Lecture 1: Introduction Flashcards
Why does ecology complete the Biology curriculum?
➢Deals with the higher levels of biological organization.
➢Investigates how organisms interact with each other and with the abiotic factors in the environment.
➢Describes the habitat (address) as well as the niche (profession) of organisms.
➢Investigations mostly conducted on-field situations.
What is ecology?
Studies the relationship between a living organism and its environment
Examples of abiotic factors
- wind
- sunlight
- soil
- atmosphere
- temperature
- water
Biological organization
cell > tissues > organ > organ system > organism
Biological organization (from subatomic particles)
subatomic particle > atom > compound > organelle > cell > tissue > organ > organ system > organism
the ecological study of an individual organism, or sometimes a particular species.
autecology (organism & population)
Ecological organization
organism > population > community > ecosystem > biosphere
the ecological study of whole plant or animal communities.
synecology (community & ecosystem)
- a group of organisms that are genetically related and can breed to produce fertile young
species
a group of organisms belonging to the same species that live in the same area and interact with one another.
population
- all of the populations of different species that live in the same area and interact with one another.
- composed of all of the biotic factors of an area.
community
includes the living organisms (all the populations) in an area and the non-living aspects of the environment
ecosystem
the part of the planet with living organisms
Biosphere
importance of decomposers
- feed on dead organic matter
- release nutrients to the soil that
provide for the growth of plants.
Who coined the word “Oekologie”? and when?
Ernst Haeckel (1869)
Etymology of ecology
“Oekologie”
Greek word:
“oikos” – house
“logos” – study of
Ecology definition according to Haeckel, 1869
The relationship of the animal to its organic as well as its inorganic environment
Ecology definition according to Nature Study
The study of the structure and function of nature
Ecology definition according to MacFacyden, 1963
A multidisciplinary Science
Ecology definition according to Andrewatha, 1961
Scientific study of the distribution and abundance of organisms
the best definition of ecology
ECOLOGY is the scientific study of the interactions that determine the distribution and abundance of organisms.
Questions in ecology
- What organisms are there?
- Why they occur there?
- What does it feed on?
- How does it minimize damage from wave action?
- Is it absent from other sites due to some factors?
- What are its predators?
- What are its competitors?
- What causes the death of this organism?
Three meanings of Ecology in today’s society
- The professional science and its variants
- The relation of any organism to its environment
- The political or philosophical movement incorporating environmental
concerns – NO!!
Difference of Environmentalism and Ecology
Environmentalism:
- advocacy, political aspects of managing our environment.
- Combines Ecology with other natural
and human science (applied ecology)
Ecology:
- Is a science with the goal of searching for principles governing the interactions between the living and non-living
components on earth (pure ecology)
- Uses the scientific method of posing and testing hypotheses using field, laboratory, and mathematical approaches
displays yearly temperature and precipitation statistics for a particular location.
climate graph/ climograph
- often considered the father of ecology. He was the first to take on the study of the relationship between organisms and their environment.
- also considered the father of *modern geography
Alexander Von Humboldt
- a Danish botanist and ecologist known for his significant contributions to the field of ecology and plant geography
- He is particularly known for his book “Oecological Plant Geography” (1895), which laid the groundwork for understanding how environmental factors influence the distribution of plant species and communities around the world
Johannes Warming
- wrote “Plant Geography of Physiological Basis,” is often credited as one of the earliest comprehensive works that discussed the concept of tropical rainforests and their characteristics.
Andreas Franz Wilhelm Schimper