Ecology and Biodiversity
by Martyna Walerowicz
In recent decades, the word “ecology” in Europe has gradually lost its original meaning. Today, almost everything is described as “ecological” — from crops to yogurt. Yet originally, ecology referred to the scientific study of relationships between species and the environments in which they live.
What are ecological connections?
We often hear that biodiversity is important — but why does it matter so much? What does it actually mean when an environment contains many different species of plants and animals?
The loss of even a single species can trigger the disappearance of others and disturb the balance of entire ecosystems. It works like an incredibly complex, multi-layered domino effect. And eventually, the falling pieces reach us too — because whether we realize it or not, we are part of this ecological puzzle ourselves.
These relationships are especially visible between plants and insects, many of which depend closely on one another.
Bumblebees, for example, are large and heavy insects. Many plant species evolved flowers that can only be opened and pollinated by insects with enough strength and weight. Charles Darwin himself observed that if certain bumblebee species disappeared, the plants connected to them would eventually disappear as well.
Another example can be found in plants with very long floral tubes, adapted specifically for pollination by butterflies and moths.
It is also important to remember that while the honey bee is an extraordinary pollinator of agricultural crops — contributing to the production of 70–80% of our food — in natural ecosystems it is actually suited to pollinate only around 10% of flowering plant species.
A living ecological network
Let us look at one ecological network I once studied.
Beyond feeding relationships, species also depend on very specific habitats and environmental conditions. At the center of this network stands the protected bird’s-eye primrose.
The primrose requires open, sunny habitats and grows in wet mountain fens — unique grasslands constantly supplied with flowing water. The vegetation surrounding it must remain low, which is why grazing animals such as sheep are important: they naturally “trim” the surrounding plants.
The primrose depends on…
…the bee-fly.
This remarkable insect is the pollinator of the primrose, whose flowers have deep, narrow tubes. Despite its furry appearance, the bee-fly is not a bee at all — it is a fly.
And the bee-fly itself depends on…
…solitary bees.
Bee-flies are brood parasites of solitary bees such as mining bees and leafcutter bees. Their larvae develop by feeding on bee larvae.
So perhaps it would seem easier if bee-flies disappeared, leaving the bees alone?
But then — who would pollinate the primrose?
Mining bees and leafcutter bees nest in soil or hollow plant stems. They require dry habitats with exposed slopes suitable for nesting. Wet fens are not enough for them.
From this ecological web, let us choose one species: the spring mason bee.
This bee is closely connected to…
…willow trees.
Spring mason bees emerge very early in the year, from March to May, when few other plants are flowering. At this time, willow trees become one of their most important food sources.
Although willows are wind-pollinated and could survive without bees, bees could not survive without willows.
Willows themselves prefer wet habitats, where countless small insects such as mosquitoes also live. These insects then become food for birds, including swifts.
Willows are also an essential early-season food source for honey bees. And why is the strong early development of honey bee colonies important for us?
Because shortly afterward, these bees pollinate many agricultural crops that humans depend on.
And the network continues to grow.
Connections branch further and further outward, linking habitats and species together like the overlapping crowns of trees in a forest — constantly influencing one another.
And this is what ecology truly is.
If you look closely at an ecological diagram, you will always notice arrows leading beyond the frame. That is because it is impossible to show all ecological relationships between species and habitats on a single map.
Nature is an endless network of connections.
Article written by: Martyna Walerowicz