ecology nov.17

ECOLOGY

The study of living organisms in the natural environment

How they interact with one another

How the interact with their nonliving environment

© 2008 Paul Billiet ODWS

http://www.saburchill.com/IBbiology/bio_hp.html

Evolution of Definitions of Ecology Ecology = from the Greek root OIKOS, “at home”, and

LOGY, “the study of”

Haeckle (1870): “By ecology we mean the body of

knowledge concerning the economy of Nature -

theinvestigation of the total relations of the animal to its

inorganic and organic environment.”

Burdon-Sanderson (1890s): Elevated Ecology to one

of the three natural divisions of Biology: Physiology

Morphology -Ecology

Elton (1927): “Scientific natural history”

Andrewartha (1961): “The scientific study of the

distribution and abundance of organisms”

Odum (1963): “The structure and function of Nature”

• Ecology (from the Greek oikos

meaning "house" or "dwelling", and

logos meaning "discourse")

• It is the study of the interactions of

organisms with each other and their

environment.

• Applied Ecology: Using ecological

principles to maintain conditions necessary

for the continuation of present day life on

earth.

• Industrial Ecology: The design of the

industrial infrastructure such that it consists of

a series of interlocking "technological

ecosystems" interfacing with global natural

ecosystems. Industrial ecology takes the

pattern and processes of natural ecosystems

as a design for sustainability. It represents a

shift in paradigm from conquering nature to

becoming nature.

• Ecological Engineering: the focus of

Ecological Engineering is on the

manipulation of natural ecosystems by

humans for our purposes, using small

amounts of supplemental energy to

control systems in which the main energy

drives are still coming from non-human

sources.

• It is the design of new ecosystems for

human purposes, using the self-

organizing principles of natural

ecosystems.

• "the design of human society with its

natural environment for the benefit of

• Ecological Economics: Integrating ecology

and economics in such a way that economic

and environmental policies are reinforcing

rather than mutually destructive.

• Urban ecology: For ecologists, urban

ecology is the study of ecology in urban

areas, specifically the relationships,

interactions, types and numbers of species

found in urban habitats. Also, the design of

sustainable cities, urban design programs

that incorporate political, infrastructure and

economic considerations.

Conservation Biology: The application of

diverse fields and disciplines to the

conservation of biological diversity.

Restoration Biology: Application of

ecosystem ecology to the restoration of

deteriorated landscapes in an attempt to

bring it back to its original state as much as

possible. Example, prarie grass.

Landscape Ecology: is concerned with

spatial patterns in the landscape and how

they develop, with an emphasis on the role

of disturbance, including human impacts”

(Smith and Smith). It is a relatively new

branch of ecology, that employs Global

Information Systems. The goal is to predict

the responses of different organisms to

changes in landscape, to ultimately facilitate

ecosystem management.

Ecological Organization:

1. Population: all the members of a speciesinhabiting a given location

2. Community: all the interacting populations in a given area

3. Ecosystem: the living community and the physical environment functioning together as an independent and relatively stable system

4. Biosphere: that portion of the earth where life exists

a. The biosphere is composed of numerous complex ecosystems.

b. An ecosystem involves interactions between abiotic (physical) and biotic (living) factors. The members of the community in the ecosystem and environment must interact to maintain a balance.

An ecosystem is self-sustaining if the following requirements are met:

1. A constant source of energy and a living system capable of incorporating this energy into organic molecules.

2. A cycling of materials between organisms and their environment.

In all environments, organisms with similar needs may compete with each other for resources, including food, space, water, air, and shelter.

Abiotic factors:

those physical and chemical factors which affect the ability of organisms to survive and reproduce

Some Abiotic Factors:

1. intensity of light

2. range of temperatures

3. amount of moisture

4. type of substratum (soil or rock type)

5. availability of inorganic substances such as minerals

6. supply of gases such as oxygen, carbon dioxide, and nitrogen

7. pH

** Each of the prior listed abiotic factors varies in the environment and, as such, may act as a limiting factor, determining the types of organisms that exist in that environment.

Some examples:

1. A low annual temperature common to the northern latitudes determines in part the species of plants which can exist in that area.

