ZOO507 Handouts by VUBuddy

Ecology

Agenda

1. Introduction.
2. What is meant by Ecology
3. Importance of Ecology
4. Scope of Ecology
5. Its relevance with man kind

Ecology and Environment: Introduction

1. Ecology (from Greek word: οἶκος, "house", or "environment“ and logos means "study of")

Q2. Ecology is the scientific study of the interactions between organisms and their environment

1. Autecology-individual’s life history, behavior, adaptation to environment
2. Synecology-group of organisms associated together as a unit

Ecology and Environment: Importance

3. Why it is important to study ecology? Or Importance of Ecology

i. To understand the distribution and abundance of living things in the physical environment. ii. It includes the integration of scientific disciplines inside and outside of biology iii. Such as biochemistry, physiology, evolution, biodiversity, molecular biology, geology, and climatology.

Ecology and Environment: Branches

Branches of Ecology

i. Applied ecology, (includes agroecology and conservation biology) ii. Biogeochemistry iii. Biogeography iv. Conservation ecology v. Ecological succession vi. Evolutionary ecology vii. Functional ecology, viii. Global ecology ix. Marine ecology, and fresh water ecology x. Microbial ecology xi. Paleoecology xii. Restoration ecology xiii. Soil ecology xiv. Urban ecology,

Ecology and Environment: Relevance

Relevance to man kind

The more you know about the past, the better you prepared for the future

1. Start of civilization-Pure Environment- dependency on nature

The more you know about the past, the better you prepared for the future

2. Use of fire and other tools to modify surroundings
3. Advances in technology-less natural items
4. Result-Pollution

Ecology and Environment: History

History of Ecology

1. Aristotle and ancient Greece philosophers clearly point out ecological topics
2. German Biologist-Ernst Haeckel -1869-“Ecology” first used
3. Early 1700s-Leeuwenhoek- pioneer in study of food chain
4. Botanist's- Richard Bradley- Biological Productivity
5. Frederick Clements, Victor shelford, Raymond L, Edward A- establish “field of Ecology”
6. 1968-1970- picture of Earth- Pollution
7. 1970s- “Decade of Environment”
8. 22nd April 1970- First “ Earth Day”
9. 1980s-1990s- Environmental issues with political backward

Ecology and Environment: Scope

2. Scope of ecology

i) all organisms living on Earth ii) all physical and chemical surroundings. iii) for this reason, iv) the field is usually divided into different levels of study including: organismal ecology, population ecology, community ecology and ecosystem ecology

Level of organization

Four levels of biological organization—

a) organismal, organisms interactions with their environments b) Population, how populations changes over time c) Community, different populations interactions in a community d) Ecosystem, examine the living species (the biotic components) of the ecosystem and the nonliving portions (abiotic components), such as air, water, and soil, of the environment.