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
An individual animal, plant or
single-celled life form
2. POPULATION
Ø Groups of individuals of the
same species in certain areas
at a given time
3. COMMUNITY
Ø All the population occupying
a given area
4. ECOSYSTEM
Ø Interaction of the community and the non-
living environment from an ecosystem
5. BIOSPHERE
Ø The portion of earth that supports life. This
portion extends from the bottom of the ocean
to high in the atmosphere. If you could shrink
the earth to the size of an apple, the biosphere
would be the size of an apple peel.
 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.