BEC 2502 PRINCIPLES

OF ECOLOGY
LECTURE 1: INTRODUCTION:
WHAT IS ECOLOGY?

By: Miss Kasthuri

Jewarethnam

Origin of the
wordecology
Greek origin
OIKOS = household
LOGOS = study of

Study of the house/environment in

which we live.

Ecology is study of interactions

between

non-living components in the

environment

light
water
wind
nutrients in soil
heat
solar radiation
atmosphere, etc.

AND

Living organisms

Plants
Animals
microorganisms in soil, etc.

To study Ecology
involves
For
For living
non-living
(abiotic)

Climatology
Hydrology
Oceanography
Physics
Chemistry
Geology
soil analysis, etc.

(biotic)

animal
behavior
Taxonomy
Physiology
mathematics
(population
studies)
etc.

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

ECOLOGY:
Levels of
Organization
- a hierarchy of organization
in the environment

Organisms
Organism

simplest level of organization

Organismal

ecology -studies how an organisms structure, physiology,

and (for animals) behavior meet environmental challenges

Species
A group of organisms that can breed to
produce fully fertile offspring

2008 Paul Billiet ODWS

Great White Pelican Pelecanus onocrotalus

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

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

Ecosystem
Community + Abiotic environment,
interacting

2008 Paul Billiet ODWS

Biosphere

a.
b.

The biosphere is the global ecosystem, the sum of

all the planets ecosystems
The biosphere is composed of numerous complex
ecosystems.
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

http://people.hofstra.edu/geotrans/eng/ch8en/conc8en/img/biosphere.gif

Important terms in Ecology

Biodiversity
Habitat
Energy and organisms autotrophs,
heterotrophs, detrivores, saprotrophs
Feeding relationship

Biodiversity
The total number of
different species in an
ecosystem and their
relative abundance

2008 Paul Billiet ODWS

Worcester City Museums

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 that must obtain complex,
energy rich, organic compounds from the
bodies of other organisms (dead or alive)

2008 Paul Billiet ODWS

Types of
Heterotrophs:

Saprophytes: include those heterotrophic

plants, fungi, and bacteria which live on
dead matter - AKA decomposers
Herbivores: plant-eating animals
Carnivores: meat-eating animals
Omnivores: consume both plants and meat

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

Detritivores
Heterotrophic organisms who ingest dead
organic matter. (e.g. earthworms,
woodlice, millipedes)

Earth worm
(Lumbricus terrestris)

2008 Paul Billiet ODWS

Feeding relationships

Predators & prey

Herbivory
Parasite & host
Symbiosis
Mutualism
Competition
Large blue
butterfly
(Maculinea arion)

2008 Paul Billiet ODWS

Symbiotic Relationships:
Symbiosis: living together with another
organism in close association
Types of (symbiosis):

MUTUALISM

PARASITISM

COMMENSALISM

1. Commensalism:
one organism is benefited and the other is unharmed
ex. barnacles on whales, orchids on
tropical trees

2. Mutualism:

both organisms benefit from the association

ex. nitrogen-fixing bacteria on legume
nodules, certain protozoa within termites
(also ruminants)

Parasitism:
the parasite benefits at the expense of the
host
ex. athlete's foot fungus on humans,
tapeworm and heartworm in dogs
3.

The place of an organism in

its environment
Niche
An organisms habitat + role + tolerance limits to all limiting factors
Niche (Job): the organism's role in the community, particularly its role
in relation to food with other species.

2008 Paul Billiet ODWS

Example of Niche
Woodpeckers make holes in this cactus to
live.
When the woodpeckers are finished with
this housing, the elf owl and the screech
owl move in.
The elf owl eats insects and the screech
owl occupies the same habitat, but have
different niches.

2008 Paul Billiet ODWS

Ecology and Environmental

Issues
Ecology provides the scientific understanding that

underlies environmental issues

Rachel Carson is credited with starting the modern
environmental movement with the publication of
Silent Spring in 1962

Interactions between organisms

and the environment limit the
distribution
of species

Ecologists recognize
two kinds of factors
biotic
abiotic

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.

Biotic factors:
all the living things that directly or indirectly
affect the environment
Thus, the organisms, their presence, parts,
interaction, and wastes are all biotic factors.

END OF LECTURE 1