ECOLOGY and ALLERGY: Building an Allergy-Free Environment in 3 Articles

 ECOLOGY and ALLERGY: 

Building an Allergy-Free Environment 

Allergy occurs when a person reacts to substances in the environment that are harmless to most people. These substances are known as allergens and are found in dust mites, pets, pollen, insects, ticks, moulds, foods and some medications. Atopy is the genetic tendency to develop allergic diseases. Internet

Dr Abe V Rotor

Part 1 - Treaty of Nature and Man

It is only through proper management and effective conservation, such as reforestation, pollution control, erosion control, limited logging, and proper land use, that we can insure the continuity of our race.  All we have to do is to keep ourselves faithful to the treaty between nature and man.

                                                              Dr Abe V Rotor 

Fishpens and fish cages crowd the shore of Tikob Lake, Tiaong Quezon 

      Frantic exploitation of natural resources through illegal logging operations, followed by slash-and-burn agriculture (kaingin), has brought havoc to the Philippines in the past century.  The detrimental results are measured not only by the denudation of once productive forests and hillsides, but also destruction through erosion, flood, drought and even death. 

      An example of this kind of ruination brought about by abuse of nature is the tragedy in Ormoc City where floodwaters cascading down the denuded watershed, killed hundreds of residents and countless animals. It took ten years for the city to fully recover.  Ironically, before the tragedy, Ormoc, from the air, looked like a little village similar to Shangrila, a perfect place for retirement.

      A land area designed by nature to sustain millions of people and countless other organisms, was touched by man and we are now paying the price for it.  Man removed the vegetation, cut down trees for his shelter and crafts, and planted cereals and short-growing crops to get immediate returns. He hunted for food and fun, and in many ways, changed the natural contour and topography of the land.

      Following years of plenty, however, nature reasserted itself. Water would run unchecked, carrying plant nutrients downhill.  On its path are formed rills and gullies that slice through slopes, peeling off the topsoil and making the land unprofitable for agriculture.  Since the plants cannot grow, animals gradually perish. Finally, the kaingero abandons the area, leaving it to the mercy of natural elements. It is possible that nature may rebuild itself, but will take years for affected areas to regain their productivity, and for the resident organisms once again attain their self-sustaining population levels.

      There are 13.5 million square miles of desert area on earth, representing a third of the total land surface. This large a proportion of land may be man-made as history and archeological findings reveal.

      Fifteen civilizations, once flourished in Western Sahara, Tunisia, Libya, Egypt, the Sinai desert, Mesopotamia, and the deserts of Persia. All of these cultures perished when the people of the area through exploitation, forced nature to react. As a consequence, man was robbed of his only means of sustenance.

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Man, being the superior organism, has not only won over his rivals -  all organisms that constitute the biosphere.  He has also assaulted Nature.

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      History tells us of man’s early abuse of nature in the Fertile Crescent where agriculture began some 3000 years ago.  Man-made parallel canals joined the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers to irrigate the thirsty fertile valley. In the process, the balance of Nature was overturned when the natural drainage flow was disturbed. Because the treaty was violated, nature revenged. The canal civilization perished in the swamps that later formed. The sluggish water brought malaria and other diseases causing untold number of deaths and migration to the hinterlands. Among its victims was Alexander the Great.

      Carthage had another story. Three wars hit Carthage, known as the Punic Wars.  On the third one, the Romans ploughed through the city, ending reign of this erstwhile mercantile power, and removing the threat to the Roman economy. After the conquest, the Romans pumped salt-water inland and flooded the fertile farms. Today, Carthage exists only in history and in imagination of whoever stands atop a hill overlooking what is now a vast desert.

 Carthage aftermath of the Punic wars; Carthage today 

      Omar Khayyam, if alive today, cannot possibly compose verses as beautiful as the Rubaiat as written in his own time. His birthplace, Nishapur, which up to the time of Genghis Khan, supported a population of 1.5 million people, can only sustain 15,000 people today. Archeologists have just unearthed the Forest of Guir where Hannibal marched with war elephants. The great unconquerable jungle of India grew from waterlogged lowland formed by unwise irrigation management.

