Ecology nov.17
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Transcript of Ecology nov.17
ECOLOGY
The study of living organisms in the natural environment
How they interact with one another
How the interact with their nonliving environment
© 2008 Paul Billiet ODWS
Evolution of Definitions of Ecology Ecology = from the Greek root OIKOS, “at home”, and
LOGY, “the study of”
Haeckle (1870): “By ecology we mean the body of
knowledge concerning the economy of Nature -
theinvestigation of the total relations of the animal to its
inorganic and organic environment.”
Burdon-Sanderson (1890s): Elevated Ecology to one
of the three natural divisions of Biology: Physiology
Morphology -Ecology
Elton (1927): “Scientific natural history”
Andrewartha (1961): “The scientific study of the
distribution and abundance of organisms”
Odum (1963): “The structure and function of Nature”
• Ecology (from the Greek oikos
meaning "house" or "dwelling", and
logos meaning "discourse")
• It is the study of the interactions of
organisms with each other and their
environment.
• Applied Ecology: Using ecological
principles to maintain conditions necessary
for the continuation of present day life on
earth.
• Industrial Ecology: The design of the
industrial infrastructure such that it consists of
a series of interlocking "technological
ecosystems" interfacing with global natural
ecosystems. Industrial ecology takes the
pattern and processes of natural ecosystems
as a design for sustainability. It represents a
shift in paradigm from conquering nature to
becoming nature.
• Ecological Engineering: the focus of
Ecological Engineering is on the
manipulation of natural ecosystems by
humans for our purposes, using small
amounts of supplemental energy to
control systems in which the main energy
drives are still coming from non-human
sources.
• It is the design of new ecosystems for
human purposes, using the self-
organizing principles of natural
ecosystems.
• "the design of human society with its
natural environment for the benefit of
• Ecological Economics: Integrating ecology
and economics in such a way that economic
and environmental policies are reinforcing
rather than mutually destructive.
• Urban ecology: For ecologists, urban
ecology is the study of ecology in urban
areas, specifically the relationships,
interactions, types and numbers of species
found in urban habitats. Also, the design of
sustainable cities, urban design programs
that incorporate political, infrastructure and
economic considerations.
Conservation Biology: The application of
diverse fields and disciplines to the
conservation of biological diversity.
Restoration Biology: Application of
ecosystem ecology to the restoration of
deteriorated landscapes in an attempt to
bring it back to its original state as much as
possible. Example, prarie grass.
Landscape Ecology: is concerned with
spatial patterns in the landscape and how
they develop, with an emphasis on the role
of disturbance, including human impacts”
(Smith and Smith). It is a relatively new
branch of ecology, that employs Global
Information Systems. The goal is to predict
the responses of different organisms to
changes in landscape, to ultimately facilitate
ecosystem management.
Ecological Organization:
1. Population: all the members of a speciesinhabiting a given location
2. Community: all the interacting populations in a given area
3. Ecosystem: the living community and the physical environment functioning together as an independent and relatively stable system
4. Biosphere: that portion of the earth where life exists
a. The biosphere is composed of numerous complex ecosystems.
b. An ecosystem involves interactions between abiotic (physical) and biotic (living) factors. The members of the community in the ecosystem and environment must interact to maintain a balance.
An ecosystem is self-sustaining if the following requirements are met:
1. A constant source of energy and a living system capable of incorporating this energy into organic molecules.
2. A cycling of materials between organisms and their environment.
In all environments, organisms with similar needs may compete with each other for resources, including food, space, water, air, and shelter.
Abiotic factors:
those physical and chemical factors which affect the ability of organisms to survive and reproduce
Some Abiotic Factors:
1. intensity of light
2. range of temperatures
3. amount of moisture
4. type of substratum (soil or rock type)
5. availability of inorganic substances such as minerals
6. supply of gases such as oxygen, carbon dioxide, and nitrogen
7. pH
** Each of the prior listed abiotic factors varies in the environment and, as such, may act as a limiting factor, determining the types of organisms that exist in that environment.
Some examples:
1. A low annual temperature common to the northern latitudes determines in part the species of plants which can exist in that area.
