IndexIntroductionEcology, energy and chemical cyclesCommunity structureBiodiversity and successionHow does each idea work?ConclusionIntroductionEcology is a branch of biology that deals with the scientific analysis of how organisms are distributed, their abundance, interactions and relationships in and with their respective environments. Some of the critical areas of interest include animal and plant populations, animal and plant communities and the nature of their ecosystems, or the network of networks that define the relationships of organisms at various organizational scales. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay The discipline of ecology originated from the natural sciences in the late 19th century, when researchers were interested in conducting studies on almost everything in the environment, from the formation and recycling of nutrients, small bacteria, the way where tropical rainforests affect the earth's atmosphere and more. Another important area includes studying how chemicals, nutrients, and energy flow in a given ecosystem to establish ecological efficiency (the process that describes the transfer of energy from different tropical levels). It is determined by a set of coordination efficiencies related to assimilation and organismal resources in a particular ecosystem. Consequently, ecology seeks to improve understanding of the natural environment by focusing on the distribution and abundance of biodiversity in the environment, stages of adaptation, how ecosystems subsequently develop, and how energy and materials find their way their way through living communities.Ecology, Energy, and Chemical Cycles For the natural world to function efficiently, there are various factors responsible for regulating the amount and rate of biomass and energy flow. Basically, energy flow is defined as the amount of energy contained in a given food chain (Ansari, 2016). The energy entering the ecosystem, or energy input, is measured in calories or joules, so energy flow is also associated with the term “heat flow”. Therefore, while studying energy flow, the fundamental goal of ecologists is to quantify the value of species and their respective feeding patterns and relationships (In Rawat, In Dookia, & In Sivaperuman, 2015). The sun is considered the largest producer of energy in an ecosystem, and some of the unused energy is lost as heat. Nutrients and energy are transmitted through food chains as organisms feed on each other, and the rest is used by decomposers (Hanski, 2016). It means that energy fades away with time but nutrients undergo the recycling process. Therefore, to consider how energy flows and chemical cycles, it is critical to consider how it is passed from one tropical level to the next, and how solar energy is transformed into heat and ultimately lost. Chemical cycles are also critical to the efficient functioning of the natural environment. As such, a chemical cycle is defined as a pathway through which chemical elements utilize as they move through both abiotic and biotic components of the earth (In Rawat, In Dookia, & In Sivaperuman, 2015). Secondly, a cycle includes a series of changes that repeat from the starting point to the end and vice versa. For example, there is a water cycle when it rains, some of the water seeps into the sea and oceans moving as groundwater. Others evaporate into the atmosphere to fuel clouds. There is also the carbon dioxide/oxygen cycle,the nitrogen cycle and others. Everyone must undergo complete phases in order for there to be efficiency in the natural world. For example, the water cycle must take a complete shape so that water lost through evaporation and other means can be made available for the survival of plants and organisms (Reddy,Karanth, Kumar, Krishnaswamy, & Karanth, 2016). Community StructureAccording to Reddy et al. (2016), the community structure segment addresses species diversity and richness, including investigating why ecosystems reflecting relatively higher diversity are considered more stable, and the role of keystone species and foundational. Based on this, the structure of a community is determined by its species richness, which measures the number of species present (In Rawat, In Dookia, & In Sivaperuman, 2015). It also deals with species diversity, which covers both evenness and richness of species (In Rawat, In Dookia and In Sivaperuman, 2015). There are many factors that influence community structure, including interactions between species, abiotic factors, random events, and level of disturbance. There are some species that play some critical roles in determining their community structure, including foundational and keystone species (Reddy et al., 2016). In light of the previous discussion, a community is considered as a collection of populations that dominate a certain area (Hanski, 2016). They are often studied with difficulty because they have different boundaries and dimensions. As such, an ecosystem covers a higher level of community, involving the respective physical environment so that the ecosystem includes both physical and biological components that interfere with the routine functioning of the ecosystem/community. This means that the ecosystem could be studied from a functional point of view that focuses on energy flow or from a population distribution point of view. The concept of species diversity has a close connection to efficiency in the natural world. It is a function of both the relative abundance of species and the number of different species within a given community (Reddy et al., 2016). In general, ecologists consider more diverse communities to be stable compared to less diverse ones (In Rawat, In Dookia, & In Sivaperuman, 2015). Biodiversity and succession. Ecological succession refers to the process that a biological community undergoes as it evolves with the passage of time (Reddy et al., 2016). There are two types of succession, including primary succession which occurs in areas devoid of life, for example a region where lava has flowed more than once making the land barren. On the other hand, secondary succession occurs where there was a community occupying a certain region but they had to be displaced due to non-viable conditions. They are considered small-scale disturbances that rob nutrients and life from their respective environment (Ansari, 2016). The two form the basis of the functioning of the natural world creating an ever-changing mix of species (Reddy et al., 2016). How does each idea work? The other sections discussed how the ideas of chemical and energy cycles, community structure, biodiversity, and succession combine to form the basis of the functioning of the natural world. First, chemical and energy cycles must be balanced in the atmosphere to ensure their movement where they are needed. Specifically, when there is interference with the carbon cycle, there will not be enough oxygen for plants and animals. Second, community structure evaluates the level of diversity that exists in a given ecosystem. Because animals depend on each other.