      It is hard to believe, but true that in the middle of the Sahara desert, 50 million acres of fossil soil are sleeping under layers of sand awaiting water. Surveyors found an underground stream called the Albienne Nappe that runs close to this deposit. Just as plans were laid to “revive” the dead soil by irrigation, the French tested their first atomic bomb. Due to contamination, it is no longer safe to continue on with the project.

      The great Pyramids of Egypt could not have been constructed in the middle of an endless desert. The tributaries of the Nile once surrounded these centers of civilization. Jerusalem appears today as a small city on a barren land.  It may have been a city with thick vegetation.  This was true of Negev and Baghdad.

      For the Philippines, it is high time we lay out a long-range conservation program to insure the future of the country.  This plan should protect the  fertility of the fields, wealth of the forests and marine resources, in order to bring prosperity to the people. As of now, the country is being ripped apart by erosion and floods due to unscrupulous exploitation by loggers and kaingeros.

      It is only through proper management and effective conservation, such as reforestation, pollution control, erosion control, limited logging, and proper land use, that we can insure the continuity of our race.  All we have to do is to keep ourselves faithful to the treaty between nature and man. ~

Part 2
The Garden - Living World in Microcosm

Nature keeps a dynamic order where unity resides in diversity. We will never understand this mysterious order. Perhaps it is better not to probe it at all - for it is our deep faith in the Maker of that garden that we earn our place there to live in harmony with all creatures.

Dr Abe V Rotor

The garden could have been the place 

• where Newton formulated the laws of gravity and motion when an apple fell on his head; 

• where John Milton composed Paradise Lost and Paradise Regained, the greatest romantic epic ever written; 

• where Darwin developed his theory of evolution of Survival of the Fittest through Natural Selection; 

• where Henry Fabre discovered organizational intelligence among insects over and above instinctive behavior. 

It was in a garden 

• where Claude Monet painted his masterpieces, capturing the essence of the natural beauty of wild flowers, such as the Nymphaea and the lotus;

• where Gregor Mendel formulated the Laws of Heredity, the foundation of modern genetics;

• where Father Blanco, a great Filipino botanist, made the first comprehensive Philippine Herbarium; and

• where Christ, in the Garden of Gethsemane (photo above), offered Himself to the Father before facing martyrdom for the sake of mankind.

“To see a world in a grain of sand,

And heaven in a wild flower;

Hold infinity in the palm of your hand,

And Eternity in an hour.”

        

- William Blake, Auguries of Innocence

This verse captures the essence of the title of this article. It condenses the universe into its elemental symbols from which we take a full view of the world we live in. It reduces the complexities and vastness of both non- living and the living world into a microcosm that is complete in itself- a plantilla of creation all contained in the hand and experienced within a lifetime.

Lucky is the person who realizes this singular gift. Through this microcosm he can traverse the breadth of time and space, live with the myriad of life forms, and most important, he is blessed by the Great Maker to be part of the wonders and mysteries of creation.

So deep is the faith of the poet, William Blake, who wrote this verse more than two hundred years ago. Then, there were no computers, no television, no spacecraft and satellites. Could it be that in the absence of these modern tools that the mind could penetrate deeper, imagination soar higher, and faith stronger?

   Garden as a Microcosm of the Living World

We may not expect inventions and discoveries, and master’s arts, to creep into the mind of whoever spends time in a garden, or any similar microcosm of nature for that matter. But we are most certain that he finds enlightenment through the knowledge and experience he gains, and with these he develops in himself the discipline to discover new things, and to acquire values that help him live at peace with nature and himself. It is in keeping close to nature that we better understand the ways of the world in which we live.

“What makes a Garden?” The garden is  a pocket representation of the rainforest  ecosystem, and, by dissecting it, we were in effect looking at its profile.

