Ecology Flashcards
interaction between organisms and the enivornment
Ecology
- surrounding/condition influencing development or growth
- anything immediately surrounds an object and exerts a direct influence on it
Environment
Environment is a field of __ __ and __ for any unit of living matter
- effective stimulation
- interaction
- place where an organism lives
- provides organisms everything it needs to survive
habitat
- role or function of an organisms within an ecosystem/habitat
- range of physical and biological conditions that permit the existence of a species
- optimum condition where you can really thrive
niche
Three (3) Types of Environment
- Natural Environment
- Social Environment
- Cultural Environment
natural things that are never influenced by man’s intelligence and powers
Natural Environment
social being that surrounds man
Social Environment
social rules and regulations, traditions, and customs
Cultural Environment
study of total relations of the organism both to its organic/biotic and inorganic/abiotic environment
Ecology
Different studies of ecology
- Organismal Ecology
- Population Ecology
- Community Ecology
- Ecosystem Ecology
- Landscape Ecology
- Global Ecology
focuses on the morphological, physiological, and behavioral adaptations that let an organism survive in a specific habitat
Organismal Ecology
Organismal Ecology
coping
study of how various factors impact population growth, rates of survival and reproduction, and risk of extinction
Population Ecology
Population Ecology
limiting factors
focused on interactions (mainly competition and predation) between pairs of species that are fundamentally important in food webs
Community Ecology
Community Ecology
interspecific interactions and diversity
interactions between two or more species
interspecific interactions
interactions of the same species
intraspecific interactions
study of the interactions between biotic (living) and abiotic (non-living) components within an ecosystem framework
Ecosystem Ecology
Ecosystem Ecology
energy flow and chemical cycling
study of the pattern and interaction between ecosystems within a region of interest
Landscape Ecology
Landscape Ecology
interactions of lower ecological levels in a region observed
study of the interactions among the Earth’s ecosystems, land, atmosphere and oceans
Global Ecology
Global Ecology
global effects
Importance of Studying Ecology
- Agroecosystems
- Habitat creation
- Species breeding programs
- Wetland engineering
- Conservation management
- Disease transmission
- Environmental valuation
- Case studies
- Endangered resources
- New cultures and societies
- Nature tourism
Reservoir
- fossil fuels
- mineral in rocks sediment in oceans
Exchange pool
- atmosphere
- soil
- water
Biotic community
- producers
- consumers
- decomposers
- any area in the environment where materials are readily available
- part of a cycle that holds an element or water for a short period of time
exchange pool
place where something is kept in store
reservoir
group of organisms that live together and interact with each other within an environment or habitat
biotic community
biotic community is also known as a
biota or ‘biocoenosis’
__ (reservoir and exchange pool) + __ (organisms) = ___
physical and chemical elements + biotic = dynamic system (ecosystem)
self-regulating, dynamic unit composed of interacting biotic and abiotic components
ecosystem
Ecosystem is a ___, __ __ composed of interacting __ and __ __
- self-regulating
- dynamic unit
- biotic and abiotic components
Two characteristics of an ecosystem
- Self-regulating
- Self-perpetuating
Components of the self-regulating characteristic of an ecosystem
- Carrying capacity
- Maximum sustainable yield
- Waste assimilative capacity
- Presence of natural enemies
maintaining ecological balance by harmonizing the “input-output” processes that occur within it
Self-regulating
maximum number of individuals of a given species that a habitat can support without depleting its resources
carrying capacity
maximum limit of production of an ecosystem that would still allow the physical environment to recycle nutrients to support succeeding production cycles and sustain itself
maximum sustainable yield
ability of ecosystems to take in and recycle waste products
waste assimilative capacity
maintaining balance in the population of predator and preys
presence of natural enemies
- living components have reproductive capabilities that allow species to continue their existence
- ability of the population to reproduce
Self-perpetuating
If not observed:
carrying capacity
death of organism
If not observed:
maximum sustainable yield
exhaustion of nutrients leading to the decline in production
If not observed:
waste assimilation capacity
pollution
If not observed:
natural enemies
pests
If not observed:
self-perpetuating
extinction
Principles of Ecology
- Nature knows best
- All life forms are important
- Everything is connected to everything else
- Everything must go somewhere
- Ours is a finite earth
- Humans are stewards of nature