2. The amount of oxygen dissolved in a body of water will help determine what species of fish live there.
3. The dry environment of desert regions limits the organisms that can live there.
Ecosystem
Community + Abiotic environment, interacting
© 2008 Paul Billiet ODWS
Community
All the populations of the different species living and inter-acting in the same ecosystem
7-spotted lady bird
(Adephagia septempunctata)
Bean aphids
(Aphis fabae)
Red ant (Myrmica rubra)
and
Broom plant
(Cytisus
scoparius)
© 2008 Paul Billiet ODWS
Species
A group of organisms that can breed to produce fully fertile offspring
Great White Pelican Pelecanus onocrotalus© 2008 Paul Billiet ODWS
Species
a group of living organisms consisting of similar individuals capable of exchanging genes or interbreeding. The species is the principal natural taxonomic unit, ranking below a genus and denoted by a Latin binomial, e.g., Homo sapiens.
Ecotype
sometimes called ecospecies
describes a genetically distinct geographic variety, population or race within a species, which is adapted to specific environmental conditions.
Typically, ecotypes exhibit phenotypic stemming from environmental heterogeneity
capable of interbreeding with other geographically adjacent ecotypes without loss of fertility or vigor
Ecotype: earthworms
Earthworms fall into four different ecotypes.
Compost earthworm prefer warm and moist environments with a ready supply of fresh compost material.
Ecotype: earthworms
Earthworms fall into four different ecotypes.
Epigeic earthworms live on the surface of the soil in leaf litter and tend not to make burrows but live in and feed on the leaf litter.
Ecotype: earthworms
Earthworms fall into four different ecotypes.
Endogeic earthworms live in and feed on the soil, making horizontal burrows through the soil to move around and to feed and they will reuse these burrows to a certain extent.
Ecotype: earthworms
Earthworms fall into four different ecotypes.
Anecic earthworms make permanent vertical burrows in soil, feeding on leaves on the soil surface that they drag into their burrows
Population
A group of organism of the same species which live in the same habitat at the same time where they can freely interbreed
The black-veined white butterfly(Aporia crataegi) mating
© 2008 Paul Billiet ODWS
Biodiversity
The total number of different species in an ecosystem and their relative abundance
Worcester City Museums© 2008 Paul Billiet ODWS
Habitat
The characteristics of the type of environment where an organism normally lives. (e.g. a stoney stream, a deciduous temperate woodland, Bavarian beer mats)
© 2008 Paul Billiet ODWS
Energy and organisms
Autotrophs
Organisms which can synthesise their own complex, energy rich, organic molecules from simple inorganic molecules (e.g. green plants synthesis sugars from CO2 and H2O)
© 2008 Paul Billiet ODWS
Heterotrophs
Organisms who must obtain complex, energy rich, organic compounds form the bodies of other organisms (dead or alive)
© 2008 Paul Billiet ODWS
Detritivores
Heterotrophic organisms who ingest dead organic matter. (e.g. earthworms, woodlice, millipedes)
© 2008 Paul Billiet ODWS
Earth worm(Lumbricus terrestris)
Saprotrophs
Heterotrophic organisms who secrete digestive enzymes onto dead organism matter and absorb the digested material. (e.g. fungi, bacteria)
Chanterelle
(Cantherellus cibarius)
© 2008 Paul Billiet ODWS
Feeding relationships
Predators & prey
Herbivory
Parasite & host
Mutualism
Competition
Large blue butterfly
(Maculinea arion)
© 2008 Paul Billiet ODWS
The place of an organism in its
environment
NicheAn organism’s habitat + role + tolerance limits to all limiting factors
© 2008 Paul Billiet ODWS
THE COMPETITIVE
EXCLUSION PRINCIPLE
G.F. Gause (1934) If two species, with the same niche, coexist in the same ecosystem, then one will be excluded from the community due to intense competition
© 2008 Paul Billiet ODWS
LEVELS OF ECOLOGICAL STUDY
ORGANISMAL ECOLOGY - the study of individual organisms' behavior, physiology, morphology, etc. in response to environmental challenges.POPULATION ECOLOGY - the study of factors that affect and change the size and genetic composition of populations of organisms.COMMUNITY ECOLOGY - the study of how community structure and organization are changed by interactions among living organismsECOSYSTEM ECOLOGY - the study of entire ecosystems, including the responses and changes in the community in response to the abiotic components of the ecosystem. This field isconcerned with such large-scale topics as energy and nutrient cycling.
LANDSCAPE ECOLOGY – study of the exchanges of energy, materials, organisms and other products of between ecosystems.
GLOBAL ECOLOGY - the study of the effects of regional change in energy and matter exchange on the function and distribution of organisms across the biosphere.