BASIC ECOLOGICAL CONCEPTS

Ecology is defined as the study of the inter-relationships between living organism and their environment.
There are two major branches of ecology
(i) Autecology deals with the study of ecology and ecosystems in single species up to the population level.
(ii) Synecology deals with the larger population as it focuses on the ecology and ecosystems of groups of
organisms or communities.

Common Terms used in Ecological Studies

Below are Common Terms used in Ecological Studies
Environment: Common term used in ecological studies environment
Biosphere: This is the part of the earth that supports life
Lithosphere: It is the solid part of the earth’s crust extending deep into the earth
Hydrosphere: It consists mainly of the oceans and other aquatic habitats.
Atmosphere: This is the gaseous envelope that surrounds the solid part of the earth.
Habitat: This is the natural dwelling place of an organism. Habitats are classified as terrestrial(land) e.g
savannah, desert, forest, and aquatic (water) e.g rivers, Lakes, streams, ponds e.t.c. Aquatic habitat may be
further divided into freshwater, marine, and brackish waters.
Niche: It is the functional role of an organism within the ecosystem due to its structural adaptation, feeding
habits, and relationships with other organisms
Population: This is the total number of organism of a given species living in the same habitat at a
particular time. For examples the orange trees in a school compound
Community: The community consists of all the population of living organisms that exist together in a
habitat. In a freshwater habitat, the community may include the populations of animals, plants, micro-
organisms.
Ecosystem: is a community of living organisms in conjunction with non-living thing components,
interacting as a system.
Components of an Ecosystem
The components of an ecosystem can be divided into Biotic (living) and Abiotic (non-living).
All living things make up the biotic community.
The biotic component consists of producers, consumers and decomposers.
Abiotic Component: It consists of abiotic resources needed by the organisms to stay alive, examples are
sunlight, carbon dioxide, and abiotic conditions which include air, water, and soil, temperature, humidity,
turbidity, light intensity, etc.
Biomes: The biomes are the world’s major communities classified according to the predominant
vegetation because plants form the bulk of the community.
Ecological factors: Ecological factors are factors that influence the type of biotic community that is found
in an area.
They are grouped into Biotic factors and Abiotic factors.