consists of all factors and phenomena outside of the organism that influences its survival and reproduction
Physico-chemical environment
include temperature, moisture, soil, water, chemical elements
factors interact which influence life of organisms (e.g. water flow in a stream)
Biotic environment
refers to the influence of one organism on another
Relationships
include all interactions, positive & negative with the physical environment and the members of other species and individuals of the same species
“organisms and their environment are strongly coupled” – operate as a SYSTEM
SYSTEM - consists of interdependent parts that make up a whole.
The components plus their interactions and with the necessary input deliver the specific output which each part cannot do on its own.
The Earth is both a closed and open system.
Rachel Carson
American nature writer whose books played a major role in shaping and popularizing the modern environmental movement.
Silent Sring
Charles Darwin
theory of organic evolution by means of natural selection
Preservation of favoured Races in the Struggle for Life
Charles Elton
concept of the pyramid of numbers and one of the inventors of the concepts of food chain, food we, and ecological niche.
John Harper
revolutionized plant ecology
impact on its development as a modern science than any other ecologist in the 20th century
G. Evelyn Hutchinson
advocated quantitative approaches
revamping an existing concept, the ecological niche, into a more robust and explicit idea in which species distribution is mapped into axes of environmental variation
Aldo Leopold
A Sand Country Almanac
Sketches Here and There
E. Lucy Braun
deciduous Forests of Eastern North America
Eugene & Howard Odum
leading the figures in the developmental of ecosystem ecology after the second world war
Arthur Tansley
key to the discipline's professionalization
introduced what would become one of his science's most fundamental and influential terms, the ecosystem
Angel C. Alcala
first working no-take marine reserve in the country
national scientist champions coastal resource management
Jurgenne Primavera
chief mangrove scientific advisor o the zoological society
Scope of Ecology
An ecologist’s laboratory is the organism’s natural habitat
Focused on the increasing hierarchical levels of organization
Concept of a system - Interdependent parts functioning as a whole
Hierarchical Levels of Organization
individual > population > community > ecosystem > biome > biosphere
Ecology is an interdisciplinary science.
Autecology - the study of individuals or populations of a single species and their relationship to their environment
Synecology - deals with the structure and development of entire ecological communities and the interrelationships of the plants and animals within them
Behavioral Ecology - deals with how behavior contributes to the survivorship, reproduction and population growth of species
Population Ecology – emphasis on factors that affect population growth and determine population size
Community Ecology - focus on diversity and what influences the number of species in an area
Ecosystem Ecology – examines nutrient availability and energy flow
CarolusLinnaeus:
Development of the binomial nomenclature system for naming species.
Classification of organisms into a hierarchical structure, laying the foundation for modern taxonomy.
Anton van Leeuwenhoek:
Invention of the microscope, enabling the discovery and observation of microorganisms.
Pioneering studies on microscopic life, advancing the understanding of the microbial world.
VictorHensen:
Introduction of the term "plankton" and foundational work on marine biology.
Investigations into the role of plankton in marine ecosystems, contributing to oceanography.
Robert H. Whittaker:
Development of the Five Kingdoms classification system.
Contribution to the understanding of plant community ecology through the concept of biome classification.
Eugenius Warming:
Formulation of the concept of plant ecology.
Pioneer in the study of plant communities and their interactions, influencing ecological research.
VictorShelford:
Formulation of the concept of ecological succession.
Introduction of the idea of the "biome" and pioneering research on animal ecology.
Alexander von Humboldt:
Groundbreaking work in biogeography and ecosystem interactions.
Pioneer in the study of climate and vegetation zones, emphasizing the interconnectedness of nature.
Henry Chandler Cowles:
Development of the concept of ecological succession in plant communities.
Studies on sand dune ecology, providing insights into primary ecological succession.
Karl August Möbius:
Contributions to marine ecology and the study of marine communities.
Research on the ecological relationships between different species in marine ecosystems.
VladimirVernadsky:
Formulation of the biosphere concept.
Contributions to the understanding of the Earth as a living system, bridging geology and biology.