Trees are Sound and Wind Barriers

Have you noticed how the sound of traffic dies down in the dense vegetation of trees? Loud voice is muffled, blaring sound reduced to tolerable decibels, and music is more soothing to the ear. The trees along the street and on school campuses and parks are definitely for this purpose, in addition to being buffers against strong wind.
Windbreaks help reduce wind pressure.

Among the dominant trees in Lagro that serve as windbreak and sound barriers are mango, caimito, coconut, acacia, talisay, balete, mahogany, ilang-ilang, agoho, fig, and narra.

 University of Santo Tomas Botanical Garden, Manila

Woodland hedges along field boundaries in Europe serve the same purpose. The Indian tree is an effective sound breaker because of its thick, cone- shaped crown. It has also another advantage, that is, it grows tall and straight so that several trees can be planted close to each other. These man-made forests are a source of many valuable products and serve as a natural habitat of wildlife. It is no wonder why the Hanging Garden of Babylon was one of the wonders of the ancient World.

Deciduous Nature of Trees in Tropical Rainforest

Look at the narra tree- Pterocarpus indicus. Trees belonging to the Dipterocrap group of family Legumonosae dominate the canopy of the tropical rainforest. Their leaves fall off completely at certain season so that the trees are bare for some time, thus allowing sunlight to penetrate and nourish the under story trees, ground plants, lianas and epiphytes.

  

Dita (Alstonia scholaris), the tallest tree in Manila.  

An on-the spot painting by the author..

UST Botanical Garden, Manila 

The floor becomes covered with litter that nourishes insect, earthworms, fungi and bacteria. These decompose the leaves into humus that ultimately becomes soil while supplying nutrients to different plants in the forest. Because of the high precipitation throughout the year, the forest becomes lush and dense. The multi- story nature of the tropical rainforest makes it the richest biome in both diversity of species and number of inhabitants.

Lichens are indicators of clean air, in the order of increasing pristine condition: crustose, foliose, fruticose.

Mosses are also indicators of clean air and good relative humidity of the place. (photo). 

How do you rate the place you are living in?

 Gymnosperms and Angiosperms

These are cone-bearing and lowering plants, respectively. Gymnosperms are exemplified by pine, agoho, cypress, and arios.  Phylogeny shows that flowering plants are more “ modern “, which means that through evolution, the gymnosperms are older, and later gave way to the evolving angiosperms. Except in colder countries and in the taiga biome, the natural vegetation of forests is composed of flowering  plants. The pine, cypress and cycad are the most common representatives of the cone-bearing plants in tropical gardens.

The oldest living organisms belong to gymnosperm - the Redwoods of California. And the Bristle Cone which is believed to be even older. Many of these trees were already bearing cones during the time of Christ. I have seen one in central Taiwan, estimated to have been two thousand years old, before it was struck by lightning. It still attracts many tourists who wonder at its massive size. One would associate it with legend or cartoon if he hadn't gone to the place. massive it is even after death. It takes

False flowers

Nature’s sweet lies have a purpose. The brightly colored leaves of poinsettia and bougainvillea attract insect pollinators and enhance fertilization and subsequent fruit and setting and seed formation, thus ensuring the perpetuation species how many plants are benefited by this special make-up.

The truth is that most flowering plant has designed attraction mechanisms. In general, flowers are made attractive, although the attraction that we know may not be the same as how insects perceive it. We know red as red, yellow as yellow, and so forth. But insect have different perception of colors. Nonetheless, the basic purpose is what counts - and is almost always achieved. Other means that guarantee pollination-fertilization are sometimes needed. For example insect are attracted by the obnoxious odor of Lantana camara, pollinating it in effect.

 Hantik Ants - Biological Control Agents

My students studied the nests of the giant green tree ants or hantik (PHOTO). The older nests were built on the upper branches of alagao, while a newly built nest was on a smaller tree Ficus pseudopalma. 

It is not easy to trace which nest an individual ant belongs to, but each colony has a specific chemical signal called pheromone. This prevents members from fighting, and allows the colonies to co-exist with defined territories assigned to each colony. Scientist calls this territory as niche.

