BASIC ECOLOGY

CONCEPTS
CHAPTER 2
 KEY POINTS IN ECOLOGY

Biogeochemical
Community cycles

Population Ecosystem Special

interactions
 Levels of organization
INDIVIDUAl ECOSYSTEM
A lone organism. A biological community of
interacting organisms and
their physical
environment.

POPULATION BIOME
A particular section, A large community of flora
group, or type of people and fauna occupying a
or animals living in an major habitat
area or region.

BIOSPHERE
COMMUNITY This is where all life on
All the organisms living in Earth lives.
a particular area or place.
 BIOTIC AND ABIOTIC FACTORS
Biotic factors

- parts of an ecosystem that

are living or used to be living.

Abiotic factors

- parts of an ecosystem

that have never been living.

HABITAT
- The specific environment in which an organism lives

Examples: lakes, grassland, dessert, forest, ocean

Population
A population is the complete set
group of individuals, whether that
group comprises a nation or a
group of people with a common
characteristic. In statistics, a
population is the pool of
individuals from which a statistical
sample is drawn for a study.

All the inhabitants of a particular

town, area, or country.
 Population Density
Population density is the number of people per
unit of area, usually transcribed as "per square
kilometer" or square mile, and which may
include or exclude, for example, areas of water
or glaciers. Commonly this is calculated for a
county, city, country, another territory or the
entire world.
DISPERSION
The dispersion pattern
(distribution pattern) of a
population describes the
arrangement of individuals
within a habitat at a particular
point in time, and broad
categories of patterns are used
to describe them.
Natality/Mortality
Natality is defined as the rate of
birth per unit area of people per
unit of time. Mortality is the
number of deaths of organisms
in a population of a particular
location over time.
GROWTH
Growth can be defined as the
increase in the number of
people in a given area.
Population growth can be
measured in a neighborhood,
country, or even global level
Age Distribution
age distribution, also called Age
Composition, in population
studies, the proportionate
numbers of persons in
successive age categories in a
given population. Age
distributions differ among
countries mainly because of
differences in the levels and
trends of fertility.
Reproductive
potential
Reproductive potential is the
maximum number of offspring
that a given organism can
produce. Some species have
much higher reproductive
potentials than others.
COMMUNITY

Refers to a group of interacting

species that coexist in a specific
habitat or ecosystem.

These species share a range of

ecological relationships, including
competition for resources,
predation, mutualism, and more.

Play a significant role in

understanding the functioning and
stability of ecosystems.
 DOMINANCE

Dominance
Refers to the concept of species dominance within an ecological community or ecosystem. Species
dominance refers to the abundance and influence of a particular species in relation to other species in a
given environment.

Components

Numerical dominance Functional dominance

refers to the situation
refers to a situation where a
where one species within
particular species within an
a particular ecological
ecological community or
community or ecosystem
ecosystem plays a key and
significantly outnumbers
irreplaceable role in ecosystem
all other species in terms
functioning.
of the number of
individuals.
 DIVERSITY

Diversity
refers to biodiversity or biological diversity, which is the variety and variability of life forms
within a particular ecosystem, habitat, or on a global scale.

Types of diversity
 DIVERSITY
Genetic diversity Species diversity Ecosystem diversity
This refers to the This aspect of biodiversity Ecosystem diversity, a
variety of genes concerns the number of component of biodiversity,
within a single different species within a refers to the variety of
species. Genetic particular area or ecosystem. different ecosystems or
diversity is crucial for High species diversity is often habitat types within a specific
adaptation and an indicator of a healthy and geographic area or region.
evolution, as it resilient ecosystem.
enables populations
to respond to
environmental
changes.
What is Ecosystem?
To reiterate
● An ecosystem is a geographic area
where plants, animals, and other
organisms, as well as weather and
landscape, work together to form a
bubble of life. Ecosystems contain
biotic or living, parts, as well as
abiotic factors, or nonliving parts.
Biotic factors include plants,
animals, and other organisms.
Abiotic factors include rocks,
temperature, and humidity.
What does it tell about functional aspect of
ecosystem?
We could imagine are as follows from
the ecosystem:

● Energy Flow in an Ecosystem

● Food Chain, Food Web
● Biogeochemical Cycling
 Energy flow
Let us imagine a picture:

