Ecology

Ecology is the scientific study of the relation of living organisms with each
other and their surroundings. The word "ecology" ("oekologie") was coined in
1866 by the German scientist Ernst Haeckel (1834–1919).

Ecologists make predictions of what should be observed in the

environment.

The environment of any organism includes the following components:

• Abiotic components:
components non-living chemical and physical factors such
as temperature, light, water, and nutrients
• Biotic components:
components the living components

Types of Ecology:

Based on the hierarchial levels, ecology can be classified into 6 major

types, namely:

1. Organismal Ecology
2. Population Ecology
3. Community Ecology
4. Ecosystem Ecology
5. Landscape Ecology and
6. Global Ecology.

The following diagram illustrates the hierarchial levels of ecology.

Hierarchial
Hierarchial Levels of Ecology

* biosphere
* biome
* ecosystem
* community
* population
* species
1. Organismal
Organismal Ecology
Ecology

Organismal ecology is based on the first unit of hierarchy of ecology,

namely, the species.

Species is the basic unit of biological classification of organisms. A

species is defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and
producing fertile offspring.

Organismal ecology is concerned with the morphological,

physiological and behavioural ways by which individuals interact with the
environment.

Accordingly, Organismal ecology is further classified into:

(a) Morphological Ecology

It deals with how the physical structure of the organisms adapt to
their environment.

Examples:
Some animals
• Change their coat
• Change their shape

(b) Physiological Ecology

It deals with how the functions of the organisms adapt to their
environment.

Examples:
• In response to extreme cold temperature, plants can produce
various proteins that protect them from the damaging
effects of ice formation and in case of extreme hot
temperature, they can produce heat shock proteins and can
increase their photoperspiration rate.
• In response to temperature changes, some animals act as
REGULATORS and some act as CONFORMERS.
CONFORMERS

Regulators are organisms which use their metabolic means to

regulate their internal environments in response to
environmental changes.
Example : Healthy mammals and birds are able to control
their internal temperatures at a very constant level.
 Conformers are organisms whose internal conditions are
controlled primarily by environmental conditions.
Example : Most insects cannot control their internal body
temperature to any great degree. Rather, their bodies are
usually the same temperature as the environment.

(c) Behavioural Ecology

It deals with how the organisms adapt to their environment

through their behaviour.

Examples:
Many animals
• Lose heat through the evaporation of water in sweat
• Use panting to cool their bodies
• Bathing moistens the skin which helps to cool an animal down
• Hibernate
• Mate

2. Population Ecology

Population ecology is based on the second hierarchial unit of ecology,

namely, the population.

A population is a group of individuals of the same species living in a

particular geographic area.

Population ecology examines factors that affect population size

and composition.

Populations change according to the following characteristics of

Population and is generally referred to as Population Dynamics.

(a) Population Size

Population's size is the number of individuals living in the defined area.
(b) Population Density
Population density is the number of individual organisms per unit area.
(c) Patterns of Dispersion
Individual members of populations may be distributed over a geographical
area in a number of different ways such as
(i) Clumped distribution (attraction)
(ii) Uniform distribution (repulsion)
(iii) Random distribution (minimal interaction/influence)
(d) Demographics
Demographics refers to the statistical data which can impact the
present and future population size.
(e) Population Growth
Population Growth refers to the change in the number of individuals in
a population per unit time.

3. Community Ecology

Community ecology is based on the third hierarchial unit of ecology,

namely, the community.

A community is a group of interacting organisms sharing a populated

environment.

Community ecology examines the interactions between

populations, and how factors such as predation, competition, mutualism,
parasitism, etc. affect community structure and organization.

4. Ecosystem Ecology

Ecosystem ecology is based on the fourth hierarchial unit of ecology,

namely, the ecosystem.

An ecosystem is a biological environment consisting of all living

communities (biotic) and their associated non-living (abiotic) environmental
components in a defined area.

Ecosystem ecology is the integrated study of biotic and abiotic

components of ecosystems and their interactions within an ecosystem
framework. It examines the energy flow and cycling of chemicals among the
various abiotic and biotic components.

A major focus of ecosystem ecology is on functional processes,

ecological mechanisms that maintain the structure and services produced by
ecosystems. These include primary productivity (production of biomass),
decomposition, and trophic interactions.

(a) Primary Productivity

The primary productivity of a community is the amount of biomass

produced through photosynthesis per unit area and time by plants, the primary
producers.
(b) Decomposition

Decomposers are a special type of consumer that can eat dead, organic
matter and convert it back into its inorganic components.

(c) Trophic Interaction

The food web is made up of organisms at different levels of feeding,

known as Trophic Levels:

• primary (1o) producers - organisms that can perform photosynthesis.

• primary (1o) consumers - organisms that eat primary producers.
• secondary (2o) consumers - organisms that eat primary consumers.
• tertiary (3o) consumers - organisms that eat secondary consumers.
• quaternary (4o) consumers - organisms that eat tertiary consumers
...and so on.

5. Landscape Ecology
Ecology

Landscape ecology is based on the fifth hierarchial unit of ecology,

namely, the biome.

A biome is a large geographical area of distinctive plant and animal

groups, which are adapted to that particular environment. The climate and
geography of a region determines what type of biome can exist in that region.
Major biomes include deserts, forests, grasslands, tundra, and several types of
aquatic environments. Each biome consists of many ecosystems whose
communities have adapted to the small differences in climate and the
environment inside the biome.

6. Global Ecology
Ecology

Global ecology is based on the sixth hierarchial unit of ecology, namely,

the biosphere.

The biosphere is the global sum of all biomes. It includes the lithosphere,
the hydrosphere and the atmosphere.