Ecology 2

• Ecology - is the branch of biology that tries to understand how these kinds of interactions between organisms and their environment happen.
• Ecology is the study of the relationships and interactions of living things with one another and with their external environment.
• Ecology is derived from the Greek word "oikos" which means house and "logos" which means study.
• Ecologists - are scientists who study these interactions of organisms.
• Ecologists study both nonliving; physical environment and living; biological environment.
• Biosphere - is the part of Earth that supports life, which includes the top portion of Earth's crust; Lithosphere, all the bodies of water on Earth's surface; Hydrosphere, and the surrounding atmosphere.
• Biome - refers to a set of ecosystem occupying large ecological areas, sharing distinct abiotic characteristics among its unique flora and fuana.
• Biomes are usually defined by abiotics factors such as climate patterns, soil type and vegetation.
• Ecosystem - an area where living things interact with one another and with their environment.
• Community - where different species of organisms interact with one another in a given area.
• Species -are group of organisms that share the same general physical characteristics and are able to interbreed and produce fertile offspring.
• The organisms may share or depend on one another for food, shelter, and other needs.
• Population - a form that consists of group of organisms of the same species that live in a community.
• Habitat - the actual place or type of environment where an organism or a population lives.
• Niche - is the role of an organism in its habitat.
• Biotic Factors - Living parts of an ecosystem.
• Abiotic Factors - Nonliving parts of an ecosystem.
• Biotic Factors include:

  • Animals

  • Plants

  • Organisms
• Abiotic Factor includes:

  • Light

  • Temperature

  • Water

  • Oxygen

  • pH ( acidity and alkalinity )

  • Salinity ( salt concentration )
• Ecological Niche - a precise description of the exact way in which an organism fits into its environment.
• Classifications of Organisms in a food chain:

  • Producers

  • Consumers

  • Decomposers
• Producers are also known as autotrophs or self feeders, which are mainly green plants on land that manufacture their own food.
• Producers are the beginning of the food chain.
• Consumers - are organisms that cannot make their own food and depend on producers for food and energy.
• Consumers are also known as Heterotrophs.
• Herbivores - are animals that consume plants for food.
• Herbivore is derived from the Latin word "Herba" which means herb and "Vorare" which means eat.
• Carnivores - are animals that eat flesh of another animals.
• Omnivores - are organisms that eat both plants and animals, known as humans.
• Carnivore comes from the word "Carnis" which means flesh.
• Omnivore comes from the word "Omnis" which means all.
• Scavengers - are consumers that feed in decaying bodies of dead animals.
• Detritivores or Detritus Feeders - are organisms that eat fragments of dead organic matter and return them as nutrients to enrich the soil.
• Decomposers - are microorganisms such as fungi and bacteria.
• Food Chain- is a way of describing the flow of energy in food through a community.
• Trophic Level - each stage in a food chain.
• Predator- an animal that feeds on another or animal called prey.
• Food Web - a network of food chains that connect and overlap.
• Energy Pyramid - the flow of energy through an ecosystem illustrated in a block diagram.
• Pyramid of Numbers - shows the number of organisms interacting Ina food chain in a certain community.