Ecology• Relations between organisms and their environment and between

organisms reciprocally (classical conception – Ernst Heackel, german ecologist, 1866, human as a species)

• Human Environment – the part of Earth, which is used by human and which human affects

• Functional relations in nature, „Nature Economy“ Science• Configuration of organisms and environment relations Environmental

science (E.P.Odum, americn ecologist, 1977).• Ecosystem Science – biotic and abiotic systems relations (Paul

Duvigneaud: Ekologická syntéza, 1980)

Present day view: Environmental aspects, Social aspects, Economy aspects, Biomedicine

aspects....

Human ecology is an academic discipline that deals with the relationship between humans and their natural, social and created environments. Human ecology investigates how humans and human societies interact with nature and with their environment.

New discipline of antropology – investigates all environment components, which influence individual and human population

The aim is protection of population as well as of ecosystem

Human Ecology

Human Ecology

• Man can´t understand mechanisms and powers of nature and thus disturb its basic cycles and systems (cycles of N, C, water, energy….)

• Earth can´t bear all human interventions, it can´t adapt to it as quickly

• Comes out from classical disciplines – population dynamics, ecosystems and its energy cycles, society behaviour, biomass production, world´s bioms

Human ecology - history

• Early agriculture (Eufrat, Tigris) – irrigation caused salinization and barleycorn couldn´t be grown

• Deforestation in Greece and subsequent errosion • XIX . Century – human population studies - demogrphy (Essay on

Population from Malthus)• XX. centruy - Ch.Elton - Animal ecology (1927) – biological factors,

that affects human population

• Mathematical modeling of limiting factors for various population in various ecosystems. New methods and preparations for worse situations (soil errosion, ecosystem pollution, rain forest devastation,….)

Environment and medical sciences

• Environment (natural and artificial) influences state of health to a large degree

• Individual – from the begining of pregnancy over all live, affects the quality and lenght of life

• Population – long term selecting of genotypes (special blood diseases,…)

• Abiotic factors – radiation, clime, chemical matters, soil condition, water quality, air pollution

• Biotic factors – food quality and quantity, infections.• Social factors – welfare, stress, possibility/impossibility of

regulation of life quality (lifestyle)

Environment and medical sciences

• The patient comes to doctor as a mirror of his life environment (with his inherited and non-inherited diseases and characteristic).

• Doctor´s interest in patient environment results from his interest of patient and population health

• Technocrats and ekonomists – the only one argument is profit

• Doctors and Environmentalists – argument is also the health and welfare and nature itself.

Environment and medical Sciences - Epidemiology

• Disease – outcome of human being (endogenic factor) and environmental factors (exogenic)

• Zoonozis – infectious disease (from animal to man) Ebola, Yellow fever, Monkey smallpox, Rabies, Hanta virus, Nipah, Marburg fever, variety of influenza,....

Kalong – carrier of Hendra virus (1994), Ebola (1996), Nipah, SARS

Toxicology

• Branch of knowledge, which studies toxic effects of xenobiotics (introduced chemical compound) or their mixtures on living organisms.

• Disease – outcome of human being (endogenic factor) and environmental factors (exogenic)

• Exposure – contact of chemical matter and living organism, when chemical matter spread into organism

• Toxikinetics• Toxidynamics

Toxicology

• Xenobiotics – synthetical and natural• Plant, animal (snake, insect, ….), bacterial • By affected organs - neurotoxins,

hepatotoxins, haemotoxins, myotoxins….

Toxicology

• Dosis Letalis Media LD50 – matter concentration, when 50% of tested organisms die in 24 hours.

• Tempus Effectivum Medium ET50 – time from entering to effect proving at 50% of tested organisms

• Tempus Letale Medium LT50 – time from entering to death of 50% of tested organisms.

• Accute exposure (max 4 hours)• Repeated exposure

• 1. Subaccute toxicity (4 weeks)2. Subchronic toxicity (1 – 3 months)3. Chronic toxicity – longer than 3 months

Toxicity• Selective toxicity (species, organ)• Local toxicity• System toxicity• Toxicity Tests (TT)• Acute toxicity tests• Alergy• Only 20-25% of newborn defects is caused by genetics,

others are in combination with environmental conditions

Abiotic and Biotic Factors of Environment

• Hydrosphere (water)• Atmosphere (air)• Paedosphere (soil)• Biosphere

Baby = 75% water

Biosphere - World´s forests

Forest functions

Deforestation

- Forests cover a third of our planet's dry land.

-They provide raw materials, maintain biodiversity, protect land and water resources, and play a role in climate change mitigation.

- Forests are heavily exploited, but important efforts are being made to use and manage them more sustainably. but 60 000  km2 (an area roughly the size of Ireland) continue to be lost or modified by logging or other human interventions each year.

-When forests grow, carbon is removed from the atmosphere and absorbed in wood, leaves and soil.

- world’s forest ecosystems are estimated to store more carbon than the entire atmosphere.

Biodiversity• Biodiversity reflects the number, variety and variability of

living organisms as well as how these change from one location to another and over time. It includes diversity within species, between species, and among ecosystems, in sum the diversity of all life on earth.

• The impact of humans on the natural environment is significant and growing: changes in biodiversity have been more rapid in the past 50 years than at any time before in human history.

• Over the past few hundred years, it is estimated that humans have been responsible for up to a thousand times more extinctions than the natural rate

Biodiversity• Three levels of diversity:• Ecosystems (tropical rain forrest, sea,....) • Species• Genetical diversity

• Two types of conservation:• Area protection (National parks, Protected areas,....)• Species protection (Restriction or prohibition of

hunting or marketing, special areas and programes, ZOOs,....)

Bio- diversity loss

Biodiversity loss

Five major threats to biodiversity• Invasive alien species• Climate change• Nutrient loading and pollution• Habitat change• Overexploitation

Biodiversity for Medicine