Ecology Notes PDF

ECOLOGY DEFINITION OF TERMS, OVERVIEW 1. ECOLOGY ee·kaa·luh·jee a) 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.” b) The word comes from the Gr...

ECOLOGY DEFINITION OF TERMS, OVERVIEW 1. ECOLOGY ee·kaa·luh·jee a) 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.” b) The word comes from the Greek oikos, meaning “household,” “home,” or “place to live.” vThus, ecology deals with the organism and its environment. vEcology is the study of relationships and processes linking living things environment. to the physical and chemical environment. https://youtu.be/xxo-wQHD5cg DEFINITION OF TERMS, OVERVIEW u Ecology – study of the relations that living organisms have with respect to each other and their natural environment. Variables of interest to ecologists include the composition, distribution, amount (biomass), number and changing states of organisms within and among ecosystems. DEFINITION OF TERMS, OVERVIEW v Organism vAn organism is a living being that has a cellular structure and that can independently perform all physiologic functions necessary for life. vIn multi-cellular organisms, including humans, all cells, tissues, organs, and organ systems of the body work together to maintain the life and health of the organism. vEnvironment Øconcept includes qboth other organisms and qphysical surroundings Øinvolves relationships between qindividuals within a population and qbetween individuals of different populations DEFINITION OF TERMS, OVERVIEW u These interactions between vIndividuals vbetween populations vand between organisms and their environment form ecological systems, or ECOSYSTEMS. ECOSYSTEMS. DEFINITION OF TERMS, OVERVIEW u ECOLOGY - “the study of the interrelationships of organisms with their environment and each other,” as “the economy of nature,” and as “the biology of ecosystems.” DEFINITION OF TERMS, OVERVIEW u ECOLOGY üStudy of the interrelationships and interdepencies of organisms with their environment üDiversified and complex subject in science with no simplified equation present to it üMultidisciplinary: combination of Geology, Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics, etc. üThe conceptualization of ecology and theory of evolution originate from life history, natural selection, population, adaptation, inheritance and developments üReveals the relationship between living and non-living parts of the environment. IMPORTANCE OF ECOLOGY ECOLOGY -Most important and vital aspect for all living species including HUMANS -All living beings including HUMANS (also animals) who are dependent on earth Dependency is for everything from a) Food b) Shelter c)Water u 2. ECOLOGIST Ecologists study the interrelationships between organisms and their environments. For example, they may research how the creatures in forests, deserts, wetlands, or other ecosystems interact with each other, as well as their environments. An ecologist is a scientist who studies how animals and plants interact with their environment.... Ecology is a word that comes from the Greek oikos, meaning “house.” Basically, ecologists study the environment like it's a big house, and all the living creatures in it are roommates. Sounds like a lot of work, and it is. HABITAT u Description of where an organism is found ECOLOGIST would find out that the habitat and its health depends on various factors: If one thing changes in it, there would not be any achievement of the effect expected, as the factors would be incapable of any detection. Example: Lost habitat – species migration The Four Basic Principles of Ecology Formulated by physicist and ecologist, Barry Commoner u 1. Everything Is Connected to Everything Else üHumans and other species are connected/dependent on a number of other species. üThe system of ecology is huge and contains a network of interrelation of its parts. Physicist and Ecologist, Barry Commoner The Four Basic Principles of Ecology Formulated by physicist and ecologist, Barry Commoner u 2. Everything Must go Somewhere üNo matter what you do, and no matter what you use, it has to go somewhere. For example, when you burn wood, it doesn't disappear, it turns into smoke which rises into the air, and ash, which falls back down to the earth. üThis interrelated network is inclusive of a structure that contains both the abiotic and biotic composition like the biotic ones are plants, animals, microbes and fungi and the abiotic ones are