Ecological process and its regulation

Ecological process refers to the biological process controlled by environmental factors and the environmental process affected by biological participation. Many ecological phenomena that occur on the surface of the earth are affected by related ecological processes. In theory, almost all ecological processes are controllable to varying degrees. If humans can understand the occurrence and development of many important ecological processes and understand the biological and environmental factors that affect these processes, it is possible to find and regulate these processes. Approach and technology to achieve the purpose of scientifically managing the ecosystem and the entire biosphere. The study of ecological processes requires the use of various experimental techniques and observation methods, and long-term, large-scale ecological experiments, continuous observation of important ecological environment elements, networked comparisons of cross-regional experimental observations, and comprehensive applications of remote sensing, imaging, and information technology. It is the only way for the further development of future ecological process research. In terms of ecological regulation, spatial regulation will become an important part of applied ecology. Applied ecology usually needs to answer questions such as what to do, where to do it, and when to do it, such as determining the amount of deforestation, establishing a nature reserve, and water allocation. The essence of these problems is the optimal control of space.