Ecosystem and Ecology.pdf

Ecology and Ecosystem

1. ECOLOGY AND ECOSYSTEM
Introduction to Ecology:
Themeaningofthewordecologywasgiven
GermanbiologistHacklein1869.Thewordecology
wasderivedfromGreekwords“Oikos”meaning
House,HabitatorPlaceoflivingand“logos”
meaning to study.

2. Definition of Ecology
Ecology is a branch of biology which deals with the
relationships of organisms to one another and to their
physical environment.
OR
The scientific study of relationship of living organisms with
each other and with their environment.
Ecosystem:
Ecosystem is a community of interacting organisms and their
physical environment. An ecosystem is a subpart of
ecology.
Community:
A community is a group of organisms living in a particular
environment with several common characteristics.

3. •Allorganismsmustinteractwithbothlivingandnonliving
things that surround them.
                    Relationship B/W Ecology and Ecosystem
•Ecologyincludestherelationshipb/wlivingorganismsand
their environment.
•WhileEcosystemisaplacelikeaforest,grassland,desert,
river or a stream.
•Correspondence(similarityorCorrelationor
comparison)
•Ecology:  study of all the ecosystems in a vast area.
•Ecosystem:subsetofecologythatfocusesonaparticular
environment and its ecosystems.

4. Scope of Ecology
 Identify the scope of ecology
•Ecology isthestudyoftheinteractionsofliving
organismswiththeirenvironment.Onecoregoalof
ecologyistounderstandthedistributionand
abundanceoflivingthingsinthephysicalenvironment.
Attainment(Achievement)ofthisgoalrequiresthe
integration(combination)ofscientificdisciplinesinside
andoutsideofbiology,suchasbiochemistry,
physiology,evolution,biodiversity,molecularbiology,
geology,andclimatology.Someecologicalresearch
alsoappliesaspectsofchemistryandphysics,andit
frequently uses mathematical models.

5. What is Ecology…..?
•Ecology:
isthestudyoftheinteractionsoflivingthingswiththeirenvironment.Ecologists
askquestionsacrossfourlevelsofbiologicalorganization—organismal,
population,community,andecosystem.Attheorganismallevel,ecologistsstudy
individualorganismsandhowtheyinteractwiththeirenvironments.Atthe
populationandcommunitylevels,ecologistsexplore,respectively,howa
populationoforganismschangesovertimeandthewaysinwhichthatpopulation
interactswithotherspeciesinthecommunity.Ecologistsstudyinganecosystem
examinethelivingspecies(thebioticcomponents)oftheecosystemaswellasthe
nonlivingportions(theabioticcomponents),suchasair,water,andsoil,ofthe
environment.

6. •Acareerinecologycontributestomanyfacetsofhuman
society.Understandingecologicalissuescanhelpsociety
meet the basic human needs of food, shelter, and health care.
Ecologistscanconducttheirresearchinthelaboratoryand
outsideinnaturalenvironments.Thesenaturalenvironments
canbeasclosetohomeasthestreamrunningthroughyour
campusorasfarawayasthehydrothermalventsatthe
bottom of the Pacific Ocean. Ecologists manage natural

7.  resources.
Ecologistsalsoworkaseducatorswhoteachchildrenand
adultsatvariousinstitutionsincludinguniversities,high
schools,museums,andnaturecenters.Ecologistsmayalso
workinadvisorypositionsassistinglocal,state,andfederal
policymakerstodeveloplawsthatareecologicallysound,
ortheymaydevelopthosepoliciesandlegislation
themselves.

8. •Tobecomeanecologistrequiresan
undergraduatedegree,usuallyinanatural
science.Theundergraduatedegreeisoften
followedbyspecializedtrainingoran
advanceddegree,dependingontheareaof
ecologyselected.Ecologistsshouldalsohave
abroadbackgroundinthephysicalsciences,
aswellasasoundfoundationinmathematics
and statistics.

9. Levels of Ecological Research
•Whenadisciplinesuchasbiologyisstudied,itis
oftenhelpfultosubdivideitintosmaller,related
areas.Forinstance,cellbiologistsinterestedincell
signalingneedtounderstandthechemistryofthe
signalmolecules(whichareusuallyproteins)aswell
as the result of cell signaling.

10. •Ecologistsinterestedinthefactorsthat
influencethesurvivalofanendangered
speciesmightusemathematicalmodelsto
predicthowcurrentconservationefforts
affectendangeredorganisms.Toproducea
soundsetofmanagementoptions,a
conservationbiologistneedstocollect
accuratedata,includingcurrentpopulation
size,

11. factorsaffectingreproduction(likephysiology
andbehavior),habitatrequirements(suchas
plantsandsoils),andpotentialhuman
influencesontheendangeredpopulationand
itshabitat(whichmightbederivedthrough
studies in sociology and urban ecology).

