Observations on the sustainability of biodiversity through seed dispersal in a microecosystem

Abstract

In this study, an extracurricular observation module is suggested for the purpose of observing the sustainability of biodiversity based on gathering evidence regarding different seed dispersal processes in the natural environment. These observations were made during the period of the Covid-19 pandemic, a time when human activity inflicted a minimum level of damage. The location of the observations was a microecosystem discovered on an urban college campus. Observations were made of four different types of seeds (palm, mulberry, linden and laurel) inside this ecosystem as well as of the way they were being carried via three different means (gravity, wind and the birds). The methods of how evidence of these seed-carrying processes was collected are presented here. A systematic and sequential observational technique in three steps is suggested to facilitate understanding the germination, growth and development processes of the different seeds in the microecosystem explored. We propose on the basis of this module that anyone can discover a microecosystem in their immediate environment and that with systematic observations can develop the skills needed to gather evidence on the ways seeds are disseminated and how plants grow. The entire construct of this study has been structured to support this claim.

Keywords:

• Seed dispersal
• biodiversity
• ecosystem
• systematic observation

Acknowledgement

The location at which this study was conducted was the campus of Dokuz Eylül University Buca Faculty of Education. The site of the campus was owned by the well-known Levantine Rees Family of Izmir and has been in the service of education as public property since 1959. Although the campus is in the center of the city, the support it has received from the local population and the compassionate labor that has gone into the gardens have made it a natural habitat for a variety of plant life and animal species. All of the individuals who have contributed to creating a naturally balanced environment with their sensitivity and respect for living beings deserve our endless gratitude and regard.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

ORCID

Kemal Yurumezoğlu https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3288-9890

Merve Oztas Cin https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8404-9829