Interconnected

When I first was observing the landscape of Audubon Park on Wednesday it wasn't clear to me what lenses to approach my Field notes with. I couldn't really think straight either because Richard was trying to count every duck, squirrel, and egret in the place. I did notice the pond while walking along its shore. The same shore I have sat on for many hours making friends with people and animals. This time I noticed how much the environment of the surrounding area depended on the presence of the water. The many species of ducks would not be there at all if there wasn't a body of water for them to thrive in. The large amount of trees and root systems encompassing the water survive by the nutrients in the pond. Squirrels and many different birds, most notably the egrets on the island, seek the protection of these trees. Having switched my major to Religious studies I wasn't sure if it would be beneficial to describe all this through that lens. But after talking to a few different people it occurred to me that it was the perfect lens. Through the eyes of religion, creation, and spirituality it is obvious that this is a great example of the interconnectivity of life. The plants and animals all depend on each other for survival, even the pond itself needs them to survive. The result is a continuous relationship one could describe as the circle of life. Through a biological lens I saw the situation from a similar standpoint but to a varying degree. A biologist would look at this water habitat and the species in it as an example of survival of the fittest or a small food chain. The fish eat the weeds in the pond, the ducks eat the fish giving nutrients back to the pond, the trees drink the water and nutrients, and the birds live in the trees creating a food chain. My favorite evolutionary biologist, E.O. Wilson, actually likes to note the interconnected web of life that is earth. This was a helpful exercise to learn how to view the environment around us trough different eyes.