Ecology Review PDF

 Ecology: the study of the interactions of living things with each other and their physical environment  The Environment The environment of an organism consists of everything that affects it in any way. It is not the place where an organism lives. Environme...

 Ecology: the study of the interactions of living things with each other and their physical environment  The Environment The environment of an organism consists of everything that affects it in any way. It is not the place where an organism lives. Environmental factors can be organised into Living (or biotic) factors and Non- Living (or abiotic) factors. Environmental Factors 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.  Habitat An organism’s habitat is the place where it lives. An organism lives in a particular habitat because its requirements are met there. (food, water, shelter etc)  Different Land Habitats Desert Tundra Grasslands Forest Rainforest  Ecosystem The ecosystem is made up of all the relationships between organisms and their environment.  Biosphere 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.  SYMBIOSIS What is symbiosis? What are the different kinds of symbiosis? Examples of symbiosis  What is symbiosis? The act of living togethe What it means: Two organisms that live together temporarily or for a longer time At least one of the organisms benefits from the relationship  Types of Adaptations Adaptations increase the chances of survival and reproduction. They can be classified into three types: Behavioural - responses made by an organism that help ot to survive/reproduce Physiological – a body process that helps an organism to survive/reproduce Structural – a feature of an organism’s body that helps it to survive/reproduce Compiled By Mr Rafei  Population dynamics Factors affecting population size include: Birth rate (natality), Death rate (mortality), Immigration, and Emigration. Emigration  Population dynamics  Other factors affecting population size include:  Predation,  Disease,  Competition,  Fecundity, and  Space.  These are examples of density-dependent factors because those organisms in the population that are eliminated depend on the population density.  Population dynamics – Sampling  The formula for estimating population size is: N = (A/a) × n, Where N = estimated size of entire population; A = area of entire population; a = area of sample size; n = number of individuals in sample area.