Ecology Chapter 1: Introduction

Overview of Ecology

• An ecosystem is defined as all living (biota) and nonliving (abiota) components in a defined area where they interact among themselves.
• Ecology is the study of the ecosystem.
• Ecology is derived from the Greek word Oikios (house) and ology (study of), and it is the scientific study of the interactions between organisms and their environment.

Environment and Ecology

• Environment refers to the surrounding, including both biotic and abiotic components.
• Ecology is important to environmental problems, as it provides an understanding of the interactions of organisms with their environment.
• Ecology provides a scientific context for evaluating environmental issues.

Environmentalism

• Environmentalism is the advocacy for the protection or preservation of the natural environment.
• Many influential ecologists feel a responsibility to educate legislators and the public about decisions that affect the environment.
• The precautionary principle states that humans need to be concerned with how their actions affect the environment.

Environmental Issues

• Current environmental issues threatening the Earth include acid precipitation, land misuse, toxic wastes, habitat destruction, and the growing list of endangered or extinct species.

Levels of Ecology

• The major components of an ecosystem include living organisms (biota) and nonliving chemical and physical structures (abiota).
• The levels of studying ecology are:
  • Organism ecology: studies how an organism's structure, physiology, and behavior meet the challenges posed by the environment.
  • Population ecology: concentrates on factors that affect how many individuals of a particular species live in an area.
  • Community ecology: deals with the interactions of living species in a community (biodiversity study).
  • Ecosystem ecology: emphasizes energy flow and chemical cycling among the various biotic and abiotic components.
  • Large scale ecology:
    • Landscape ecology: deals with arrays of ecosystems and their arrangement in a geographic region.
    • Biomes: describe major communities living in major types of ecosystems.
    • Biosphere/Global ecology: addresses the major ecological issues that concern all the planet's ecosystems.

Importance of Ecology

• Ecology provides a well understanding of how people and nature depend on each other.
• Ecology allows for predictions of human activities that affect the health of the earth over time.
• Ecology helps to avoid humans from making environmental fatal mistakes that caused the downfall of past civilizations.
• Ecology helps to improve our environment and better manage natural resources.

Studying Ecology

• Ecologists' techniques of investigation include:
  • Identification of problems
  • Developing a hypothesis and/or research questions
  • Defining clear objectives
  • Sampling design and methods
  • Collection of data
  • Results analysis and interpretation
  • Writing a report or research paper