The mesocosem method is a method of creating a small ecological water system (salty, fresh, etc.), which simulates large ecological systems that exist in nature. This method provides a close observation of complex ecosystems, and allows learning about different biological mechanisms and how nature solves problems.
By: Yariv Gerstein
The mesocosem method is a method of creating a small ecological water system (salty, fresh, etc.), which simulates large ecological systems that exist in nature. This method provides a close observation of complex ecosystems, and allows learning about different biological mechanisms and how nature solves problems.
With the mesocosm method (MESO = medium, COSOM = world) it is possible to simulate large ecological water systems such as lakes, seas and oceans. By creating the ecosystem you can learn about chemical, physical and biological processes that occur in nature, and how the system solves problems in ecological ways. A mesocosm system makes it possible to isolate processes and effects, and with its help it is possible to understand how nature deals with various problems.
The attached picture shows an ecosystem, and some of the factors that affect it, such as: temperature, pollution, animals and more.
Image by Thompsma, licensed under cc 1.0
With the help of the mesocosm system, learn about several important processes in nature such as: how nature deals with high levels of ammonia (by bacteria that break down the ammonia), learn what happens with high levels of carbon dioxide (carbon dioxide helps grow algae and plants in general in an intensive way ), ecological models were invented that tried to imitate populations present in the system (effects of a predator and prey, competition between species and various other theories), and they studied crops for commercial purposes (fish, algae and more).
There are many other fields that observation of mesocosm systems has been useful for understanding, such as: many changing systems (chaotic systems) (Hastings & Powell 1991) and the field of aquaponics (combined cultivation of plants and fish, a closed water system where the fish feed the plants and the plants clean the water) and many other fields .
There is much that is hidden over the visible in ecosystems and therefore the field of mezocosm can contribute a lot both to understanding processes in nature and to understanding factors that affect ecosystems, knowledge that can help us learn how nature dealt with problems we encounter in our daily lives. The field of biomimicry is extremely important for the ability to utilize the existing knowledge in nature, and to translate it into inventing solutions to the problems that man faces.
