The Ecological Address

What if one could assign a mathematical and alphanumeric formula for every organism on the planet that would represent its ecological address or Ecoaddress for short? The value of one address would be meaningless, kind of like having the only facsimile machine. But if all organisms on the earth had an address, one could picture the interactive chain of life on this planet. Imagine a computer image linking all addresses where they intersect into a 3-D model in colors, with blue for the ocean at the bottom of the image, brown for land, green for plant levels on up to white for the snowline.Such a display would be like a Scrabble game in 3-Dimensions and color.

What we would have is a vivid, meaningful image of the interlocking life on Earth. Break that chain at certain strategic points and many life forms could be lost.

This address would represent a series of ranges. For example: a land animal might live above sea level Or +1 foot up to 6,000 feet. One would need the longitude and latitude where the organism exists. One would need a range of temperatures at which it could survive such as -10 degree F. up to say, 100 degrees F. And this same animal might require an environment with a minimal rainfall of 30” per year and a maximum of 65”. How to convert this data into a formula, and address?

Or suppose one might have a marine animal that mostly lives below sea level or from 0 feet down to -300 feet.  But if an animal does not normally live at a certain level, then we would not count it. For example a dolphin may jump 8 feet into the air but it cannot live there so its address would be =1 foot or the amount he might normally come up for air. But a sea turtle comes out of the water to lay its eggs so its address might begin with +6 and go down to -300? I have no idea how deep sea turtles dive.

Assuming that biologists could devise such a scheme, what good is it? Well, if one knew the ecological address in one part of the world, one could predict all of the other parts of the world where that organism could live and thrive. If we knew what happened, would we have brought starlings to America from England? How many native birds were misplaced? What about Kudzu? In each case we might have made a different decision, or not, but it would have been an informed decision.

I have read many accounts in English literature about the Nightingale, how beautiful their song is in the night. English poets have written many poems in its honor. I have never heard this song, but I would cherish the opportunity. Suppose we were to consider importing these birds into this country? Using a computer one could first map the address of the Nightingale, green, yellow, and red areas. Naturally, the green would be the ideal habitat, the yellow borderline and the red would be least likely. Then we could ask the computer, what other native animals overlap the green areas. Maybe we would get lucky and it would be Starlings. Bring them on! One could make an informed decision.

Another example: I have heard it said that Transylvania County in N.C. has the highest and lowest rainfall of any county. Let’s suppose that is true. One would assume that it is the western slope of the Appalachian Range that has the highest rainfall because the clouds can’t make it over them. I have often wondered if one could plant a forest of California Redwoods on the Western slope of our mountains. Let’s assume that we all agreed that it would be a good idea. One could take the ecological address of the California Redwood and see it is a fit for Transylvania County or other mountain counties. In this example, height above sea level, temperature range, rainfall, and humidity would be measurements, its addresses must overlap in a meaningful way for the project to succeed.
The computer, comparing the addresses, would respond ‘Exact Match’ or, perhaps 11 out of 13 matched, then print out in English the differences, in this case Longitude and Latitude.

Knowing that the same flora and fauna live in the Appalachian Mountains of N.C. as are found in Canada, it would be interesting to compare the addresses and their differences. I would predict that altitude would be the main variable along with Latitude, but temperatures would be similar in range. Obviously, one can see that organisms can have multiple addresses.

Suppose one was studying a rare bird found in long leaf pine forests. One could scan for all known addresses of the long leaf pine then search those niches for evidence of the bird.

On our coast, the distance from the salt spray would have to be a parameter of any plant growing there. There are only a few grasses or sea oats that can live in the tidal zone. One has to retreat, from the high water mark, back 50 to 100 yards to encounter those weathered firs. Farther back still one has the live oak forming a canopy that shields many other plants from the spray that would kill them.
The percentage of salt water is also a valuable parameter in an ecological address for plants and animals. It turns out that the amount of salt is not the critical measure. Biologists have found organisms living in springs of high salinity where the salinity is constant. But it is the changing salinity that knocks out most organisms, places where the range of salt water percentage varies widely. On our coast and in the marshes, one can have a high salt content but then heavy rains inland can cause the water to be more fresh than brackish. Few animals or plants can thrive in these wide swings. Many animals, fish for example, can move from these changes to waters more accommodating, but few plants other than some marsh grasses can survive. Range of salinity would be a percentage measurement.

Salmon and other such fish have evolved a strange and unlikely change of addresses over their life cycle. The adult salmon lives its life in the salty ocean but then swims upstream through brackish then fresh waters. The change in salt parameter is one strange address change. But the fish also changes its altitude. Though he might not leap more than a couple of feet out of the water, say +5 , after being -100 ft in the ocean ( I have no exact idea), the salmon is also changing its altitude by swimming upstream to spawn perhaps +1500 feet or more, but they don’t survive the change in salt salinity.

The eggs the salmon lays can only live  at an address of pure water and the young fry live at the higher altitude, still beneath water but not sea level but as they grow they migrate downstream from an address of higher altitude and fresh water to salt water and below sea level. Suppose one decided that it was a good thing to take the larger Pacific Coast Salmon and transplant them on the East Coast? Would it work? What would the ‘green’ area of the address be on the East Coast? What other fish and animals would be competing for this address?

I would guess that any migrating species would have the most intricate and varied addresses.  Consider Arctic Terns, not happy at one pole they fly to the other, obviously over all of the latitudes in between.  Then they fly back again.

Let’s try to create even one address and see what problems present themselves or see if it is even feasible? All addresses have to be the same length so a spacer must be used for those segments that do not apply. The challenge would be places such as Death Valley which is dry but below sea level but it would work: Land and inches below sea level should cover it. An amphibious animal such as a frog would have F and an L in its address. A marine organism living only in the ocean would have salinity range of 35-35psu (practical salinity units or 3.5%).