water, soil, air, etc. The Four Basic Principles of Ecology u 3. Nature Knows Best o Like it says, nature knows best. As much as you think it might help a place by repainting it, you are submitting the fumes into the air and into your lungs. u4. There Is No Such Thing as a Free Lunch o Everything you do, must have a reason behind it. oFor example, a class pizza party. In order to win the party, you have to fill out a survey, and submit it back to your teacher. This law basically means you have to do something in order to get something in return. o Energy from our solar system has a control of all nutrients and energy. The Four Basic Principles of Ecology 1 4 2 3 5 Levels of Ecological Organization 1. ORGANISM 2. POPULATION 3. COMMUNITY 4. ECOSYSTEM 5. BIOSPHERE IMPORTANT TERMINOLOGIES & DEFINITION POPULATION u All the organisms in an ecosystem that belong to the same species IMPORTANT TERMINOLOGIES & DEFINITION COMMUNITY u Refers to population in an ecosystem 5 LEVELS OF ECOLOGICAL ORGANIZATION BIOSPHERE ORGANISM POPULATION COMMUNITY ECOSYSTEM 5 Levels of Ecological Organization 1. ORGANISM 4. ECOSYSTEM An individual animal, plant or Ø Interaction of the community and the non- single-celled life form living environment from an ecosystem 2. POPULATION 5. BIOSPHERE Ø Groups of individuals of the Ø The portion of earth that supports life. This same species in certain areas portion extends from the bottom of the ocean at a given time to high in the atmosphere. If you could shrink the earth to the size of an apple, the biosphere 3. COMMUNITY would be the size of an apple peel. Ø All the population occupying a given area  5 Levels of Ecological Organization ECOSYSTEM COMMUNITY BIOSPHERE POPULATION ORGANISM  LEVELS OF ECOLOGICAL ORGANIZATION BIOSPHERE BIOME BIOME - A large naturally occurring community of flora and fauna occupying a major habitat A BIOME is a collection of plants and animals that have common characteristics for the environment they exist in. They can be found over a range of continents. Biomes are distinct biological communities that have formed in response to a shared ORGANISM POPULATION COMMUNITY ECOSYSTEM physical climate. LEVELS OF ECOLOGICAL ORGANIZATION ORGANISM POPULATION COMMUNITY ECOSYSTEM BIOME BIOSPHERE  ORGANISM POPULATION COMMUNITY ECOSYSTEM FOREST ECOSYSTEM OCEAN ECOSYSTEM TYPES OF ECOSYSTEM 1. TERRESTIAL TYPES OF ECOSYSTEM 2. AQUATIC Ø FRESHWATER Lakes Ponds Rivers Streams Wetlands TYPES OF ECOSYSTEM 2. AQUATIC Ø SALTWATER  COMPONENTS OF AN ECOSYSTEM u The organism’s survival in an ecosystem depends on a delicate balance of ENERGY, FOOD, and other IMPORTANT FACTORS. u ECOSYSTEMS have structural and functional components. u STRUCTURE – made up of living and non-living parts of the ecosystem u FUNCTIONS – the roles, operations, interactions and interrelationships of the living and non-living parts of the ecosystem ABIOTIC AND BIOTIC u Factors in an Environment u Every element of an ecosystem belongs to one of two major categories: biotic or abiotic. u It all depends on whether the element is living or nonliving. Any living thing found in an ecosystem is called a biotic factor. ABIOTIC AND BIOTIC COMPONENTS OF AN ECOSYSTEM STRUCTURAL COMPONENTS OF AN ECOSYSTEM LIVING COMPONENTS (Biotic Factors) The three (3) basic ways organisms get food are as: 1. Producers (autotrophs) typically plants or algae. Plants and algae do not usually eat other organisms but pull nutrients from the soil or the ocean and manufacture their own food using photosynthesis. For this reason, they are called primary producers. In this way, it is energy from the sun that usually powers the base of the food chain. An exception occurs in deep sea hydrothermal ecosystems, where there is no sunlight. Here primary producers manufacture food through a process called chemosynthesis. Ø Producers – mostly green plants that produce food from simple organic substances and light energy STRUCTURAL COMPONENTS OF AN ECOSYSTEM 2. Consumers (heterotrophs) are animals which cannot manufacture their own food and need to consume other organisms. Animal that eat primary producers (like plants) are called herbivores. Animals that eat other animals are called carnivores and animals that eat both plant and other animals are called omnivores. ØConsumers (macro-consumers) – chiefly animals, which ingest other organisms, particulate organic matter, plants and other animals. STRUCTURAL COMPONENTS OF AN ECOSYSTEM 