● Where does the energy come

from?
● What is the second trophic level?
● What about third trophic level?
● What is the decomposer?
● What do you think is the role of
Decomposer?
 Energy flow in an ecosystem is
defined as the movement or transfer
of energy from one trophic level to
Energy flow is another in an ecosystem. The
energy that is passed is in the form
of chemical energy.
Laws governing Energy flow
First Law of thermodynamics: Second Law of thermodynamics:

It states that energy can neither be It states that when energy

created nor destroyed, but it keeps transforms from one form to
changing from one form to the another, some part of it is lost as
other. Similarly in an ecosystem, heat to the surroundings. Thus the
the main source of energy is the energy at one level is never
sun, and this energy from the sun completely transferred to the
is transferred from one level to the other.
other.
Food chain and Food web
Food chain and food web
Food Chain: Food Web:

Each food chain is one possible path that All of the interconnected and overlapping
energy and nutrients may take as they move food chains in an ecosystem make up a food
through the ecosystem web.
Characteristics of ecosystem
It is major structural and functional
unit of biosphere. The structure of an
ecosystem is related to its species
diversity, more complex ecosystem
has high species diversity. The
function of the ecosystem is related to
energy flow and material cycling
through and within the system.
 Function of ecosystem

01 It regulates basic ecological

processes, supports living
systems and ensures stability.

Earth It is also responsible for

02 nutrient cycling between biotic
and abiotic components.
is

It maintains the balance

our 03 between the different trophic
levels in the ecosystem

only

habitat
04 It cycles minerals through the
biosphere.

Abiotic components help in

05 the synthesis of organic
components that involve
energy exchange.
 VENUS

Biogeochemical Cycles
- Water Cycle
- Carbon Cycle
- Nitrogen Cycle
- Phosphorus Cycle
- Sulfur Cycle
Water Cycle

The water cycle is often taught as a simple

circular cycle of evaporation, condensation,
and precipitation. Although this can be a
useful model, the reality is much more
complicated. The paths and influences of water
through Earth’s ecosystems are extremely
complex and not completely understood.
Carbon Cycle

The carbon cycle is the ongoing process by

which carbon atoms move back and forth
between the atmosphere and the Earth.
The carbon content of this closed
ecosystem, which includes our planet and
its atmosphere, does not vary. The location
of the carbon, whether it is on Earth or in
the atmosphere, is continually changing.
Nitrogen Cycle
The nitrogen cycle is a series of activities
that occurs repeatedly and involves the
movement of nitrogen through both living
and non-living objects, including the
atmosphere, soil, water, plants, animals, and
bacteria. These minuscule living creatures,
which typically have just one cell, are
everywhere. Organic material in soils can
decompose or break down as a result of
bacteria.
Phosphorus Cycle

The Phosphorus Cycle is the biogeochemical

cycle that describes the transformation and
translocation of phosphorus in soil, water,
and living and dead organic material.
Phosphorus additions to soil occur due to
additions of inorganic and organic (manure)
fertilizer and the degradation and
decomposition of organic (plant and animal)
material.
Sulfur Cycle
The sulfur cycle is complex and
interconnected with other biogeochemical
cycles, particularly the carbon and nitrogen
cycles. Understanding and monitoring the
sulfur cycle is essential for studying
environmental processes, nutrient cycling,
and its impact on ecosystems and
atmospheric chemistry. Additionally,
managing sulfur emissions from human
activities is important to mitigate
environmental problems, such as air
pollution and acid rain.
LIMITING FACTORS AND THE LAW OF TOLERANCE

Limiting factors are things that

prevent a population from
growing any larger.

Law of tolerance refers to the

concept that organisms can only
thrive within a certain range of
environment.
 SPECIES INTERACTIONS
MUTUALISM PARASITISM
two species exist in a is a non-mutual
relationship in which symbiotic relationship
each individual benefits between species where
from the activity of the parasite benefits from
other. the host.

COMPETITION COMMENSALISM
interaction of organism is a relation between
that vie for a common individuals of two
resource that is in species in which one
limited supply. species benefits from the
other without harming.

PREDATION AMENSALISM
is a biological interaction is any relationship between
a predator feeds on its organisms of different species
prey. in which one is inhibited or
destroyed while the other
organism remains unaffected.
 Q&A
MARS SATURN
Mars is actually a cold Saturn is composed of
place. It’s full of iron hydrogen and helium
oxide dust and is the ringed one

JUPITER VENUS
Jupiter is a gas giant and Venus has a beautiful
the biggest planet in the name and is the second
Solar System planet from the Sun