Basic Ecological Principles

Environmental Science

Introduction
Plants and animals that live in a particular place share the same physical environment. No living organisms exist in isolation from other organisms. The organisms in the environment live together either in harmony or by feeding on others. Environment includes the ABIOTIC (non-living things) such as air, water, climate, the soil type and the BIOTIC (living things) conditions at a particular location.

Themes in Ecology
ECOLOGY is the scientific study of the relationship between organisms and their environment. The term ecology came from a Greek word OIKOS, meaning home or a place to live in and LOGUS, meaning study. The main concern of ecology is the environment and the relationship of the physical and the biological components in the environment.

Themes in Ecology
The living components of the environment that includes the plants, animals, and the microorganisms are called BIOTA. The region of the earth where there is life is called BIOSPHERE. It extends high into the atmosphere, to the bottom of the ocean, and deep down into the caves.

Themes in Ecology

The basic unit of study in ecology is the ECOSYSTEM. Ecosystem is a more or less independent part of the biosphere. It can also be natural, artificial or managed. Ecosystem may also differ in composition, species diversity, abundance and variation in borders of habitat, but all these ecosystems have the same ecological processes such as NUTRIENT CYCLING and FEEDING RELATIONSHIPS.

Themes in Ecology

A HABITAT is a place in which you find animals and plants. The kinds of animals and plants that can live in a habitat depend upon what the habitat is like and on the climatic and edaphic factors. Different animals and plants will affect each other by competition, predation, grazing, sheltering and so on.

Hierarchy in an Ecosystem
An ORGANISM is any living thing, whether it is a human being, a germ, a rose bush, or a panda bear. A group of organisms of the same kind is a POPULATION. A population can be defined as a group of interbreeding organisms living in the same area A COMMUNITY is the next largest level of organization. A community includes all the organisms, sometimes hundreds of different types, in a given area.

Hierarchy in an Ecosystem
An ECOSYSTEM includes all organisms in a defined area and their nonliving environment. A BIOME is one of several major types of ecosystems found on the planet. Each biome is characterized by a particular type of vegetation. The biomes together with the aquatic ecosystem of the world comprise the BIOSPHERE.

Hierarchy in an Ecosystem
Organism

Population
Community Ecosystem

Biome
Biosphere

The GAIA Hypothesis

The GAIA HYPOTHESIS, also known as GAIA THEORY or GAIA PRINCIPLE, proposes that all organisms and their inorganic surroundings on earth are closely integrated to form a single and self-regulating complex system, maintaining the conditions for life on the planet. The Gaia Hypothesis is a view of a SELFSUSTAINING BIOSPHERE, in which every organism is linked to one another.

Structure of an Ecosystem
An ecosystem possesses both living components or BIOTIC FACTORS and nonliving or ABIOTIC FACTORS. ABIOTIC FACTORS are physical and chemical characteristics of the environment. They include solar energy (amount of sun light), oxygen, CO2, water, temperature, humidity, ph, and availability of nitrogen. BIOTIC FACTORS include all the living things that affect an organism. Biotic Components are often categorized as PRODUCERS, CONSUMERS, and DECOMPOSERS.

The End