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A case study of all plants and animals found in the nearby Park in my locality in Kolkata, West Bengal, India.
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As a part of our Environmental Science (ENVS) Project, we were asked to visit a nearby Park in our locality and prepare a scientific analysis of ten plants and ten animals found there, and how they interact with one another, thereby enabling us to understand the functioning of the ecosystem better. The Park I visited was the Bidhanpally Netaji Sishu Udyan (picture below). This Park was inaugurated on the 11th^ of January, 2016. The picture below shows the foundation stone laid in the park.
These street dogs get agitated when a dog of some other area enters into their area of living. mouth and have 12 incisors and 4 large canine teeth. Cats (Indian Feral Cat) They usually prefer to live in places where food and water is available and where it won’t be handled or touched. They usually avoid socialisation with humans, unlike dogs; Adult male cats usually kill young male kittens; They make a “purring” sound when they are happy; Cats greet each other by rubbing against each other. They usually weigh between 3kilograms and 10 kilograms; They are much smaller in size and slender than the street dogs and their fur has a glossy sheen; They are much more sensitive to touch than dogs or humans; They are found scratching on the barks of trees to remove the outer layers of the front claws and keep them sharp. By killing pests and rodents, mice, etc. They help maintain a balance in the food chain. Squirrel (The Tree Squirrel) The nest of a squirrel is known as “drey”. These are usually built of twigs, dry leaves and grass and typically assembled in the forks of a tall tree. They are day- active animals; They avoid human contact; They leap from branch to branch and scurry up and down trees using their sharp claws; They spend much time on the ground foraging for fruits, nuts or insects. Squirrels have slender bodies, sleek, thick fur and bushy tails. Their fur colour is brown or reddish-brown; They have hand- like forepaws that are used for holding food. Squirrels bury their nuts in the ground, a behaviour called “caching”. They dig up and eat most of the food they bury, but some of it is forgotten. The nuts and seeds that are not recovered grow into plants and trees thus assisting in “forest regeneration”.
House Crow Crows generally hide their nests in a crotch near the trunk of a tree or on a horizontal branch towards the top of the tree. The crow is a “scavenger” since it feeds on carrion, dead plant material or refuse; They roost communally near human habitations and often over busy streets. The House Crow is a slender, blackish, medium sized crow, with a long bill; Head, nape and breast sides are greyish contrasting with the black plumage; Their voice is a harsh “kaaw-kaaw”. Scavengers, like the crow, play an important role in the ecosystem by consuming dead plant and animal material. Earthworms Earthworms live anywhere where there is moist soil and dead plant material. They need moist soil conditions to survive. Earthworms are “nocturnal” in habit, during night hours they come out of their burrows in search of food and exploring new habitat. An earthworm’s body is streamlined and every segment contains a number of bristles called “setae”; They are pale reddish- brown in colour; They are a few centimetres long and about half a centimetre wide. They break down large pieces of organic matter into rich humus thus improving soil fertility; Its burrowing allows for aeration and drainage in the soil, thus maintaining soil structure; Their excretion in the form of “casts” provide vital nutrients to the soil that is used by plants to grow. Butterfly Butterflies live in leafy, perennial flowering plants. Butterflies have a fluttering flight; They sit with their wings clasped against each other; They feed on liquids from flowers through a tube- like structure called the “proboscis”. Butterflies have large brightly coloured wings and sit with their wings clasped together. Butterflies provide a vast source of food for other animals like birds and mice in the ecosystem; They also help in pollination. Fish (‘Mrigal’, Fish are aquatic Fish breathe Fish are aquatic Fish are a food
they often engage in “dust- bathing”. neck; Their backs are striped with buff, black and brown. ecosystem.
Eucalyptus Eucalyptus trees grow in moderate temperatures, where water is available in plenty and the soil is rich in nutrients. They are the tallest flower- bearing trees; They have a distinctive smell that comes from the oil stored inside the leaves; They are “gum trees” because they exude copious “Kino” from any break in the bark. These are tall trees with thick leaves, the leaves are waterproof; they have a characteristic smell; the leaves are slender and pointy. Eucalyptus trees use up a lot of water, like other trees, but it does so more efficiently than other plants, thus helps maintain soil quality. Neem Tree (Indian Lilac) Neem tree grows best in temperate and humid regions, where water is available round the year. The Neem Tree is an evergreen tree that is highly resistant to drought, and it is known for its medicinal properties. The leaves of the Neem tree are small, slender and bitter in taste; Neem trees bear white flowers. Neem has environmental benefits such as flood control, reduced soil erosion and less salination. Tamarix Tree (“Jhau Gachh”) Tamarix tree grows best in soils that are saline, with abundant Tamarix trees are deciduous and flower- bearing. The tree appears “scruffy”, it bears pink flowers; Because of its long taproot and dense growth habit, Tamarix helps
water and sunlight. Usually these trees are quite tall. in soil erosion control and maintaining soil structure. Bougainvillea It survives best in full sun, slightly acidic and well drained soil, in a relatively hot and dry climate. It is a flower- bearing shrub with deep green leaves and paper-like petals. The flower of this plant consist of paper-like petals, which are white, red, yellow or pink in colour. It generally spreads low and wide covering the ground around it. It is a “pollution tolerant” plant and helps in the mitigation of air pollution, thereby ensuring a healthy survival of all the other plants and animals in the ecosystem. Hibiscus (China Rose) Hibiscus grows best in well- drained soils in sunny areas. It is a deciduous flower-bearing shrub. The flowers of the hibiscus plant are mainly red or yellow in colour, and it has dark green paper-like leaves. The stalk, with its pollens, helps in pollination. Rose Roses typically grow in warm climate. It is a perennial flowering plant with a sweet smell. Roses often bloom in large shrub groupings and often form thick hedges; The flowers are very fragrant while blooming; The stems are often armed with sharp prickles; The leaves are oval in shape and sharply toothed. They produce nectar, thus helping in pollination. Basil (Tulsi) Basil typically grows in moist It is a tender perennial It is an aromatic herb, Basil serves to purify the air
The nutrients move through the Nutrient Cycle. Carbon, Phosphorus, Nitrogen, Iron, various kinds of vitamins and minerals etc. move in a cyclic manner. These nutrients are reused by the producers after flowing through the food chain, while energy is not. An example of a food web, constituted by the various animals and plants found in the park is given below. Fish (Fish feed on Aquatic Plants) Dog Plants Butterfly Sparrow Cat Dragonfly Squirrel Frogs House Crow
By working on this project, I have gained a clear understanding on how the biotic and abiotic components of an ecosystem are related to each other, the role of producers, herbivores, carnivores, detrivores and decomposers in the ecosystem and how all these elements of nature function together in harmony to ensure the survival of the various components of the biotic part of the ecosystem. The inclusion or exclusion of any of the components of the ecosystem would adversely impact all other plants and animals of the ecosystem.
