Biotope
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Biotope is a coined word proposed firstly in Germany (Biotop) based on Greek bios='life or organism' and topos='place'. So biotope is literally an area where life is living. More precisely, biotope is an area of uniform environmental conditions providing living place for a specific assemblage of plants and animals. Biotope is almost synonymous with the term habitat but while the subject of habitat is a species or a population, the subject of biotope is a community.[1] Taking in the wide sense, forests or sea could be biotope but generally biotope is often within the circle of human everyday life. Nowadays, its original meaning as an ecological space itself almost fade away and biotope is widely noticed as a keyword of preservation of the environment.
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[edit] Ecology
The idea of biotope was firstly advocated by Heackel.E (1834-1919): German zoologist who is famous for the recapitulation theory. In his book General Morphology (1866), which defined the term "ecology", he stated clearly the importance of the concept of habitat as the prerequisite for organism existence. Heackel also explained that in one ecosystem, its own biota would be shaped by its environmental factors (such as water, soil, and geographical features) and mutual action among living things here; the original idea of biotope was closely related with evolutional theory. After that, F.Dahl, who is a professor of the zoological Museum in Berlin, named such an ecological place a biotope (biotop) (1908).[2]
[edit] Biotope Restoration
Although biotope is primarily the technical term of ecology, in recent years the term “biotope” assumes rather ecology movement and generally used in administration and civic activity. That is, since 1970s in Europe (mainly in German) "biotope" has afresh received great attention as a keyword of preservation, regeneration, and creation of the environment.[3] Used in such context, biotope often refers to smaller and more specific ecology and is very familiar to human life. Especially in Germany, activity to regenerate biotopes is enthusiastic. These activities contain, for example,
- making a roof garden
- river-improvement construction to recover its nature
- leaving bushes or living trees in a farm
- building a nature park upon highway "Autobahn"
- making school garden or pond taking the ecosystem there into consideration
- ecology-considering private gardening
, in which surely various fields take part: such as architecture, civil engineering, urban planning, traffic, agriculture, river engineering, limnology, biology, education, landscape gardening, or private gardening. That is, in each field, all sorts of people are seeking the good way for human and other living things to concern each other. The term "biotope" would include such whole environmental activity.[4]
[edit] Characteristics of Biotope
As characteristics of biotope, following four points could be mentioned.[5]
[edit] Microscale
Firstly, biotope is generally not large-scale but small-scale such as a neighboring park, a backyard, and even potted plants or fish tanks in the porch. In other words, biotope is not macroscopic but microscopic approach to preservation of the ecosystem or biological diversity. Accordingly, biotope is close also to ordinary people so more people could participate in biotope.
[edit] Biotope Network
Secondly, it is commonly emphasized that biotopes should not be isolated but be connected with each other because without connection to others, animals and plants there could not move out and biotope would not effectively work as place for diverse organism to live. That is, one of the most effective strategies to regenerate biotope is to organize a stretch of biotope, not just a point so that animals and plants could come and go. (Such organic traffic course is called corridor.) In this method, the centre of the network would be large green tracts of land: a forest, a natural park, or a graveyard. By connecting them with smaller size those such as a green belt along the river, small parks in the town, apartment garden, or even roadside trees, the biotopes will work systematically. In other words, biotope is not closed but open system and practical strategy.
[edit] In human daily life
Thirdly, biotope refers to not biosphere reserve which completely separated from humans nor subject of human admiration such as a decorative flower bed but an area which has compound functions as human living place and simultaneously varions living things' habitats.
[edit] Artificial
Finally, design and arrangement of specific artificial items is greatly important for biotope regeneration: tree-planting blocks which surface is uneven so that plants sprout and small insects nest, and mat or net made of natural fiber which would corrode little by little as exposed to the weather. That is, there is not binomial opposition between natural and artificial in biotope and rather such artificial materials are widely utilized.
