Ecology Reviewer PDF

ECOLOGY - Is the study of interactions between organisms for energy; all organisms and their environment It came from animals are consumers the Greek word “oikos” meaning house and “logos” meaning study of T...

ECOLOGY - Is the study of interactions between organisms for energy; all organisms and their environment It came from animals are consumers the Greek word “oikos” meaning house and “logos” meaning study of Types of Consumers o Herbivore ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE - Is the study of the o Carnivore human impact to the environment o Omnivore ECOLOGIST - is a scientist specialized in studying the environmental interactions of an entire DECOMPOSER - is an organism species, or an individual organisms that consumes only dead organisms for food, examples Abiotic - is the nonliving component of the are bacteria, worms, fungus environment vultures Examples of abiotic factors HABITAT - is the area in which organism lives, Soil pH including the space, water and food available, soil humidity vegetation and soil types soil temperature NICHE - is the role of a species in their air temperature environment; no two species hold the exact the wind speed same niche. sunlight intensity soil nutrients POPULATION - is a group of conspecifics inhabiting a specific place at a specific time Biotic - is the living component of the environment Characteristics of Population 5 Biotic Components Geographic Distribution/Range – describes the area inhabited by a 1. Plantae population 2. Fungi Population Density – the number of 3. Animalia individuals per unit area 4. Protista Growth Rate – affected by birth and 5. Monera deaths and the number of FOOD CHAIN - follows the connection between individuals that enter and leave the one producer and a single chain of consumers population within an ecosystem Age Structure – configuration of the age of the individuals in a Categories of Food Chain population PRODUCER - is an organism that COMMUNITY INTERACTIONS makes its own food from sunlight or heat, example is a INTRASPECIFIC INTERACTION - plant competition among members of the same species CONSUMER - is an organism INTERSPECIFIC INTERACTION - are the that must consume other relationships between different species  living in the same habitat. They can be PREDATION – process by which organism positive, negative, or neutral, and can captures and feeds upon other organism; be short-term or long-term. (herbivory in plants) INTERSPECIFIC ASSOCIATION Predator – organism that does the killing and eating It is the conceptual basis of direct and Prey – the food organism indirect interactions of the species. It is the interaction of different species CANNIBALISM – predation by one organism in a community on another of similar species Can affect two participants and may be SYMBIOSIS – a long-term biological relationship positive, negative, or neutral. between two or more species that can benefit Types of Interspecific Association one or both organisms Positive Interaction – one or both Symbiosis comes from the Greek interacting species are benefitted and word for “living together” not harm to each other. MUTUALISM – interspecies interaction in which Negative Interaction – one or both both organisms benefit from one another interacting species are harmed. Neutral Interaction – neither of the Obligatory Benefit – refers to any species are benefitted or harmed. material or environmental condition that is essential for survival COMPETITION – occurs when two organisms fight for the same limited resources COMMENSALISM – one receives ecological benefit while the other neither benefits nor Interspecific Competition – different harmed species compete for a limited resource Intraspecific Competition – occurs Types of Commensalism among members of the same species Phoresy – wherein small animals COMPETITIVE EXCLUSION PRINCIPLE – states hitch ride on fast moving animals that NO two species can occupy the same niche Inqulism – one small organism in the same habitat at the same time utilizes another as shelter; eg. Epiphytes and trees Outcomes of Competitive Exclusion AMMENSALISM – interaction in which one One species is better suited for the organism is adversely affected while the other is niche and the other will be pushed not affected at all out or get extinct The niche will be divided PARASITISM – relationship similar to predation The two species will further diverge in that one organism benefits while the other one is being harmed; parasite benefits by ECOLOGICAL EQUIVALENTS – species that keeping the host alive for days or years occupy similar niche but live in different geographical regions Host – being consumed Parasite – does the consuming o Ectoparasites – found externally  