AGRICULTURAL SCIENCE

AGRICULTURAL
ECOLOGY
 SUBTOPICS
• DEFINITION OF ECOLOGY
• DEFINITION OF ECOSYSTEM
• DIFFERENCE BETWEEN ECOLOGY AND ECOSYSTEM
• IMPORTANCE OF ECOLOGY
• COMPONENTS OF FARM ECOSYSTEM
• SIMILARITIES AND DIFFERENCES BETWEEN AUTOTROPHS AND HETEROTROPHS
• FEEDING RELATIONSHIPS AND FARMING SYSTEMS IN THE ECOSYSTEM
DEFINITION OF ECOLOGY
• AGRICULTURAL ECOLOGY ACCORDING TO ESSENTIAL AGRICULTURAL FOR SENIOR SECONDARY SCHOOLS IS SIMPLY DEFINED
AS THE STUDY OF CROP PLANTS AND FARM ANIMALS IN RELATION TO THEIR ENVIRONMENT. ECOLOGYI IS COINED OUT FROM A
GREEK WORD OIKOS WHICH MEANS “HOME” OR “DWELLING PLACE”. IN MY OWN WORDS AGRICULTURAL ECOLOGY IS DEFINED
AS THE STUDY OF THE RELATIONSHIP OF LIVING THINGS WITH EACH OTHER AND THE ENVIRONMENT WHICH THEY LIVE IN.

• DEFINITION OF ECOSYSTEM
• AN ECOSYSTEM REFERS TO A COMMUNITY OF CROP PLANTS AND FARM ANIMALS FUNCTIONING TOGETHER WITH THEIR NON-
LIVING ENVIRONMENT. IN MY OWN WORDS ECOSYSTEM IS CONTAINS LIVING FACTORS {PLANTS AND ANIMALS} HAVING
INTERACTIONS WITH THE NON-LIVING FACTORS IN A FARM ENVIRONMENT.
DIFFERENCES BETWEEN ECOLOGY AND ECOSYSTEM

ECOLOGY ECOSYSTEM

THIS IS THE STUDY OF THE RELATIONSHIP OF LIVING THIS REFERS TO A COMMUNITY OF CROP PLANTS AND FARM
ORGANISMS WITH ONE ANOTHER AND THE ENVIRONMENT IN ANIMALS FUNCTIONING TOGETHER WITH THEIR NON-LIVING
WHICH THEY LIVE ENVIRONMENT.
IMPORTANCE OF ECOSYSTEM
• ECOSYSTEM HELPS WITH THE FEEDING OF LIVING
ORGANISMS
COMPONENTS OF FARM
ECOSYSTEM
• THERE ARE TWO COMPONENTS OF FARM ECOSYSTEM.
THEY INCLUDE
• BIOTIC COMPONENTS
• ABIOTIC FACTORS
BIOTIC COMPONENTS

• THE BIOTIC COMPONENTS INCLUDE THE LIVING THINGS {CROP PLANTS AND
FARM ANIMALS}. THE BIOTIC COMPONENTS CAN BE CLASSIFIED INTO TWO.
• AUTOTROPHISM
• HETEROTROPHISM
AUTOTROPHISM
• THIS IS A CLASS OF ORGANISMS WHICH CAN USE LIGHT OR CHEMICALS TO MANUFACTURE THEIR OWN FOOD FROM INORGANIC
SUBSTANCES DURING THE PROCESS OF PHOTOSYNTHESIS. IN MY OWN WORDS AUTOTROPHS ARE ORGANISMS {CROP
PLANTS} WHICH ARE ABLE TO SYNTHESIZE THEIR OWN FOOD, SO THEY ARE CALLED PRODUCERS.

HETEROTROPHISM
THIS IS A CLASS OF ORGANISMS {FARM ANIMALS}, WHICH CANNOT MANUFACTURE THEIR OWN FOOD BUT DEPEND DIRECTLY
OR INDIRECTLY ON PLANTS FOR THEIR FOOD, SO THEY ARE CALLED CONSUMERS.
DIFFERENCES BETWEEN AUTOTROPHS AND HETEROTROPHS

AUTOTROPHS
• THEY MANUFACTURE THEIR OWN FOOD
• THEY ARE CALLED PRODUCERS
• THEY DO NOT DEPEND ON ANYTHING FOR FOOD
• THEY ARE MAINLY PLANTS
HETEROTROPHS
• THEY CANNOT MANUFACTURE THEIR OWN FOOD
• THEY ARE CALLED CONSUMERS
• THEY DEPEND ON PLANTS FOR FOOD
• THEY ARE MAINLY ANIMALS
SIMILARITIES BETWEEN AUTOTROPHS
AND HETEROTROPHS
• THEY ARE BOTH LIVING ORGANISMS
• THEY ARE BOTH PARTS OF THE ECOSYSTEM
 FEEDING RELATIONSHIPS AND FARMING SYSTEMS IN THE ECOSYSTEM
• THERE ARE VARIOUS FARMING ECOSYSTEMS. SOME OF THEM INCLUDE:

• MONO OR SOLE CROPPING SYSTEM

• MIXED CROPPING SYSTEM
• MIXED FARMING
• FISH POND
• FOREST OR SAVANA
MONO OR SOLE CROPPING SYSTEM

• CROP PLANTS ABSORBS NUTRIENT FROM THE SOIL TO GROW

• THEY ALSO ABSORB WATER TO GROW AND PRODUCE FRUITS
• THEY ALSO ABSORB CARBON DIOXIDE FROM THE AIR TO CARRY OUT PHOTOSYNTHESIS
• THEY ALSO RELEASE OXYGEN TO THE ATMOSPHERE DURING RESPIRATION
MIXED CROPPING SYSTEM
• CROPS LIKE COWPEA IS CAPABLE OF ADDING NUTRIENTS TO THE SOIL
• SOME LIKE CASSAVA OBTAIN NUTRIENTS FROM THE SOIL TO GROW AND PRODUCE FRUITS
• THEY ALSO RELEASE CARBON DIOXIDE INTO THE AITMOSPHERE DURING RESPIRATION
MIXED FARMING
• THE GRASSES OR THE REMAINS OF CROPS SERVES AS FOOD FOR THE ANIMALS
• CROPS LIKE COWPEA AND CROP RESIDUE MAY DECAY TO RELEASE NUTRIENTS TO THE SOIL
• CROP PLANTS CAN ALSO RELEASE OXYGEN TO ATMOSPHERE DURING THE PROCESS OF PHOTO SYNTHESIS
• THEY ALSO ABSORBS SOIL NUTRIENTS AND WATER FROM THE SOIL FOR GROWTH AND PRODUCTION
FISH POND
• THE FISHES FEED ON PLANKTON, IN THE WATER AS THEIR SOURCES OF FOOD
• BOTH PLANKYON AND FISHES RELEASE CARBON DIOXIDE TO AQUATIC HABITAT WHICH AID PHOTOSYNTHESIS
BY THE PLANKTONS
• FISH DUNG OR DROPPINGS ALSO PROVIDE A SOURCE OF NUTRIENT TO PLANKTONS IN THE WATER
FOREST OR SAVANNA
• ANIMAL FEED ON PLANTS AND FRUITS TO OBTAIN THEIR FOOD
• ANIMAL DUNGS AND DROPPINGS CAN SERVE AS NUTRIENTS TO THE SOIL
• PLANTS OBTAIN THE NUTRIENTS S AND WATER FROM THE SOIL TO ENABLE THEM PREPARE THEIR FOOD