Hantik ants are notorious killers of other insects. This could be the reason I have not seen any need to spray chemicals. Hantik ants feed on grubs, caterpillars, aphids, scale insects, and many others. They carry off morsels to their nest to feed their larvae. They scare organisms several times bigger than themselves. In fact, one who happens to get close to their domain is likely to get a bite or two, which is warning enough. But they do not hesitate to attack once they are threatened or disturbed.

I demonstrated the ferocity of the hantik by crushing a member of that colony. Sooner than  I expected other members came to the rescue and pheromone was immediately put to use in the coordination and division of work, and in the strategy of war.

Common Medicinal Plants

A botanical garden is not complete without a good collection of medicinal plants. Here I showed to my students examples of medicinal plants with their uses. UST Botanical Garden was once the pharmaceutical garden of the university founded by Fr. Rodriguez a century ago. It is one of the oldest pharmaceutical gardens in the world.

Here are typical examples of medicinal plants found in backyard and home gardens.

1. Lagundi - fever and flu

2. Pandakaki- minor wound or cuts

3. Oregano - sore throat and cough

4. Ikmo - mouth wash

5. Mountain tea - health drink

6. Guava - body odor and skin diseases

7. Pandan - beverage and food additive

8. Alagao - fever and cold

9. Avocado - diarrhea

10. Banana - kidney ailment

 Poisonous Plants

I showed my students poisonous plants growing in the garden. But why do we have poisonous plants around?

There are plants which produce poisonous substances that are valuable as pesticide. Examples are neem tree, derris and makabuhay. These have been proved to be effective in controlling certain pests and disease of plants.

Botanical pesticides are generally safer than chemical pesticides. Studies have shown that neem (Azideracta asiatica) PHOTO, a native of India, has long been used as insecticide. It is widely used on field crops and against domestic pest like cockroaches, mosquitoes and bedbugs in many countries including the Philippines.

Makabuhay (Tinospora rhumpiana) is effective against a wide range of rice pests and the application is very simple. Fresh stems and leaves are finely chopped and directly broadcast in lowland ricefields. The active principle is also very effective on golden kohol, a major pest of rice of the Philippines.

Derris is the source of commercial rotenone insecticide. The concentration of its poison is in its enlarged roots.

Two poisonous plants grow in the garden. In fact they grow wild and have been persistent for a number of years now. Castor bean contains a poisonous substance - ricinin - for which reason castor oil is no longer prescribed as laxative. The other plant is Jatorpha curcas or tubang bakod. A few years ago a group of students from a Quezon City High School ate the seeds which taste like peanut. They were taken to the hospital for treatment.

A garden harbors the inquisitive mind, the seeking heart, the longing spirit. It is a place of peace and quiet. Here the seasons of the year are  best observed. As an miniature ecosystem it defines basic relationships between and among living things, including man. Never is a garden idle, nothing is waste, and time is never prodding yet never dull.

Conclusion

The microcosm is far from complete. But it is the framework that is important, like building replica of a dinosaur from pieces of recovered fossil. Knowledge is like that. It starts with principles, but, before that, one must be inspired and motivated to learn. There is no true learning unless one labors for it to some degree. Even frustration that may threaten learning itself, could be, at the end, a motivating factor, a challenge and test of what one is really made of. The Great Maker just gave us the Plantilla from which we follow the way to   learning and understanding. ~

Part 3 - A visit to the Living with Nature Center

San Vicente, Ilocos Sur 

Dr Abe V Rotor

             In loving memory of the late Veneranda Valdez Rotor, ofs 

     

     

       

The woods are lovely, dark and deep. But I have promises to keep, 

and miles to go before I sleep. - Robert Frost

Meet me in the shade of trees,

by the waterfall and garden pond;

among loyal friends of nature, 

where silence the sweetest sound.

Heritage trees of generations -

 past, present, and future - 

living monument of kinship,

bridge of memory and diary. 

