Does everything really have an ecological purpose?

Everything has an ecological purpose of some sort. Unfortunately often times we do not understand the significance of a plant or an animal until it has been removed (or added) and problems arise. Ecosystems are very balanced and an unnatural disturbance throws the system off balance. There are countless examples of organisms being added to an alien environment yielding catastrophic events (biologically speaking). Wildlife as you and I know it would certainly not exist with out grass? How would people farm cattle for beef? People have fed cattle, sheep, pigs and so forth other animals, even cannibalizing these animals to provide more nutrients and proteins to animals for human consumption and as a result a severe disease developed (Mad Cow Disease) and this disease can infect people (CJD or Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease)! [I'll include a link] We often are not aware of how our actions will effect our environment until it is too late. You cannot truly understand a system unless you are outside of it...and we are with in the system.

http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/cjd/detail_cjd....

I'm going to nswer this in a naturistic philosphy view. Yes i believe everything has an ecological purpose. Nature really is what created ecology and with out ecology really nothing would be hear, and sure some trees have fragrances and i mean the purpose is basically food for animals and we get thing from pine trees too, know don't we? I'm sure your not looking for a naturistic view on it and a more survival view, but woith out ecologic purpose, this world wouldn't be rigth cause everything has a purpose and if not for us you vcan't forget about otehr living creatures, not even animals, just anything. If you get rid of htings, you will see the difference it ahs on earth. like trees, cutting trees and more trees is bad for us, because we get oxygen from trees, clean air and everything. If you got rid of things, u might not notice a difference, but it woyld cause harm, for example like global warming. Slowly by slowly the ecology and natural resouces are being hurt by this in the end it's only gonna harm us> it;'s a reason this all part of nature, it natural and it's good for us. just a way too see it. it may be too far fetched for you.

My answer isn't as sexy as the others, but, no. I don't think so, nor d I think it has to. Personally I think God made it to express himself and for his purposes.

Even if you don't think there is a God, I still say no. We have seen thousands of species come and go, and the ones here are puzzling. We know a lot, but we don't know a lot more (like 99%). What is the sun made of? We guess cause we can't go see. Whjat is at the Earths core, we guess -- it's thousands of miles down -- we've made it down only eight. A scientist will say "We believe that ........" They base more stuff on beliefs than religions. What is energy? No one knows!

Anyway, many things do serve some function. But it isn't a requirement for existence.

I have an easy answer to that: God put everything here for His purpose. Of course, I don't know what that purpose is...