3. Decomposers (detritivores) break down dead plant and animal material and wastes and release it again as energy and nutrients into the ecosystem for recycling. Decomposers, such as bacteria and fungi (mushrooms), feed on waste and dead matter, converting it into inorganic chemicals that can be recycled as mineral nutrients for plants to use again. ØDecomposers (micro-consumers) – mainly bacteria and fungi which break down the complex substances of dead tissues of plants and animals, absorb some of the decomposition of products and release simple substances or inorganic nutrients which are used by producers STRUCTURAL COMPONENTS OF AN ECOSYSTEM NON-LIVING COMPONENTS (Abiotic Factors) ØInorganic substances nitrogen, carbon, water, etc. ØOrganic compounds carbohydrates, proteins, humic substances, lipids ØClimate regimes Rainfall, temperature and other physical factors Keystone Species species that is disproportionately connected to more species in the food web. Keystone species have lower levels of biomass in the trophic pyramid relative to the importance of their role. The many connections that a keystone species holds signify that it maintains the organization and structure of entire communities. The loss of a keystone species results in a range of dramatic cascading effects that alters trophic dynamics, other food web connections and can cause the extinction of other species in the community. FOOD CHAIN, FOOD WEB u Food Relationship among plants and animals FOOD CHAIN vs. FOOD WEB Energy Flow u Drives the ecosystem functions solar energy is absorbed by plants for growth and manufacturing of food Functional Components of an Ecosystem u Control of cybernetics What is Cybernetics Science of Communications and Control within Systems - Choice over Instinct Cybernetics is the science of control and communications in animals, including humankind, and machines. CYBERNETICS u The study of cybernetics has been used in various ways since ancient times to attempt to explain and understand and manage the effective workings of all manner of systems - social, organizational, animal, mechanical, electronic and others. As such, the cybernetics concept (notably 'the first law of cybernetics') is immensely relevant to the modern development of management, and one's own role and potential within systems of all kinds. CYBERNETICS u The organization in which we work; the world in which we live; the people around us - these are all systems. The 'first law of cybernetics' has massive significance especially in understanding and developing greater individual self-determination; and greater understanding, tolerance and variety of responses to situations and people around us; which are all essential for our ability to interact and respond effectively within work and beyond. The 'first law of cybernetics' is arguably one of the most powerful maxims for living a happy productive and successful life. CYBERNETICS u Humans have come with the study of cybernetics. It is the study of regulation, control and organization. It has been applied in numerous fields from computers to engineering to psychology. It is a theoretical science, focusing on simplification for comprehension. In ecology, the concept of cybernetics has been extensively used. It is necessary, because otherwise, we would just be suffocated with the sheer complexity of what is going on around us. We use cybernetics to study regulation of the ecosystem within an organism, within a species, a community or even an ecosystem. Functional Components of an Ecosystem u CONTROL OF CYBERNETICS – capability of an ecosystem for self-maintenance and regulation Example : predator – prey relationship BIOGEOCHEMICAL CYCLES u BIOGEOCHEMICAL CYCLES – natural cycles or organic-inorganic cycles facilitating the self regulating processes of an ecosystem ex. Carbon-oxygen cycle, nitrogen cycle, water cycle ØBIOGEOCHEMICAL CYCLES – The cycling of chemical elements in the biosphere through special pathways from environment to organisms and back to environment. Functional Components of an Ecosystem u GASEOUS AND SEDIMENTARY CYCLES POLLUTION -An imbalanced or imperfect nature of chemical elements and substances in material cycles ØHYDROLOGICAL CYCLE ØTERRESTRIAL PROFILE ØCARBON CYCLE ØNITROGEN CYCLE Functional Components of an Ecosystem u PHOSPHOROUS CYCLE ü Nutrient Cycling – Characterizes the health or well-being of an ecosystem üUndisturbed, intact