 

"The country life is to be preferred, for there we see the works of God, but in cities little else but the works of men. And the one makes a better subject for contemplation than the other." – William Penn

 

 

Be a gardener, a gatherer, a gnome, 

the garden welcomes all, serves all.

Arboretum, a miniature rainforest, 

creating an ecosystem in its best. 

Spontaneous stories and legends,

subject in the lab and shops; 

 awesome secret of Nature lends

to children and grownups. ~   

Students taking up education from the University of Northern 

Philippines (UNP) pose at the Nature's Sanctuary, an arboretum 

with orchard trees and garden plants cum plant nursery.  The 

one-hectare area has a number of heritage trees like caimito,

native mango, anahaw, betel nut, and macopa, that are three 

or four generations old. 

 

Composite Landscape Wall Mural 

There is a saying, "If you can't go to the mountains, bring the mountains into your home." So with the waterfalls, the valleys, the rivers, - the world of Nature. This expression is traced back to Francis Bacon's Essays (1625):

  

Heritage Trees 

How old is the oldest tree in your home, in your community, in places you have travelled?  Trees are living monuments.  They are markers of history, heritage of past, present and future generations.  They capture the breeze, give off oxygen, muffle irritating noise, their shadows are natural clock tuned with our biological clock.  

Arboretum (Mini forest)

People who reside near gardens, parks or forests tend to be more sociable, generous and kind. These people also show better forms of self-discipline and exhibit better mental health. They tend to be more caring and trusting of others, and they are willing to help others in times of need. Now you know why it’s always a great idea to have a nice walk in the park.

According to studies done by American professor Frances Kuo, environments with lush greenery have a direct impact on the overall attitude or behaviour of people living in or near it. Read more:  @inquirerdotnet on Twitter | inquirerdotnet on Facebook

 

 

Native Fruit Trees (Rimas, Santol, native mango, kamias) 

Native genes are Nature's keeper of the living world.  Nothing beats the sweetness of native guava and santol, the beauty of sampaguita and rosal, the resistance of native papaya and banana against virus, glutinous characteristic of rice, avocado, kamoteng kahoy, superior taste of native chicken and pigs, the twinkling sourness of kamias (sinigang) and paho or native mango (with bagoong alamang or shrimp paste)  - and many others. Artificial breeding, including genetic engineering, may not long sustain - and survive in the open - in the natural world, but the native gene lives on, riding on  the laws of evolution.  ~

ANNEX

6 Proven Benefits of Country Living
Home & Garden | 09/18/2018 | 

By: Laura Mueller Tags: city vs country, country, 

country living, nature, rural living, where to live

Out in the country, life moves a little bit slower. I’ve lived in big cities, next to the ocean, and in city-adjacent suburbs, but it wasn’t until I moved out to the country—to a small farm town in Illinois—that I finally felt like I could really breathe. And as it turns out, I’m not the only one. The benefits of country living have been pretty well researched. Science shows that living in the country is beneficial for both your physical and your mental health. And while city and suburb living certainly have plenty of their own benefits, there’s something about country life that just does the body good.

Rural areas account for 97% of U.S. land but house just 19.3% of the population, according to the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey. That’s a lot of room to spread out for those who appreciate the quiet, privacy, and open sky of the country. Whether you’re trying to decide between city life vs. country life or just need some reminders about why living in the country is a great choice, read on for six of the 

biggest benefits inherent in rural living.

1. Cleaner air
The further out into the country you get, the more your air quality improves. Researchers have a few ideas for why this might be, including less pollution, greater abundance of trees and grass, and perhaps even exposure to cell-improving phytochemicals that get released from plants, fungi, and microbes.

Pollution in more heavily-populated areas comes not only from a lack of greenery, but also tiny yet harmful particles released into the air from trucks, buses, cars, factories, and other mainstays of urban environments. These particles travel into the lungs, where they impair breathing and increase the risk of serious illness. Escaping this polluted air for the country means better breathing and better protection against chronic conditions like asthma and heart disease.