13. Organismal Ecology
•Researchersstudyingecologyatthe
organismallevelareinterestedinthe
adaptationsthatenableindividualstolivein
specifichabitats.Theseadaptationscanbe
morphological,physiological,andbehavioral.
Forinstance,theKarnerbluebutterfly
(Lycaeidesmelissasamuelis)isarare
butterflythatlivesonlyinopenareaswith
fewtreesorshrubs,suchaspinebarrensand
oak savannas.

14. Population Ecology
•Apopulationisagroupofinterbreeding
organismsthataremembersofthesame
specieslivinginthesameareaatthesame
time.(Organismsthatareallmembersofthe
samespeciesarecalled conspecifics.)A
populationisidentified,inpart,bywhereit
lives,anditsareaofpopulationmayhave
naturalorartificialboundaries:natural
boundariesmightberivers,mountains,or
deserts,

15. •whileexamplesofartificialboundariesinclude
mowedgrass,manmadestructures,orroads.The
studyofpopulationecologyfocusesonthe
numberofindividualsinanareaandhowand
why population size changes over time.
•Community Ecology:
Abiologicalcommunityconsistsofthedifferent
specieswithinanarea,typicallyathree‐
dimensionalspace,andtheinteractionswithinand
among these species.

16. •Communityecologistsareinterestedintheprocesses
drivingtheseinteractionsandtheirconsequences.
Questionsaboutconspecificinteractionsoftenfocus
oncompetitionamongmembersofthesamespecies
foralimitedresource.Ecologistsalsostudy
interactionsamongvariousspecies;membersof
differentspeciesarecalled heterospecifics.Examples
ofheterospecificinteractionsincludepredation,
parasitism, herbivory, competition, and pollination.

17. •Theseinteractionscanhaveregulatingeffectson
populationsizesandcanimpactecologicaland
evolutionary processes affecting diversity.
•Ecosystem Ecology:
•Ecosystemecologyisanextensionoforganismal,
population,andcommunityecology.Theecosystemis
composedofallthe biotic components(livingthings)
inanareaalongwiththe abiotic components(non‐
livingthings)ofthatarea.Someoftheabiotic
components include air, water, and soil.

18. Ecosystembiologistsaskquestionsabouthow
nutrientsandenergyarestoredandhowthey
moveamongorganismsandthesurrounding
atmosphere, soil, and water.

19. Branches of Ecology
•Ecologyaloneisalargedisciplineasitcoversall
organismsonEarth.Backthen,thefocusofthe
firstecologistsareonlyoneitherplantsor
animals(thusonlyplantecologyandanimal
ecology exist).
Butlateron,duetonewlydiscoveredknowledge
andtheadvancementoftechnology,thisdivisionof
ecologywasnolongerused.Instead,thestudyof
ecologywasagaindividedintotwomajor
subdivisions: autoecology and synecology.

20. Autecology:
Thestudyofinterrelationshipsofindividualorganisms
or simply the ecology of individual organisms.
→Itisthestudyoflifehistoryandtheresponsetoits
environmentofasingleindividual.e.gthelifehistoryof
aneagle,thefoodrequirementsofvenusflytrap,or
thetemperaturetoleranceoftheseedlingsofatree
species.
 Synecology:
Thestudyofinterrelationshipsbetweengroupsof
organisms(populationsorcommunities)tothe
environment.

21. →ifthestudyinvolvestheabundance,distribution,
productivity,andordynamicsofagroupoforganismsof
thesamespeciesisknownaspopulationecology.e.g
theinvestigationofcompetitionfornutrientsoftreesin
aplantation,theroleofdiseaseincontrollingthe
numbersofanimalsinanarea,ortherateofgrowth
anddeathofindividualsinafishpopulation.Because
ofthestillbroadcategories,ecologyisfurtherdivided
intoseveralspecializedbranchesthatfocusonawide
varietyoftopics.Listedbelowarethebranchesof
ecology.

22. . Terrestrial Ecology (Dry Land Ecology)
Terrestrialecologyisabranchofecologythatdealswith
thestudyoflandorganismsandhowtheyinteractwith
eachotherandadapttotheirenvironment.Asidefrom
that,thediversityanddistributionofdifferent
organismsinvariousterrestrialhabitatsarealsobeing
focused on.

23. –Terrestrialecologyhasawidevarietyofapplications
likeresourcesmanagement,andinthelongrun,be
effective for conservation measures.
–Additionally, soilproperties likemoisture,pH,
nutrientandchemicalcontent,andsoiltypemaybe
studied.
–Forestecology,grasslandecology,mountainecology,wild
life ecology are the branches of terrestrial ecology.

24. •Aquatic Ecology (Water Ecology)
Basicallytheoppositeofterrestrialecology,aquatic
ecologydealswiththestudyoftheecosystems
foundinbodiesofwater.Classifiedmainlyinto
freshwater ecology and marine ecology.