tropical rainforest ecosystem has closed nutrient cycling üDeforestation opens the nutrient cycle and leads to escape of nutrients ECOSYSTEM PROPERTIES PRODUCTIVITY -The net increase in number or biomass per unit area and time SUSTAINABILITY ØThe constant productivity despite major disturbances such as typhoon, drought, floods, etc. EQUITABILITY ØEven or just distribution of ecosystem products and services among human beneficiaries STABILITY ØThe constant productivity despite small variability in climate and other environmental factors  IMPORTANT TERMINOLOGIES & DEFINITION CARBON CYCLE - biogeochemical cycle by which carbon is exchanged among the biosphere, pedosphere, geosphere, hydrosphere, and atmosphere of the Earth. Carbon is the main component of biological compounds as well as a major component of many minerals such as limestone. This is the term used to describe the exchange of carbon (in various forms, e.g. Carbon Dioxide or C02) between the atmosphere, ocean, terrestrial biosphere, and geological deposits. IMPORTANT TERMINOLOGIES & DEFINITION PEDOSPHERE u (from Greek πέδον pedon "soil" or "earth" and σφαῖρα sphaira "sphere") is the outermost layer of the Earth that is composed of soil and subject to soil formation processes. It exists at the interface of the lithosphere, atmosphere, hydrosphere and biosphere. IMPORTANT TERMINOLOGIES & DEFINITION TRANSPIRATION - the process of water movement through a plant and its evaporation from aerial parts, such as leaves, stems and flowers. Water is necessary for plants but only a small amount of water taken up by the roots is used for growth and metabolism. - plants releasing water from their leaves, which then evaporates IMPORTANT TERMINOLOGIES & DEFINITION HYDROLOGIC CYCLE u This is another term for water cycle, driven by the sun’s heat energy, which causes water to evaporate from water reservoirs (ocean, lakes, ponds, rivers), condense into clouds, and then precipitate back to the water bodies on Earth IMPORTANT TERMINOLOGIES & DEFINITION ECOLOGY The study of the interactions that take place among organisms and their environment IMPORTANT TERMINOLOGIES & DEFINITION DREDGING -the technique used for collecting bottom-dwelling organisms (e.g. shellfish) or harvesting coral, often causing significant destruction of reef and ocean-floor ecosystems. is the excavation of material from a water environment. Possible reasons for dredging include improving existing water features; reshaping land and water features to alter drainage, navigability, and commercial use; constructing dams, dikes, and other controls for streams and shorelines; and recovering valuable mineral deposits or marine life having commercial value. IMPORTANT TERMINOLOGIES & DEFINITION The contamination of a healthy environment by man- made waste. - is the introduction of harmful materials into the environment. POLLUTANTS POLLUTION These are harmful materials causing pollution. - can be natural, such as volcanic ash. They can also be created by human activity, such as trash or runoff produced by factories - They damage the quality of air, water, and land. IMPORTANT TERMINOLOGIES & DEFINITION SOIL EROSION u The removal of soil by the action of water or wind, compounded by poor agricultural practices, deforestation, overgrazing and desertification the displacement of the upper layer of soil; it is a form of soil degradation. This natural process is caused by the dynamic activity of erosive agents, that is, water, ice, snow, air, plants, animals, and humans. IMPORTANT TERMINOLOGIES & DEFINITION u the illegal hunting or capturing of POACHING wild animals, usually associated with land use rights. Ø in law, the illegal shooting, trapping, or taking of game, fish, or plants from private property or from a place where such practices are specially reserved or forbidden. Ø a major existential threat to numerous wild organisms worldwide and is an important contributor to biodiversity loss. Ø The illegal killing of animals or fish, a great concern with respect to endangered or Threatened species IMPORTANT TERMINOLOGIES & DEFINITION The non-living chemical and physical u ABIOTIC COMPONENT factors such as temperature, light, water and nutrients In biology and ecology, these components or ________________ factors are non-living chemical and physical parts of the environment that affect living organisms and the functioning of ecosystems IMPORTANT TERMINOLOGIES & DEFINITION ORGANISMAL ECOLOGY u This is concerned about the way in which an individual interacts with its environment focuses on the morphological, physiological, and behavioral adaptations that let an organism survive in a specific habitat. Karner blue butterfly: The Karner blue butterfly (Lycaeides melissa samuelis) is a rare butterfly that lives only in open areas with few trees or shrubs, such as pine barrens and oak savannas. It can only lay its eggs on lupine plants. This preferential adaptation means that the Karner blue butterfly is highly dependent on the presence of wild lupine plants for its continued survival. IMPORTANT TERMINOLOGIES & DEFINITION CORAL REEFS u A coral reef is an underwater ecosystem characterized by reef- building corals. Reefs are formed of colonies of coral polyps held together by calcium carbonate. Most coral reefs are built from stony corals, whose polyps cluster in groups. It occurs in neritic zones of warm, tropical waters dominated by cnidarians, very productive and protects lands from storms. IMPORTANT TERMINOLOGIES & DEFINITION DEEP SEA VENT u Also called hydrothermal (hot- water) vent formed on the ocean floor when seawater circulates through hot volcanic rocks, often located where new oceanic crust is being formed. Occurs in benthic zones Diverse, unusual organisms, Animals that live on the sea floor are called benthos. Energy comes not from light but from chemicals released from the magma IMPORTANT TERMINOLOGIES & DEFINITION u A terrestrial biome that is usual TROPICAL FOREST vertical stratification with trees in canopy blocking light to bottom strata. - are closed canopy forests growing within 28 degrees north or south of the equator. They are very wet places, receiving more than 200 cm rainfall per year, either seasonally or throughout the year. Temperatures are uniformly high - between 20°C and 35°C. IMPORTANT TERMINOLOGIES & DEFINITION SILTATION u is a process by which water becomes dirty as a result of fine mineral particles in the water. Ø occurs when water channels and reservoirs become clotted with silt and mud, a side effect of deforestation and soil erosion Ø or siltification, is water pollution caused by particulate terrestrial clastic material, with a particle size dominated by silt or clay. It refers both to the increased concentration of suspended sediments and to the increased accumulation of fine sediments on bottoms where they are undesirable. IMPORTANT TERMINOLOGIES & DEFINITION AGROECOLOGY u A science that deals with applying ecological concepts and principles to the design, development and management of agricultural environment Ø is an applied science that studies ecological processes applied to agricultural production systems. Ø Bringing ecological principles to bear can suggest new management approaches in agroecosystems. IMPORTANT TERMINOLOGIES & DEFINITION BIOGEOCHEMISTRY u the scientific discipline that involves the study of the chemical, physical, geological, and biological processes and reactions that govern the composition of the natural environment (including the biosphere, the cryosphere, the hydrosphere, the pedosphere, the atmosphere, and the lithosphere) Ø The effect of biota on global chemistry, and the cycles of matter and energy that transport the earth’s chemical components in time and space IMPORTANT TERMINOLOGIES & DEFINITION BIOLOGICAL MAGNIFICATION u The increase of concentration of a substance Ø is the accumulation of a chemical by an organism from water and food exposure that results in a concentration that is greater than would have resulted from water exposure only and thus greater than expected from equilibrium. Ø also known as bioamplification or biological magnification, is any concentration of a toxin, such as pesticides, in the tissues of tolerant organisms at successively higher levels in a food chain. *Trophic – Organisms are organized into trophic levels or the position it occupies in the food chain.  IMPORTANT TERMINOLOGIES & DEFINITION ECOSYSTEMS WITH HIGH BIODIVERSITY H Y? u More stable than those with few W species They recover from negative events more quickly Generally speaking, greater species diversity (alpha diversity) leads to greater ecosystem stability. This is termed the "diversity– stability hypothesis." An ecosystem that has a greater number of species is more likely to withstand a disturbance than an ecosystem of the same size with a lower number of species.