2. Less crime
Residents in rural areas are less likely to be the victims of a wide range of crimes versus those who are living in the city or suburbs. These include simple and aggravated assault, robbery, and theft. Part of the reason for this is just a sheer numbers game—there are less people in the country, thus less opportunity for crime to occur. There’s also a higher percentage of police officers per capita—2.8 officers per 100,000 people in non-metropolitan counties compared to 2.6 officers per 100,000 people in metropolitan counties.

Crime can happen anywhere, and the country certainly isn’t guaranteed to be completely free of it. Still, if you’re looking to live somewhere where you can feel more comfortable letting your kids ride their bikes alone to school or leaving your windows open for a cool breeze while you sleep, statistically the country is going to be your best bet.

3. Better psychological health
Your brain actually functions differently in the country. Living in an urban environment over-stimulates two key, and potentially harmful, regions of the brain: the areas that regulate emotion and anxiety. Scientists believe this is the reason they see higher rates of mental health problems in cities than non-urban areas. In the country, the brain is less likely to experience this kind of overstimulation. The benefits? A lower risk of anxiety disorders and mood disorders. There is also research showing that city living increases schizophrenia risk, likely due to unknown environmental factors that impact developing brains.

You’re not going to be able to completely prevent a mood disorder or mental illness just because you live in the country, nor are you guaranteed to have less stress in your life simply because you’re out of the city. But you are going to avoid some of the increased risk factors for these psychological ailments that are deeply connected with city life, and it’s a benefit of country living worth considering.

4. It’s cheaper
Cities are expensive to live in. It’s already well-established that living in the suburbs is cheaper than living in the city, and the cost of living drops even further for rural areas. A study looking at the cost of living for urban and rural areas in Pennsylvania found that those in the country paid less for everything from groceries to health care to transportation, with the greatest price differentiation having to do with housing costs (12.7% less in rural areas than urban areas).

Of course, what you pay to live somewhere—and what you get for that money—is going to differ depending on your exact locality. But if you’re looking for somewhere to spend less and get more, the first place you should start your search is in the country.

5. Exposure to nature
Being outside in the open air is connected with many of the benefits of country living. And while you don’t have to go out to the country to find some sunshine and trees, head out to rural land and you’ll definitely find more of it than you will in the cities and the ‘burbs. As for specific benefits, immersing yourself in a natural environment is good for everything from improving your short term memory to lowering your blood pressure. It might even make you more creative.

Spending more time in nature is a great way to improve your health, and when you’re living the country life, you don’t have to go very far to reap the benefits. Natural paradise can be found right outside of your door, instead of a car or bus ride away.

6. Easy access to organic food
Out in my own country paradise, I don’t have a Whole Foods within 30 miles of me but I do have multiple farms, all within a ten minute drive, where I can buy fresh eggs, fruits, and veggies right from the source. The type of food that our bodies really need is in abundance out in the country, as is available land if you want to start growing your own.

In the city, access to unprocessed, healthy foods is not quite so extensive. Urban food deserts are especially problematic in low-income areas, where small markets and gas station snack bars often stand in for fancy organic grocery stores. In the country, even those with less to spend can easily purchase high-quality foods for cleaner diets. There are many pros to eating organic foods, chief among them less exposure to the harmful pesticides used to produce food on a mass level.

The takeaway
There are benefits to country living that you won’t find anywhere else, and the diversity of country land means that if you want something specific in addition to your rural environment—say, nearby water or mountain views—you can get that too. There are always going to be some trade-offs (for me, it’s having to drive two hours just to meet my friends who still live downtown for dinner a couple of times a month), but if you can’t get enough of green meadows and big blue skies, the benefits of country living may just outweigh the negatives.

If you’re thinking about moving out to the country, consider the pros and cons and make an informed decision based on the way that you like to live your life. Even the most adamant city dwellers may find that they feel a certain sense of joy and freedom when they trade the crowded streets for the cornfields. Acknowledgement: Home & Garden, Laura Mueller (Author), Internet