o Endoparasites – found - Animals are small internally - Many animals are nocturnal - Temperatures can be very hot or PARASITOIDS – those organisms which very cold lay eggs on or inside the body of the - Plants are adapted to conserve host and often cause the death of the water host. - Sahara Desert in Africa is home to camels, gazelles, antelopes, small foxes, snakes, lizards, and gerbils COMMUNITIES Tundra Biomes – regions in the world that have - A cold biome of the far north their own kind of climate, soil, plants, and - Ground is frozen even in summer animals - Low diversity - Simple vegetation Major Biomes - Short growing season Taiga Grassland - Cool forest biome of conifers in the - A biome where grasses are the main upper Northern Hemisphere plant life. - Also known as boreal forest - TWO TYPES: Tropical grasslands - Largest terrestrial biome (Savannah) and temperate - Temperatures are low grasslands - Precipitation is primarily snow - Savannah has a wet and dry season - Soil is nutrient-poor and acidic - Temperate grassland has hot - Flora is mostly conifers summers and cold winters - Rodents, snowshoe hares, lynx, Marine sables, ermine, caribou, bears, - Consists of oceans, corals reefs, and wolves, birds in summer, estuaries woodpeckers, hawks, moose - The ocean is the largest of all Deciduous Forest ecosystems - Forest biome that has many trees - The ocean contains diverse array of that lose their leaves every year plants and animals at various depth during fall zones - Wolves, deer, bears, and a wide - Coral reefs consist mainly of coral. variety of small mammals, birds, - Estuaries are areas where fresh and amphibians, reptiles, insects saltwater environments converge. Tropical Rainforest Mangroves, oysters, crabs, and - Hot, humid biome near the equator marsh grasses are examples of - Lots of rain species in this environment - Little much variation in climate Freshwater - Highly diverse species - Includes ponds, and lakes; streams - Soil is nutrient-poor and acidic and rivers; and wetlands Desert - Ponds and lakes have well-lit zones - A sandy or rocky biome with little and a variety of fish dominate this precipitation and little plant life zone - Streams and rivers move in one The Philippine Environment direction - Wetlands are areas of standing The numerous islands support a broad water that supports aquatic animals range of highly productive ecosystems, tropical forests and mountains. Mangrove swamps and coral reefs. But even in paradise, we endure problems caused by a high incidence of poverty, by industrial expansion, and by rapid population growth. This is considerable abuse of natural resources --- the destruction of coral reefs, poison and dynamite fishing, slash and burn farming on our mountains, and the pollution of our lakes and rivers We have been involved in the effort to diminish four major problems of the Philippine environment, the problems of deforestation, air pollution, water pollution, and urban waste and garbage. DEFORESTATION At the start of the 20th century, the forested area of the Philippines was some 21 million hectares or almost 70 percent of the country’s total land area of 30 million hectares Today, our remaining forest cover is below one million hectares. Moreover, on the average, our rate of deforestation was 203, 905 hectares annually while our rate of reforestation was only 9,398 hectares. This means that for every tree planted, 21 are cut down The effects of deforestation have been tragic and devastating. Some 6.5 million tribal Filipinos have lost rich hunting and inland fishing grounds. Species of flora and fauna have been lost forever. Biological diversity has been greatly diminished and there are periodic erosion and floods everywhere.  We responded to this problem in two by the lack of adequate ways. One was a proposed legislation sewerage system. At present, which will ban commercial logging for only 7 percent of the settlers in 25 years, and this legislation is now Metro Manila are connected to being carefully deliberated. a sewer system Our second response was to introduce Sixteen (16) of the Philippines’ “Luntiang Pilipinas” or Greening the major rivers, including five in Philippines Movement. The goal of this Metro Manila, are biologically movement is to create a tree park in dead during the summer every city and town plaza with at least months. 