BIOLS 340: General Ecology

Chapter 1: Introduction to Ecology

1
 Important questions
• What is Ecology?
• Why is it important?
• Why study it?

2
 What is Ecology?

• Ecology: Greek (Oikos= household; Logy=

the study of).
• Ecology: the study of relationships between
organisms and their environment.
• The discipline of ecology addresses
environmental relationships ranging from
those of individual organisms to factors
affecting the state of the entire biosphere.

3
 What is the environment?
• What is the environment in which an
organism lives?
• It is a place
 a physical location in time and space

 can be large or small

 can be aquatic or terrestrial

• Includes physical and chemical conditions

and other organisms

4
• What are the components of an organism’s
environment?
 physical conditions

 chemical conditions

 other organisms, both the same and

different species

5
 Why ecology is important?
• Humans survival have depended upon how
well they observe variations in the
environment and predict the responses of
organisms to those variations. For instance:
 Hunters and gatherers had to know the

habits of their animal prey and where to

find food plants.
 Agriculturists had to be aware of variations

in weather and soils, and how crops and

livestock can be affected by these
variations .
6
 Today: the future of humans depends on
how well we understand the relationships
between organisms and the environment.
 Humans are rapidly changing Earth’s

environment, yet we do not fully

understand the consequences of these
changes.

7
 Humans activities have increase CO2
concentration, changed land cover,
increased pollutants levels etc.
 Such changes may threaten diversity of

life on Earth, and the life support system

of human.
Therefore, ecology is the science that
allows us to understand and then protect
our environment.
8
 Ecological Systems Hierarchy
• Ecologists study interactions at different
levels of organization
• These levels can be arranged in a hierarchy
• All levels involve biotic (biological) and
abiotic (physical and chemical) interactions
• The biosphere is the highest level of
organization

9
 Ecological Systems Form a Hierarchy
Individual Landscape
What characteristics allow How do variations in topography
the plant species to survive, and soils across the landscape
grow, and reproduce in the influence patterns of species
environment of grasslands composition and diversity in the
• Ecologists study interactions at different different communities?

levels of organization
Population
Is the population of this species
Biome
What features of geology and

These levels can be arranged in a hierarchy

increasing, decreasing, or regional climate determine the
• remaining relatively constant transition from forest to
from year to year? grassland ecosystems
in North America?
• All levels involve biotic and abiotic
interactions
Community
How does this species interact Biosphere
with other species of plants What is the role of the grassland
• The biosphere is the highest level of
and animals in the grassland
community?
biome in the global carbon cycle?

organization
Ecosystem
How do yearly variations in
rainfall influence the
productivity
of plants in this grassland
ecosystem?

10
• Ecologists design their studies based on
their research questions, the temporal and
spatial scale of their studies, and available
research tools.

• Ecologists use the Scientific Method

(Questions and Hypotheses) in their studies.

11