Ecology defined as "the science of interrelations between living organisms and their environment, including both physical and biotic facors as well and intra- and inter-specific interactions." (Carter, 2003). Organisms have an effect on their environment, and in much the same way their environment impacts them. It is important to preserve the natural world because it offers a chance to understand the signifigance of its resources. The environment provides humans with oxygen, food, clothing, water, and much more. These delicate ecosystems bestow an abundance of natural resources, so it is important to protect the places that provide these things.
The objectives for this research were to study the ecosytem of Clermont College, specifically Five Falls Creek. Five Falls Creek is located on the east side of campus and the surrounding area is heavily forested which contains an variety of living organisms. This compilation of research will strive to explore the ecosystem of Five Falls Creek in an effort to fully appreciate the ecology of the system under investivgation. Though the ecology of Clermont College had changed markedly as the college campus has grown to include new buildings and parking lots, Five Falls remains relatively unaffected by human intervention, so there is a great variety of organisms, plant life, and tree species to be studied that can be assumed to be reasonably representable as a natural ecosystem.
The methods used in the collection of the data included naturalistic observation, soil analysis, random tree pairing analysis, flora and fauna sampling. The experimentation was done over a period of nine weeks during the spring season of 2003. The weather was typically relatively sunny and warm. All data was collected in the mid-afternoon, typically between the hours of 2:00-5:00 p.m., so any organisms are not active during this time were not considered.