Natural Science

- chemistry

- physics

- meteorology

-oceanology

Biological Science

- biology

- botany

- zoology

- paleontology

- ecology

Ecology

- study of relationships between the organism or living things and environment

Ernest Haeckel

-He was the first to own the greek word oekologie

Oikos (dwelling)

Logos (study of…)

Thomas Maltus

- He was the first to recognized the conflict between the expanding population and the earth’s
capacity to supply their needs.

Different Levels of Organization in Ecology

I. Individual Organism

(unicelluar or multicellular)
II. Population - group of organism belonging to the same specie found in a area in a specific time

III. Community- group of different population found in a specific area at a particular time

IV. Ecosystem - group of different communities interacting with one another and their environment
basic ecological unit

V. Ecosphere- Totality of all ecosystem on earth

ENVIRONMENT VS HABITAT

Environment- totality of all conditions and materials surrounding a organism

Habitat- place of existance where the organism may derived its basic needs

Basic Needs

- food and water

-shelter- protection from the hazard

-territory- your place when you dominate your surroundings

Types of Habitats

1. Terrestrial- land habitats

2. Aquatic- water habitats

A. Fresh water- inland water

B. Salt water- marine waters

Main components of ecosystem

A. Abiotic components

- non living components of ecosystem

Categories of abiotic components

*Chemical factors

- organic

-inorganic

*Physical factors - sustain the growth of ecosystem

*Temperature

B. Biotic

- living things

Examples of ecosystem

A. Ponds

B. Dessert

C. Ocean

D. Swam

E. Grasslands

F. Taiga

G. Dundra

H. Forest

History of Ecosystem

1. Ernest Haeckel

2. Thomas Maltus

3. Arthur Tansley
 - first to coin the word ecosystem

- ecologist

- he device a concept to draw a tension to the importance of material transfer between

organism in their environment

-he regarded ecosystem as mental isolates

- he defined spatial extent of ecosystem

4. Evelyn Hutchinson

- limnologies

- she combined the trophic ecology of (Charles Elton) with the ideas of a Russian Geochemist of
(Vladimir Vernadsky)

- suggested that mineral availability in a lake limited algae production which the limited the
abundance of animals that feed on the algae

5. Raymond Lindeman

- he suggested the energy flow in the lake was the primary driver of the ecosystem

6. Howard and Eugene Odum

- Author of the book

- Develop systems approach to the study of ecosystem

FUNCTIONS OF AN ECOSYSTEM

DYNAMIC - PROCESSING

1. Energy Flow through the food chain

2. Nutrient cycling

3. Ecological succession - development of ecosystem

4. Homeostatis- also known as (cybernetics)

- feed back of an ecosystem

Factors that influence interaction in a ecosystem

1. Geography- location on the land

2. Weather

3. Climate- average of weather condition

4. Geological factors

Balance in an ecosystem

Adaptation - process of changing or adjustment to environment condition

Manner of Adaptation

1. Behavioral

2. Structural

Components

Chemical Factors - matter

Classification

A. Inorganic

B. Organic

Biotic Components

-all living things

Role

Ecological Niche - Particular role played by an organism in an ecosystem

Types of Niches

1. Producers- manufacture own food by the process of photosynthesis

- known as autotrophs

2. Consumers

- pre formed food

- heterotrophs
Types of Consumers

A. Herbivores - plant eaters

B. Carnivores - meat and flesh

C. Omnivores- plant and meat

3. Decomposers- compose complex organic to simpler one

Pond Ecosystem- natural almost stable

Components of an ecosystem

A. Abiotic

1. Physical factor -light

Factors for light penetration

A. Transparency of water

B. Amount of dissolve or suspended particles

C. Number of plankton

Zones

A. Euphotic - receives most light

B. Mesophotic - intermediate zone partial light

C. Aphotic - doesn’t receive light

2. Inorganic

3. Organic