Dr Abe V Rotor
Living with Nature - School on Blog
Paaralang Bayan sa Himpapawid with Ms Melly C Tenorio
738 KHz DZRB AM Band, 8-9 evening class, Monday to Friday
Arch of the Centuries and Fountain of Knowledge, University of Santo Tomas, Manila
What really make gardens beautiful may draw two schools of thought – Romanticism and Functionalism. But a typical Philippine garden for one does not take side on the issue – it portrays both schools in an integrated, harmonious design patterned after the richest and the most enviable biome on earth – the Tropical Rainforest.
And
here are gardens to see - the Sunken Garden of UP Diliman QC at the
back of the Oblation, and the UST Botanical Garden along España in
downtown Manila. And for more extensive gardens, go to San Fernando La
Union Botanical Garden in Cadaclan at the foothills of Cordillera. When
picnicking at the Ninoy Aquino Parks and Wildlife Center visit the
vegetation along the lakeshore.
There
are striking features of a garden. For example at UST, there are
man-made waterfalls. Trace the flow on a meandering rocky stream that
ducks under a footbridge before plunging into the depth of a pond, its
bottom murky and cool and rich in detritus. Here clams and snails, and
other bottom dwellers, mostly decomposers reside, shy from the sun and
ensconced in the very food source that settles down. Such is the niche
of these sessile, benthos creatures.
A Garden of Algae and Mosses
The
running stream at the UP Sunken Garden keeps the environment fresh and
cool, lapping on the rocks and sending spray on its banks. Small
waterfalls and boulders lay along its path. Here thick algae and mosses
layer after layer form a carpet on which another niche is found - the
domain of bryophytes in Lilliputian imagery, or one depicted in the
movie, Honey, I Shrunk the Kids.
But
the ultimate source of water is the sky, from clouds that gather and
grow atop the forest. Transpiration from trees on one hand and
evaporation on the other attract clouds, pulling them down in shower or
downpour at anytime of the day or night. It is for this phenomenon that
this biome got its name - rainforest.
The
garden’s design simulates this condition. The waterfall, streams, a
large fountain and a series of ponds maintain high humidity in their
environs. High humidity and continuous supply of water are crucial in
the formation of multi-storey vegetation and subsequently the presence
of a myriad of resident organisms.
An Evolving Ecosystem
It
may take years for a new garden to approximate the structure of a
typical rainforest. In the process visitors may not be aware of the slow
transformation, one sere after another until a climax community is
formed, a true measure of it is homeostasis or
dynamic balance. The scientific and aesthetic aspects are interesting
to study. Inference can be drawn on the viewpoint of ethico-morals that
governs man of his role in God’s creation – and the transformation of
man himself as one good and faithful steward of the environment.
A
botanical garden is thus transforming deliberately like an evolving
ecosystem. It is Nature’s laboratory and a playing field of biological
diversity.
Biological Diversity
1.
As a field laboratory the garden demonstrates ecological cycles –
invasion, colonization, competition, and emergence of dominant species,
as well as seasonal and long-term succession patterns. We may not have
the four distinct seasons, but there are tropical trees that demonstrate
some temperate characteristics carried by their ancestral genes, such
as the deciduousness of narra (Pterocarpus indicus) and talisay (Terminalia catappa) simulating trees in the temperate region that completely lose their leaves at the onset of winter.
2.
The garden is a living manifestation of dynamic balance in a changing
environment with the organisms constantly adjusting to the demands of
the latter, but at the end they also change the environment itself. The
transformation process or seres always leads towards homeostasis and the
result is the formation of a climax ecological system.
3.
As a showcase of natural habitats, the garden adjusts to the
development of niches and diversity indices. The garden never sleeps, so
to speak. It is an arena and the drama of life goes on and on.
Energy Flow
4. When we look at life, we look at it in the realm of physics and chemistry – the flow of energy through the food chain, food web and their hierarchic order, the food pyramid. The
light energy of the sun is transformed into chemical energy by plants
through photosynthesis, and is passed on one after another through the
links of a chain until the remaining energy reaches the ultimate member –
the decomposers that
transform organic substances back into inorganic forms so that the next
generation of organisms can start all over again. We can witness this
among the residents in the pond, and among insects, arachnids, birds,
reptiles, and others that inhabit the garden.
Plant Physiology and Animal Behavior
5.
The garden demonstrates physiologic responses of plants - tropisms or
reactions to light, touch, and the other elements on one hand, and
animal behavior on the other. Why do plants grow tall, while others do
not - even if they belong to the same species? Where do toads and frogs
hide in summer? How do they survive without food and extreme hot and
arid condition?
Dragonflies
hover low before a rain. A preying mantis resembles the leaf or flower
on which it waits for its prey. These and many more demonstrate
intelligence among animals.
6.
There are biological indicators of the state of the environment. The
garden has a host of these indicators such as lichens and fireflies. The
presence of both attest to the pristine condition of the environment
and clean of air around. The garden itself is a barometer of El Niño.
There are bamboo species that produce flowers at the onset of the
cyclical phenomenon.
Gene Bank
7.
The garden is a sanctuary of wildlife. In spite of the crowded
environment and high-rise buildings around, a garden is always with
butterflies. Some people say, if you see butterflies there must be a
garden nearby. It is because the garden is their natural abode with
plants they feed on and rear their young. The ponds and streams are a
sanctuary of dragonflies as well, and their waters teem with both phytoplankton
and zooplankton
that students in biology can
study with the use of microscope.
and zooplankton
that students in biology can
study with the use of microscope.
8.
As a gene bank, the garden is a depository of biological diversity,
providing access to genetic studies, propagation and exchange with other
institutions. A garden must aim at expanding its collection of species,
even those that are thought to be weeds and volunteer plants. In many
ways nature is the principal architect of biodiversity. Birds, water and
wind carry seeds into the garden. When we design the garden we follow
Nature rules. For example, plants are classified according to water
regime, type of growth, sunlight requirement, seasonality, etc.
9.
In another article I wrote, I mentioned about the garden as a microcosm
of the biosphere, the pond a minuscule of a lake – and now, the new the
garden is a replica of the Tropical Rainforest.
10.
This miniature replica of a Tropical Rainforest, where living organisms
– macroscopic and microscopic – live in a state of unity and harmony is
man’s way of redeeming a lost Paradise. There is more than just
romanticism and functionalism, not even human imagination can describe
it. Indeed we can re-create a Garden of Eden is some little corner of the Earth, the greatest offering we can make to the Creator who gave us the capacity to build it. ~
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