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ECOLOGYIntroduction to Environmental Engineering
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Derived from the Greek word oikos,meaning "household," and logos, meaning"study.
The term was invented in 1866 by ErnstHaeckel, a German pro-darwinist biologist.
Study of the Interactions betweenOrganisms and the Nonliving Componentsof their Environment
DEFINITION OF ECOLOGY
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Physiological ecology has to do with theresponse and effect of environmentalconditions on a specific species.
Population ecology studies the amount anddistribution of species and the environmentalfactors affecting this distribution.
Community ecology is concerned with
particular number of species found in an areaand their interactions.
Ecosystems ecology studies the structureand function of entire population of living
(biotic components) things, abiotic
CATEGORIES OF ECOLOGY
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LEVELS OF BIOLOGICALORGANIZATION
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The surface of the Earth as a whole is anECOSYSTEM. We call the surface of theEarth the BIOSPHERE.
The BIOSPHERE is the surface of theEarth (AIR, WATER, and LAND) whereliving things exist.
LEVELS OF BIOLOGICALORGANIZATION(contd)
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ECOSYSTEM
An ecosystem is a system whose membersbenefit from each other's participation via symbiotic
relationships (positive sum relationships). It is aterm that originated from biology, and refers to self-
sustaining systems
LEVELS OF BIOLOGICALORGANIZATION(contd)
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Simplest level of organization in ecology isthe ORGANISM
LEVELS OF BIOLOGICALORGANIZATION(contd)
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Populations are individual species, all theinteracting organisms that live in aparticular area make up a COMMUNITY
LEVELS OF BIOLOGICALORGANIZATION(contd)
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The physical location of a community iscalled the HABITAT.
LEVELS OF BIOLOGICALORGANIZATION(contd)
Jurong Bird Park, Singapore
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An ecosystem possesses both livingcomponents orBIOTIC FACTORS andnon-living components orABIOTIC
FACTORS
BIOTIC AND ABIOTICFACTORS
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The nonliving factors are physicaland chemical characteristics of theenvironment. They include solar
energy (amount of sunlight), oxygen,CO2, water, temperature, humidity,pH, and availability of nitrogen
ABIOTIC FACTORS
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The living components of the environmentare called BIOTIC FACTORSThey include all the living things that affect
an organism.Biotic Components are often categorizedas Producers, Consumers, andDecomposers
BIOTIC FACTORS
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The most important factor determiningHOW MANY and WHAT KIND oforganisms that can live in an Ecosystem is
the amount ofENERGY Available.
FLOW OF ENERGY INECOSYSTEMS
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The primary source of energy for anecosystem is the SUN.
FLOW OF ENERGY INECOSYSTEMS(contd)
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Energy in an ecosystem flows from thesun to autotrophs (producers) then toorganisms that eat the autotrophs, then to
organisms that feed on other organisms(consumers)
FLOW OF ENERGY INECOSYSTEMS(contd)
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Decomposers consumerswho feed on remains of deadplants and animals
Herbivores eat producersor plant eaters
Carnivores eat otherconsumers; meat eaters
Omnivores eat bothproducers and consumers;plant and meat eaters
Detritivores feed on thegarbage of an ecosystem
HETEROTROPHS ORCONSUMERS
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A Trophic Level is a group of organismswhose feeding source is the same numberof steps from the Sun.
Producers (Autotrophs) are the FirstTrophic Level.
Herbivores are the Second Trophic Level.
Carnivores are the Third, Forth and FifthTrophic Levels
TROPHIC LEVELS ORFEEDING LEVELS
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TROPHIC LEVELS ORFEEDING LEVELS(contd)
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Energy is lost or used as it flows through the
trophic levels of an ecosystem
Producers (plants) absorb energy from the
sun, but only about of the energy capture
from the sun becomes part of the plantsbody. The other is used for living and
growing or lost as HEAT.
TROPHIC LEVELS ORFEEDING LEVELS(contd)
TROPHIC LEVELS OR
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At each Trophic Level, the energy stored
in an organism is about 1/10 that of the
level below it. (10%)
Because Energy diminishes at each
successive Trophic Level, few Ecosystems
can contain more than 4 or 5 Trophic
Levels.
TROPHIC LEVELS ORFEEDING LEVELS(contd)
TROPHIC LEVELS OR
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TROPHIC LEVELS ORFEEDING LEVELS(contd)
TROPHIC LEVELS OR
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TROPHIC LEVELS ORFEEDING LEVELS(contd)
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FOOD CHAIN
Is an idealized pattern of flow ofenergy in a natural ecosystem.
In the classical food chain, plants areeaten only by primary consumers,primary consumers are eaten by
secondary consumers, and so on.
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FOOD CHAIN
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FOOD CHAIN
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FOOD WEB
Is the actual pattern of foodconsumption in a natural ecosystem.
A given organism may obtain
nourishment from many differenttrophic levels, thus giving rise tocomplex, interwoven series of energytransfers
Productivity (is the rate of fixation ofenergy into tissue. Primaryproductivity is energy fixation by
plants; secondary productivity is at
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FOOD WEB
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FOOD WEB
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FOOD WEB
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FOOD WEB
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FOOD WEB
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FOOD WEB
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Substances that are nonbiodegradable by nature, that entersa food chain that led to many
environmental problemsThe best well known example is DDT-
organic pesticide (chlorinatedhydrocarbons)
The concentration of DDT can beincreased many thousand fold in thefatty tissues of carnivores
DDT can enter bodies of water by
BIOMAGNIFICATION
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Drastic declines in the no. of manybirds of prey that survive on aquaticlife have resulted from this
bioaccumulation, since one effect ofDDT is interference with calciummetabolism, this leads to the
production of thin walled eggshells,which easily broken
EFFECTS OF DDT
OTHER ADVERSE EFFECTS
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Mercury-as a fungal seedingdressing, which is then picked up bygrain feeding birds, such as
pheasants and grouse, and in anumber of instances hasaccumulated to lethal levels.
Being at the end of food chains onwhich they depend, humans can alsobe recipients of accumulations oftoxic chemicals in the food they eat.
F d i d lit t l
OTHER ADVERSE EFFECTSOF BIOMAGNIFICATION
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