25. –Aquaticecologyfocusesontheinteractions
amonglivingorganismsinaparticularaquatic
habitatwhichcandirectlyaffectvariousfactorsin
theecosystem.Suchfactorsincludecompetition
forfoodandpredation,temperature,nutrient
concentration, and oxygen demand.
 

26. •Microbial Ecology
Microbialecologyfocusesonthestudyofhow
communitiesofmicroorganismsestablish
themselvesonabioticsubstratesandhowsuch
organizationsenablethemtointeractwitheach
other.

27. •Thescopeofmicrobialecologyisquitehugeasit
cancoverthevastmicro‐florainanimalguts,the
seeminglysimpleyetactuallygenotypically
complicatedbacterialcommunitiescalled
the biofilms,andthe complexrelationshipbetween
prokaryotesandeukaryotesthatsomehowledto
their divergence.

28. •System Ecology
•Systemecologyisabranchofecologythat
tacklesvarious abiotic factorslikeenergy
budgetallocationandphysicalprocessessuch
as carbon cycle and biogeochemical cycles.

29. •Thisbranchofecologyisdistinctivebecause
itintegratesotherscientificdisciplineslike
appliedmathematicsandcomputersystems
tostudyandpredictstructuresandfunction
in a given ecosystem.

30. •Taxonomic Ecology
•Thenextbranchofecologymightbenewto
someasitincorporatestwofieldofstudies
thatmaynotappeartoworkoften.Basically,
taxonomicecologyisanewconceptinthis
field.

31. Theuseoftaxonomicdataishighlyimportantasit
improvesthestudyoftheecosystemsbyhelping
identifykeyorganismspresentinthatarea.Asidefrom
that,thisbranchofecologyhelpsinthe
easier classificationoforganisms,whethereachact
accordinglyorantagonisticallywitheachotherinthe
community level.

32. •Evolutionary Ecology
•Evolutionaryecologymergesthetwo
scientific studiesofevolution andecologyand
focusesonthephysicalandgeneticchangesthat
occurredamongorganismsandhowsuch
modifications were affected by ecological factors.

33. Basically,italsoconsiderstheeffectofforceslike
competition,predation,parasitism,andmutualismin
theevolutionofindividualspecies,inapopulation,or
in the entire community.

34. •Population Ecology
•Asitsnamesuggests,populationecology
dealswiththestudyofpopulationstructures
anddynamics,ratherthanlookingatthe
individualbehavioralpatternsofliving
organisms.

35. –Populationecologystudiesthe various
factors thataffectpopulationsize,density,
dispersionmodes,andgrowthrateandmortality
rate.
 

36. •Behavioral Ecology
•Itintegratesthestudyoftheinteraction
betweensurvivalvaluetothebehaviorof
organismsandtheiroffspring.Interestingly,it
somehowrelatedtoevolutionaryasit
examineshowanorganismchangesits
behavior to ensure survival and perpetuation.

37. •Atpresent,thisbranchofecologyattemptstofind
thelinkbetweenananimal’sbehaviortoits
environmental adaptation and reproductive success.
•                                                        OR
•Itexaminestherolesofbehavioranenablingin
animal to adapt to its environment.

38. •Conservation Ecology
•Theapplicationsofdiversefieldsand
disciplinestotheconservationofbiological
diversity.
•Itstudiesthemanagementofbiodiversity
throughconservationandrestoration
methods.

39. •Thisbranchisinterdisciplinaryandutilizesprinciples
from genetics,biogeography,populationbiology,
environmentalethics,andlawtohelpinensuring
the conservation of species and their habitats.

40. •Applied Ecology
•Bringingtogetheralltheconceptsand
principlesofecology,appliedecologyaimsto
applythesesignificantknowledge,findings,
andtechnologicaladvancestounderstand
realworldsituationsandtoaddresspractical
human problems.

41. –Appliedecologyincludesapplicationslike
managementofwildlifeandnaturalresources,
epidemiology,andevennaturaldisasterrisk
reduction and management.
–Thescopeofappliedecologyishugeand
encompassesthefieldsof biotechnology,ecology,to
studyhowanthropogenicactivitiesaffectnotonly
micro‐systems but the biosphere as well.

42. •Habitat:
•The place where an organism lives is called
habitat.
•Habitat explains the place of residence of an
organism and the environmental factors
which are present there.

43. •Niche:
•Niche explains the role of organism in the
area where it lives.
•Niche describes the functional role of the
organism in the community.

44. Maintain a healthier and more productive biosphere

45. Importance of Ecology:
→Maintainahealthierandamoreproductivebiospherefor
the life of humans and other living organisms.
→Provideprinciplesforrationaluseofnaturalresourcesoften
referred to as conservation.
→Provideabasisfortheformulationofgoodconservation
policyespeciallyifthoseinterestedwithnaturalresourceshave
ecologicalknowledgeinsuchfields:agriculture,forestry,
wildlife, fisheries etc.

59. MATERIALS AND METHODS

62. DISCUSSION