100 tress of forest varieties. Each tree Here are some of the rivers in park serves as “lungs” of the the Philippines that are affected community, beautifying the plaza and by water pollution: raising community consciousness about 1. Pasig River: This 27- the environment at the same time. The kilometer river is movement has created forest parks in biologically dead and over 1,800 towns and cities, and the has been since 1990. number is rising each month. The river is polluted by untreated sewage, SMOG AND AIR POLLUTION industrial effluent, and High levels of industrial emission poor waste collection. and the increasing number of motor 2. Navotas-Malabon- vehicles on our roads have seriously Tenejeros-Tullahan degraded air quality in urban areas. (NMTT) River: This river The consequences are rising levels was declared of respiratory and lung ailments in biologically dead in our population, fatigue and poor 2003. concentration among adults, and 3. Paranaque River: This nervous disorders in children. river was declared Our response was the sponsorship biologically dead in of legislation which became the 2003. Philippine Clean Air of 1999, also 4. Marikina River: This known as Republic Act No. 8749. river was declared Among other things, this law biologically dead in provides an air quality management 2003. fund, imposes new vehicle emission 5. San Juan River: This standards, and provides incentives river was declared for pollution abatement and biologically dead in prevention. 2003. Outside Metro Manila: Some rivers WATER POLLUTION outside the capital are biologically Forty-eight percent of our water dead during dry months due to low pollution is caused by water flow, heavy sedimentation, household wastes, compounded and pollution, such as:  o Zapote River (Cavite) In this regard, our country came up o Imus River (Cavite) with the Water Crisis Act of 1995 o Bocaue River (Bulacan) that stipulated the creation of a o Meycauayan River commission to undertake (Bulacan): Affected by nationwide consultations on water industrial waste, crisis and recommend measures especially from that will ensure continuous tanneries and monitoring of water supply and metalwork industries. distribution. o Marilao River As of 2024, the following statistics (Bulacan): Notorious for highlight access to improved water heavy metals like sources in the Philippines: chromium and lead in o National access to its waters. improved water o Balili River (Baguio- sources: About 96.3% Benguet): Polluted by of the population has domestic waste and access to improved urban runoff. water sources, meaning o Agno River they can obtain drinking (Pangasinan-Tarlac): water from sources like Affected by protected wells, sedimentation and boreholes, or piped agricultural runoff. systems within a 30- o Cebu River (Cebu City): minute round trip Polluted by urban waste (BusinessMirror, World and industries. Health Organization o Iloilo River (Iloilo City): (WHO).) Suffers from o Access in urban areas: urbanization and Urban areas typically inadequate waste have higher access rates management. to improved water o Davao River (Davao sources, often City): Impacted by exceeding 98% due to urban encroachment better infrastructure and agriculture. development o Butuanon River (Cebu): (BusinessMirror) Heavily polluted by o Access in rural areas: industrial waste and Rural areas lag slightly untreated sewage. behind, with access The World Bank estimates that in percentages typically in the Philippines, the economic losses the range of 90–95%, caused by water pollution are about reflecting ongoing $1.3 billion or Php 62 billion per challenges with year. infrastructure and  service delivery in remote regions (BusinessMirror, World Health Organization (WHO)). WASTE AND GARBAGE Solid waste disposal remains problematic with only 9 of 117 cities and 46 of 1,500 municipalities in the Philippines have solid management programs. As of 2024, approximately 437 out of 1,634 local government units (LGUs) in the Philippines, which include cities and municipalities, have approved 10-year solid waste management (SWM) plans under the guidelines of the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act (RA 9003). This includes cities and municipalities with varying levels of implementation, with only 22% served by sanitary landfills. Many LGUs struggle to fully implement SWM programs due to resource and funding limitations. In Metropolitan Manila, where some 15 million people work and live, some 6000 tons of garbage is generated daily. An estimated 24 percent is illegally dumped in vacant lands or thrown into our rives or waterways. This exacerbates the flooding of streets during the rainy season and the poor sanitation conditions of many communities. Our response was to author a bill which was enacted as the Integrated Solid Waste Management Act of 2001, the first legislation signed into law by our present President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo. This law created a structure to provide technology, research, organization and facilities to alleviate the waste problem and reduce health hazards.