2. The amount of oxygen dissolved in a body of water will help determine what species of fish live there.

3. The dry environment of desert regions limits the organisms that can live there.

Ecosystem

Community + Abiotic environment, interacting



Community

All the populations of the different species living and inter-acting in the same ecosystem

7-spotted lady bird

(Adephagia septempunctata)

Bean aphids

(Aphis fabae)

Red ant (Myrmica rubra)

and

Broom plant

(Cytisus

scoparius)



Species

A group of organisms that can breed to produce fully fertile offspring

Great White Pelican Pelecanus onocrotalus© 2008 Paul Billiet ODWS


Species

a group of living organisms consisting of similar individuals capable of exchanging genes or interbreeding. The species is the principal natural taxonomic unit, ranking below a genus and denoted by a Latin binomial, e.g., Homo sapiens.

Ecotype

sometimes called ecospecies

describes a genetically distinct geographic variety, population or race within a species, which is adapted to specific environmental conditions.

Typically, ecotypes exhibit phenotypic stemming from environmental heterogeneity

capable of interbreeding with other geographically adjacent ecotypes without loss of fertility or vigor

Ecotype: earthworms

Earthworms fall into four different ecotypes.

Compost earthworm prefer warm and moist environments with a ready supply of fresh compost material.

Ecotype: earthworms


Epigeic earthworms live on the surface of the soil in leaf litter and tend not to make burrows but live in and feed on the leaf litter.

Ecotype: earthworms


Endogeic earthworms live in and feed on the soil, making horizontal burrows through the soil to move around and to feed and they will reuse these burrows to a certain extent.

Ecotype: earthworms


Anecic earthworms make permanent vertical burrows in soil, feeding on leaves on the soil surface that they drag into their burrows

Population

A group of organism of the same species which live in the same habitat at the same time where they can freely interbreed

The black-veined white butterfly(Aporia crataegi) mating



Biodiversity

The total number of different species in an ecosystem and their relative abundance

Worcester City Museums© 2008 Paul Billiet ODWS

http://www.worcestercitymuseums.org.uk/coll/object/obj12/but1.htm




Habitat

The characteristics of the type of environment where an organism normally lives. (e.g. a stoney stream, a deciduous temperate woodland, Bavarian beer mats)



Energy and organisms

Autotrophs

Organisms which can synthesise their own complex, energy rich, organic molecules from simple inorganic molecules (e.g. green plants synthesis sugars from CO2 and H2O)



Heterotrophs

Organisms who must obtain complex, energy rich, organic compounds form the bodies of other organisms (dead or alive)



Detritivores

Heterotrophic organisms who ingest dead organic matter. (e.g. earthworms, woodlice, millipedes)


Earth worm(Lumbricus terrestris)


Saprotrophs

Heterotrophic organisms who secrete digestive enzymes onto dead organism matter and absorb the digested material. (e.g. fungi, bacteria)

Chanterelle

(Cantherellus cibarius)



Feeding relationships

Predators & prey

Herbivory

Parasite & host

Mutualism

Competition

Large blue butterfly

(Maculinea arion)



The place of an organism in its

environment

NicheAn organism’s habitat + role + tolerance limits to all limiting factors



THE COMPETITIVE

EXCLUSION PRINCIPLE

G.F. Gause (1934) If two species, with the same niche, coexist in the same ecosystem, then one will be excluded from the community due to intense competition



LEVELS OF ECOLOGICAL STUDY

ORGANISMAL ECOLOGY - the study of individual organisms' behavior, physiology, morphology, etc. in response to environmental challenges.POPULATION ECOLOGY - the study of factors that affect and change the size and genetic composition of populations of organisms.COMMUNITY ECOLOGY - the study of how community structure and organization are changed by interactions among living organismsECOSYSTEM ECOLOGY - the study of entire ecosystems, including the responses and changes in the community in response to the abiotic components of the ecosystem. This field isconcerned with such large-scale topics as energy and nutrient cycling.

LANDSCAPE ECOLOGY – study of the exchanges of energy, materials, organisms and other products of between ecosystems.

GLOBAL ECOLOGY - the study of the effects of regional change in energy and matter exchange on the function and distribution of organisms across the biosphere.

ecology nov.17

Science