Basic Ecological Concepts

Levels of Organization
• Cells
• Tissue
• Organ
• Organ system
Ecology
• Ecology starts from the study of the organism.
• An Organism is any living thing.
• A group of organisms that are similar in
appearance, behavior and genetic make up
belong to the same species.
• The group of individuals belonging to one
species and are found together in a defined
area at a certain time is called a population.
Characteristics of Population
1. Population Density describes the degree of
crowdedness of the population in a given
area.
Crude density may be computed from the
number of individuals or the total population
biomass per unit space.
Ecological or Specific density describes the
number or biomass per unit of space that is
actually available to the population
2. Dispersion is the distribution of organisms over
the space where they are found.
Clumped distribution is the most common type
of pattern since the soil or medium on which the
organisms are found in nature are not uniform.
Random distribution is rare in nature, occurring
only where the soil is generally rich so that the
plants can grow and thrive everywhere.
Uniform distribution is found in artificial
cultivated area such as orchards.
3. Natality/Mortality
Natality corresponds to what is termed in
humans as birth rate of the number of
new individuals produced in the
population for the period of time.
Mortality is known as death rate in
human demographics, or the number of
deaths in a given time period.
4. Growth is an important feature of a
population since the increase or decrease of
population size determines its interaction with
other populations in the community and its
impact on the environment.
5. Age Distribution classifies the population
according to age brackets or to general age
groups such as prereproductive, reproductive,
postreproductive.
6. Reproductive Potential of a population is its
theoretical capacity to produce the maximum
number of offsprings in ideal conditions.
 Community
• Ecological or Biotic Community
– Thalassia Community
– Grassland Community
– Mangrove Community
– Sandy Beach Community
– Pond Community
 Properties of Community
• Dominance is attained by a species in a
community by virtue of a greater number of
individuals, or by size such as the
overwhelming sizes.
• Diversity is the opposite of dominance, a case
where no single species has a greater number
or biomass or other relative importance than
other species in the community.
• Ecosystem it includes the living and nonliving
components.
– Marine Ecosystem
– Microecosystems (experimental purposes)
• Biosphere
• Hydrosphere
• Atmosphere
• Lithosphere
Bioenergetics
• Energy is necessary for maintaining the life
processes of organisms.
• Sun is the source of all the energy that goes into
the ecosystem.
• Photosynthesis
• Autotrophs (self-feeders)/producers
• Herbivores (organisms that feeds on plants)
• Carnivores (organisms feed on other organisms)
• Heterotrophs (other-feeders)/ carnivores and
herbivores/ consumers
• Omnivores (organisms that consume both
plants and animals)
• Food chain the sequence of eating and being
eaten.
• Food web
Water Cycle
Carbon Cycle
Nitrogen Cycle
Phosphorus Cycle
Sulfur Cycle
4. Parasitism in another type of negative-
positive interaction wherein the host provides
nourishment to the parasites.
(endoparasites/ectoparasites)
5. Commensalism is a form of positive-zero
interaction wherein the commensal (organism
that benefits.
6. Amensalism is an example of negative-zero
interaction wherein one organism is inhibited
while the other is not affected.
 Species Interactions
1. Mutualism refers to the interaction
between two species where both are
benefited.
2. Competition is an example of positive-
negative interaction where two species.
3. Predation is an example of an positive –
negative interaction wherein the
predator eats prey.