[edit] In Germany
It is especially characteristic in Germany, which is the birth place of the term biotope, that the administration takes the initiative in conservation of biotope, keeping consistency with urban or rural planning as well as considering the regions' history and landscape.[6]
[edit] Legal Basis
The federal nature-protect law (Bundesnaturschutzgesetz, since 1976) provides that the wild animals and plants and their community should be protected as a part of the ecosystem in the specific diversity which has grown naturally and historically, and their biotope and other life condition should be protected, preserved, developed, and restored. (Number 9, Clause 1, Article 2) It is also provided that some particular types of biotope which are full of specific variety should not receive a bad influence from development. That is, there is law which directly prescribe obligation to protect biotope. Furthermore, there is provincial law which corresponds to federal.
[edit] Landscape Plan
Many states are obliged by law to make a landscape plan (Landschaftsplan) as part of urban planning, though such systems vary to a small extent according to the locality. The purpose of the "Landschaftsplan" is to protect the regional environment and landscape. These plans describe with text and figures the present environmental state and proposed remedies. They consider, for example, the regional lay of the land, climate, wind direction, soil, ground water, type of biotope, distribution of animals and plants, welfare of inhabitants, and competition with development projects.
[edit] Citizen Welfare
Biotope preservation at cities put emphasis also on recreation and relaxation for the citizens and improvement on urban environment. For example, in the reserve of Karlsruhe in Baden-Württemberg people can even pedal down the cycling path and walk their dog, although it is forbidden to gather the plants and animals there or walk in exclusion zone. At the basis of biotope preservation, there is the idea that civic life surrounded by rich nature which background is the history and culture would be improved through protection of the nature and preservation of the landscape.
[edit] Objection
Biotope would not be genuine natural because it is put into human hands which diversity of organisms would appear in a biotope. That is to say, while the concept of biotope is fine wisdom for human to live together with nature, humans' selfishness is inclined to be reflected there; biotope is controlled nature, which suits humans' desire and convenience, and such diversity of living things may be not absolutely justice. Therefore making biotope needs far-sighted cautions attitude. Moreover, construction and managing biotope cost a lot of money and even in Germany, in which the concept of biotope is widely known, understanding to biotope by surrounding inhabitants is not always gained. Consequently it is difficult to put all plans of biotope into practice.[7]
[edit] Biotope aquarium
The term "biotope" is also used in the aquarium fish hobby to describe an aquarium setup that tries to simulate the natural habitat of specific fishes. The idea is to replicate conditions such as water temperature, natural plants, water type (fresh, salt, or brackish), lighting, and other native fish that represent a particular real-world biotope. An example of one South American biotope type could be lots of bogwood, a few native plants, with dark substrate and subdued lighting with floating plants. With this add Marbled Hatchets, Angels, Cardinals, Ottos, Corys and plecostomus.
[edit] References
- ^ Toshiyuki Hoshino.(n.d.). Fundamental research in nurtural manegiment of large biotope aiming for regeneration of nature:Introduction., from [1]
- ^ Atushi Iwasawa.(2005). Preservation of biotope from zoological view point: Introduction: What is biotope?, from The January,2005 munber of Biological Science News
- ^ School biotope as a subject matter for environmental and lifelong learning. Retrieved October 24.2006.,from Eco Culture Lab Net
- ^ Masahiro Matsuda.(n.d.) What is biotope? Retrieved December 10.2006, from Pages of environmental information in Germany
- ^ Shin Mizukoshi.(2005). Media Biotope: Characteristics of biotope,p. 73-78.
- ^ [2]Atsushi.I.(2005)
- ^ [3]Masahiro.M.(n.d.).The trial in Karlsruhe for reference
[edit] External links
- Biotope Aquariums at Badman's Tropical Fish
- CORINE Biotopes Abstract on-line at EEA of CORINE Biotypes - The design, compilation and use of an inventory of sites of major importance for nature conservation in the European Community
- MarLIN The Marine Life Information Network for Britain & Ireland
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