Ecology

• Organism

  • lowest level of organization, which includes both unicellular (single-celled) and multicellular organisms.
• Examples:

  • Unicellular - prokaryotes (bacteria), archaea, and eukaryotes (protists and certain fungi)
  • Multicellular organisms - plants and animals
• Characteristics of Organism

  • Need food
  • Growth and development
  • Respire
  • Respond to stimuli
  • Reproduction
  • Movement
  • Living organisms and excretion
• Organism Example:

  • Protists
  • Fungi
  • Plants
  • Animals
• Population

  • is a group of individuals of a single species living together within a particular geographic area. They interbreed and compete with each other for resources
• Metapopulation - is when individuals in local populations scatter between other local populations
• Population Examples:

  • Dogs
  • Deer
  • Cats
  • Fish
  • Birds
  • Humans
• Community

  • assemblages of interacting populations of the species living within a particular area or habitat
• Biodiversity - The number of interacting species in these communities and the complexity of their relationships exemplify
• Characteristics of Community

  • Diversity of Species
  • Growth form and structure
  • Dominance
  • Self-reliance
  • Relative Abundance
  • Trophic Structure
  • Periodicity
  • Edge-effect and eco-tone
• The trophic pyramid is made up of trophic levels, and food energy is passed from one level to the next along the food chain
• Autotrophs (producers)

  Heterotrophs (consumers)
• Types of Ecological Succession

  • Primary succession is the succession that starts in lifeless areas such as the regions devoid of soil or the areas where the soil is unable to sustain life
• • Secondary succession occurs in areas where a community that previously existed has been removed; it is typified by smaller-scale disturbances that do not eliminate all life and nutrients from the environment.
• Ecotones

  • area that acts as a boundary or a transition between two ecosystems
• Ecological Niches

  • refers to the way a species relates to, or fits in with, its environment
• Types of Ecological Niches

  • Habitat or Spatial Niche - This pertains to the physical space inhabited by an organism
• MUTUALISM

  • Defined as a relationship in which both species are mutually benefited. This relationship can either be within the species or between the two different species. The species with this relationship are termed as symbionts.
• Examples of Mutualism: Humans and Plants
• Antagonism - an association between organisms in which one benefits at the expense of the other
• Commensalism

  • a relationship between individuals of two species in which one species obtains food or other benefits from the other without either harming or benefiting the latter
• Ecosystem

  • first coined by A.G. Tansley in 1935
  • is a community of organisms and their physical environment interacting together
  • a chain of interactions
• Food Chain

  • network of links in a food web
  • Predators - primary and secondary - detritivores - decomposers
• Food Web

  • are unique interactions and relationships which are involved in the transportation of energy
• Ecosystem- Abiotic Factors - Biotic Factors

  • Biotic factors - producers, consumers, decomposers
  • Consumers - Primary (herbivores) Secondary (Primary Carnivores), Tertiary (Secondary Carnivores)
• Biotic Components

  • refer to all living components in an ecosystem.
• ABIOTIC COMPONENTS

  • the non-living component of an ecosystem
• PRODUCERS

  • They are called autotrophs as they can produce food through the process of photosynthesis.
• Consumers

  • or heterotrophs are organisms that depend on other organisms for food.
• DECOMPOSERS

  • include saprophytes such as fungi and bacteria. They directly thrive on the dead and decaying organic matter
• PRIMARY CONSUMERS

  • are always herbivores as they rely on producers for food.
• SECONDARY CONSUMERS

  • depend on primary consumers for energy
• TERTIARY CONSUMERS

  • are organisms that depend on secondary consumers for food
• QUATERNARY CONSUMERS

  • These organisms prey on tertiary consumers for energy
• Functions of Ecosystem

  • Productivity
  • Energy Flow
  • Decomposition
  • Nutrient cycling
• Types of Ecosystem:

  • Terrestrial Ecosystem
  • Aquatic Ecosystem
• Types of Terrestrial Ecosystem

  1. Forest Ecosystem
  2. Grassland Ecosystem
  3. Tundra Ecosystem
  4. Desert Ecosystem
• Types of Aquatic Ecosystem

  1. Freshwater Ecosystem
  2. Marine Ecosystem
• Biosphere

  • highest level of organization. It is the global ecological system that consists of all the living organisms and other factors that support life.
• Examples of Biosphere

  • Moss Beach Marine Reserve
  • Diatom
  • Biosphere 2