THE REALM OF ECOLOGY

Organism
any unicellular (bacteria) or multi-cellular
form exhibiting all of the characteristics of
life
species is a group of organisms that
resemble one another in appearance,
behavior, chemistry and genetic makeup
Interbreed and capable of producing viable off
springs
lowest level of organization
 Population
Individuals of a species that live and
interact in the same geographic area
Compete with each other for resources
Have measurable attributes like birth and
death rates, seed dispersal and
germination rates
sunfish in a pond, mahogany trees in a
forest, and people in a country
 Habitat
specific place where organisms or
populations live in the physical
environment
terrestrial and aquatic habitats
distribution or range
area over which a species can be found
 Community
several interacting populations that inhabit
a common environment and are
interdependent
Forest:
plant populations: trees, shrubs, herbs and
epiphytes
populations of mammals, insects, spiders,
birds, and microorganisms
 Ecosystem
biotic communities
their interactions with each other
the physical environment they occupy
organisms with similar needs may
compete with each other for resources
range in size
 Ecosystem
natural ecosystems:
pond
forests
coral reefs
artificial ecosystems:
crop fields
tree farms
farm ponds
reservoirs
 Ecosystem
self-sustaining if there is:

a constant source of energy and a living

system capable of incorporating this energy
into organic molecules

cycling of materials between organisms and

their environment
 Biome
large geographic areas with similar
climates and ecosystems

identified and classified according to their

dominant vegetation type and their
associated animal and microbial
components
 Biome
Tundra
Taiga
Desert
Temperate deciduous forest
Tropical Rainforests
Grasslands
 Biosphere
totality of all the terrestrial and aquatic
ecosystems in the whole world
life supporting portions of Earth composed
of air, land, fresh water, and salt water
highest level of organization
composed of numerous complex
ecosystems
global ecosystem where all life is
interconnected
 Biosphere
Atmosphere
thin envelope or membrane of air around the
planet
troposphere
extends about 17 kms above sea level
contains the majority of the planets air

stratosphere
contains enough O3 to filter out most of the suns
harmful ultraviolet radiation
allows life to exist on land and in the surface layers
of bodies of water
 Biosphere
Hydrosphere
the earths water
liquid water
ice (permafrost)
water vapor in the atmosphere
 Biosphere
earth consists of:
an intensely hot core
a thick mantle composed mostly of rock
a thin outer crust
Lithosphere
the earths crust and upper mantle
contains non-renewable fossil fuels, minerals
and renewable soil chemicals
 The Ecosystem Concept
The ecosystem consists of interdependent
subsystems with inputs consisting of
energy from the sun and the minerals from
the physical environment.
The outputs are the results of the
interactions of the different components
with each other and can not be attributed
to only one component.
 The Ecosystem Concept
In an ecosystem the biotic community
cannot be studied apart from the physical
environment where the organisms have
evolved.
One can explain only why a particular
organism lives the way it does only in the
context of the kind of physical and biotic
environment of its habitat.