Course: REM 8 Principles of Ecology

Objective: Introduce and improve the knowledge of students in the field of Ecology, help
them understand the relationship and purpose of learning this course in the field of Real
Estate to make them aware on the role of Real Estate Service Practitioner in the community
and the environment.
Module: 1
Week: 1

PART I ECOLOGY AND THE ECOSYSTEM

A. Understanding Basic Concept on Ecology and Ecosystem

Ecological Principles
-Everything is connected to everything else
-Everything must go somewhere
-Nature knows best
-There is no such thing as a Free Lunch (Everything we do has an effect)

Ecological Indicators
•Interconnectedness
•Biodiversity (refers to the varieties of species in ecosystems)
•Change
•Materials Cycle
•Balance of nature
•Finiteness of Resources
•Population growth and carrying capacity
•Stewardship
•Sustainable development (the ability of the present generation to meet their needs without
compromising the ability of the future generations to meet theirs

What is Environment?
- The environment includes all living and nonliving things that surround an organism.
- All of the external factors affecting an organism,. These factors may be other living
organisms or nonliving variables such as water, soil, climate, light, and oxygen.

Biotic vs Abiotic
• Biotic includes all living things in the environment. - Examples: plants, animals, insects,
protists, fungi, bacteria, etc.
• Abiotic includes all nonliving things in the environment. - Examples: light, temperature,
wind, rocks, soil.

Is Water Biotic or Abiotic?

• Water itself is abiotic.
- Water contains many life forms

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 - Water is the one thing required by all living things.

What is Watershed
-The term watershed describes an area of land that drains downslope to the lowest point.
Water moves through a network of drainage pathways, both underground and on the surface.
These pathways converge into streams and rivers which become progressively larger as the
water moves on downstream, eventually reaching the ocean.

Ecology - Everything Is Connected To Everything Else

What is Ecology?
• Ecology is the study of the relationships and interactions of living things with one another
and with their environment.

Ecology:
-A word coined in 1935 by British plant ecologist Sir Arthur George Tanley.
- include the composition, distribution, amount (biomass), number, and changing states of
organisms within and among ecosystems.
- Ecology addresses the full scale of life, from tiny bacteria to processes that span the entire
planet. Ecologists study many diverse and complex relations among species, such as
predation andpollination. The diversity of life is organized into different habitats, from
terrestrial to aquatic ecosystems.
-The scope of ecology covers a wide array of interacting levels of organization spanning
micro-level (e.g.,cells) to planetary scale (e.g., ecosphere) phenomena. Ecosystems, for
example, contain populations of individuals that aggregate into distinct ecological
communities

What is an Ecosystem?
An ecosystem is an area in which living things and nonliving things interact, exchanging
energy and materials.

Scientists divide the world into separate ecosystems.

- terrestrial ecosystem
- aquatic ecosystems

Ecosystems can be roughly divided into

(1) Terrestrial Ecosystems (including forest ecosystems, steppes, savannas, and so on),
(2) Aquatic Ecosystem
- Freshwater ecosystems (lakes, ponds and rivers), and
- Marine ecosystems .

Ecosystems
- sustain life-supporting functions and produce natural capital through the regulation of
continental climates, global biogeochemical cycles, water filtration, soils, food, fibres,

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medicines, erosion control, and many other natural features of scientific, historical, economic,
or intrinsic value.
- Ecosystems contain populations of individuals that aggregate into distinct ecological
communities.

What is a Community?
• A community is the living part of any ecosystem - all the different organisms that live
together in that area.
• All the living things in an area form a community.

What is a Population?
• Each kind of living thing makes up a population in the community.
• A population is a group of organisms of the same species living together in the same area.

What is a Habitat?
• A habitat is the specific place in which an organism lives.
• A habitat provides food, shelter, and the other resources an organism needs to survive.
• Different organisms live in different habitats because they have different needs.

Limiting Factors in the Population Size

• Predation
• Climate
• Parasitism
• Competition for Food
• Disease
• Pollution
• Availability of Water

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References:

Patnugot, Nestor V. (2012). Principles of Ecology. Legal and Environmental Education

Division, Environmental Management Bureau XI. Comprehensive Real Estate Seminar.
PAREB-DBRFI. Davao City, Philippines

Medina, Charito P. et.al (199). Ecosystem Structure and Dynamics. University of the
Philippines Open University, Los Banos, Laguna Philippines

Prepared by:

JADE ANTHONY A. CANDARI,REC,REA,REB