Introduction to Ecology PDF

Introduction to Ecology First lecture: Environment: Definition:- “All the living and nonliving factors affecting an organism and determine its form and survival (‫ )تحدد شكله و بقائه‬is known as Environment.” Some other Definitions of Environment:- “ All the external factors influencing the life...

Introduction to Ecology First lecture: Environment: Definition:- “All the living and nonliving factors affecting an organism and determine its form and survival (‫ )تحدد شكله و بقائه‬is known as Environment.” Some other Definitions of Environment:- “ All the external factors influencing the life and activity of people, plant and animals”. “ All the things (i.e. Object & Circumstances) surrounding us is known as Environment”. Most PreciseDefinition of Environment: “TheComplex of Physical, Chemical& Biotic factors affecting an organismand determine its form and survival” is known as Environment.” What is the difference between Ecology and Environmental science?? (1) Ecology: The word ecology was coined by the German zoologist Ernst Haeckel, who applied the term oekologie to the “relation of the animal both to its organic as well as its inorganic environment.” The word comes from the Greek oikos, meaning “household,” “home,” or “place to live.” Also ecology is considered as a branch of biology, and it examines how living organisms interact with each other and with their physical environments. BUT, (2) Environmental science: environmental science is a broader field that incorporates many elements of earth and life sciences, such that environmental science weaves together the concepts of the biological, physical, and chemical interactions within an environment. So we can say that ecology is usually more focused on how organisms interact with each other and with their surroundings and the environmental science is more general. Why it is important to study Ecology?? Ecology enriches our world. By providing new knowledge of the relation between people and nature that is important for food production, maintaining clean air and water, and sustaining biodiversity in a changing climate. ،‫ عن طريق توفير معرفة جديدة عن الترابط بين الناس والطبيعة وهو أمر حيوي إلنتاج الغذاء‬.‫يساعد علم البيئة على إثراء عالمنا‬.‫ ويحافظ على التنوع البيولوجي في مناخ متغير‬،‫والحفاظ على نظافة الهواء و الماء‬ The many specialties within ecology, such as marine, vegetation, and statistical ecology, provide us with information to better understand the world around us. This information also can help us improve our environment, manage our natural resources, and protect human health. ‫ بالمعلومات الالزمة لفهم العالم من حولنا بشكل‬،‫ مثل علم البيئة البحرية والنباتية واإلحصائية‬،‫يمدنا المختصين فى علم البيئة‬.‫ضا في تحسين بيئتنا وإدارة مواردنا الطبيعية وحماية صحة اإلنسان‬ ً ‫يمكن أن تساعدنا هذه المعلومات أي‬. ‫أفضل‬ What are the Objectives of enviromental science generally? 1. Awareness (‫)الوعى‬: To help individuals and social groups to acquire basic awareness of and sensitivity towards the environment & its related problem. 2. Knowledge (‫)المعرفة‬: To help individuals and social groups to acquire basic understanding of the environment, its associated problems and their responsible role towards the betterment of the environment. 3. Attitude (‫)السلوك‬: To help individuals and social groups to acquire social values, strong feeling of concern for the environment and the motivation for actively participating in its protection and improvement. 4. Skills (‫)المهارات‬: To help individuals and social groups to acquire the skills for solving environmental problems. 5. Evaluation ability (‫)القدرة على التقييم‬: To help individuals and social groups to evaluate environmental measures and education program in terms of ecological, political, economical, social, and education factors. 6. Participation (‫)المشاركة‬: To help individuals and social groups to develop a sense of responsibility and urgency regarding environmental problems to ensure appropriate action to solve those problems. What are the Components of Environment?? 1) Physical Components: Atmosphere: The region surrounding the earth is known as atmosphere. Atmosphere is generally a mixture of gases. Hydrosphere: All the water bodies on the earth surface are included in hydrosphere. It includes Oceans, rivers, lakes, etc. Lithosphere: The uppermost part of the earth crust is known as Lithosphere. Lithosphere includes, soil and its particles, rocks, metal. etc. 2) Biological Components: Abiotic: All the nonliving things are included in this category. e.g., Climatic conditions, soil, minerals etc. (we can say that the physical components are also included in abiotic components) Biotic: It Includes all the living organisms. e.g., plants, animals, birds etc. the biotic is classified to Producers: are organisms that make their own food by absorbing sunlight and using this energy to thrive (plants). Consumers: are animals that eat living things as a means of energy. Decomposers: break down dead plants and animals. The abiotic affect the biotic factors and vice versa, such that if in a certain area there is no water or if the temperature is too high or too cold, it might be hard for a certain life to survive. 3) Cultural Components: 1) Society 2) Economy 3) Politics What are the main levels of Ecology: 1) Organisms ‫ =الكائنات الحية‬Individual 2) Population ‫السكان‬ 3) Community ‫المجتمع‬ 4) Ecosystem ‫النظام البيئى‬ 5) Biosphere ‫المحيط الحيوى‬ Organism = Individual (when we talk about one fish alone). Then comes, Population (Is members of the same species that live in an area = group of organisms of the same species = more than one fish in the same area ). Then comes, Community (all living things that live in that area = groups of populations but having different species = different types of fish and all other living things like plants in water, bacteria in the water etc…). Then comes, Ecosystem (a certain area where living and nonliving things interact with each other. Like all the types of fish present in that area, water, plants in water etc and how all of this interact with each other.) What is the difference between Ecosystem and Environment? Environment refers to the surroundings, whereas, ecosystem is the interaction between the environment and the living organisms. Then comes, Biosphere (many ecosystems in some way connected with each other = the whole earth = The life on earth from few kilometer into the atmosphere to the deep ocean is known as Biosphere = The region of the earth where life exist is known as Biosphere). Thank you