LAGOS STATE UNIVERSITY
FACULTY OF SCIENCE
DEPARTMENT OF BOTANY
BIO 101
GENERAL BIOLOGY I
TOPIC
INTRODUCTION TO ECOLOGY
BY
OGUN, M.L.
ECOLOGY:
Ecology is the science by which we
study how organisms (animals, plants,
microbes) interact in and with the
natural world.
The study of how organisms interact
with the living and nonliving things that
surround them.
TYPES/ SUBDIVISIONS OF ECOLOGY
CLASSIFICATION OF ECOLOGY/
ECOLOGICAL RESEARCH AREAS
Global Ecology: examines the influence of energy and
materials on organisms across the biosphere
Landscape Ecology: focuses on the exchanges of energy,
materials, and organisms across multiple ecosystems
Ecosystem Ecology: emphasizes energy flow and chemical
cycling among the various biotic and abiotic components
Community Ecology: deals with the whole array of
interacting species in a community
Population Ecology: focuses on factors affecting
population size over time
Organismal Ecology: studies how an organism’s structure,
physiology, and (for animals) behavior meet environmental
challenges
Living versus Non- living
ABIOTIC: Non- living factors in the
environment.
*examples: air, water, soil
BIOTIC: Living factors in the
environment
*examples: plants, animals, fungi,
viruses, bacteria etc.
CLASSIFICATION OF LIVING THINGS
7 levels of classification: kingdom, phylum, class, order, family, genus,
species.
•General grouping (plant, animal, etc.)
•Common name
Kingdom Plantae is composed of multi-celled organisms that grow from
embryos that are usually the result of sexual fusion of a male and
female cell.
Kingdom Animalia is comprised of multi-celled organisms which
develop from an embryo resulting from the fertilization of an egg by a
much smaller sperm.
Genus and species are combined to form the Latin Name.
The Organization of Life
• Species- A group of organisms that
only reproduces within itself.
• Population- Members of the same
species in the same area.
• Community- All of the species that
occupy an area.
• Ecosystem-All of the living and
nonliving things that occupy an area.
• Biome- Regions characterized by
climate, dominant plants, and animals
• Biosphere- Any region of our planet
that supports life.
Examples of Organization
• Species- Dragonflies
• Population- Dragonflies in the AHS pond
• Community- All the species in the AHS
pond
• Ecosystem- All of the abiotic and biotic
aspects of the AHS pond
• Biome- Temperate Deciduous Forest
• Biosphere- Earth areas that support life.
Level of Organization
ADAPTATIONS
Any physical or behavioral feature that helps
an organism survive.
Beak and teeth shapes
Camouflage vs. bright coloring
Habitat adaptations
HABITAT versus NICHE
• HABITAT: The specific environment that an organism calls
its ‘home.’ Or a dwelling place of an organism.
example- A pond is the dragonflies habitat.
• NICHE: The specific ROLE that an organism plays in its
environment. No two species hold the EXACT same niche
• example- An owl lives in the forest, is nocturnal and preys
upon small mammals.
• Shore birds (same place, different prey)
• Eastern and Western bluebirds (same role, different place
• Tidal zone (same apparent place, but actually very different
places.
Requirements for an Ecosystem
1. There must be a constant
flow of energy into the
ecosystem
2. There must be a cycle of
materials between living and
nonliving organisms.
Feeding Relationships in an Ecosystem:
THE PRODUCERS
• Autotrophs- Organisms that can produce their
own food through photosynthesis
• Form the base of any food chain or food web
Feeding Relationships in an Ecosystem-
THE HETEROTROPHS
• AKA Consumers
• Organisms that cannot produce their own
food and therefore must consume their
food
• HERBIVORES- Animals that feed on
plants (deer)
• CARNIVORES- Animals that feed on
other animals (wolves)
MORE HETEROTROPHS
• OMNIVORES- Animals that feed on both plants
and other animals (humans)
• DECOMPOSERS- Organisms that breakdown
dead or decaying organic matter and return the
nutrients to the soil ( ex. Bacteria and Fungus)
• SCAVENGERS- Organisms that feed off of dead
organisms (crows)
• In any ecosystem, the growth and survival
of organisms depends on the physical
conditions and on the resources available to
the organism.
• COMPETITION: The struggle for resources
among organisms.
• LIMITING FACTORS: Factors in the
environment that limit the size of
populations. (amount of food, availability of
space, water availability, etc.)
CARRYING CAPACITY
• The amount of organisms that an
ecosystem can support.
• The carrying capacity of an area is
determined by its limiting factors.
• A population may only continue to grow
until it has reached its carrying capacity
Carrying Capacity:
Graph of carrying capacity
Symbiotic Relationships
• Close association between 2
organisms
Parasitism: one organism benefits
and the other organism is harmed
(+,-)
E.g., Deer Tick on Dog
Parasitism
Fly larvae on bird chick
Symbiotic Relationships
• Commensalism- one organism benefits and
the other is neither harmed or helped(+,0).
E.g., Shark with Pilot fish or Owl in Tree
Owl in Tree
Shark with Pilot fish
Mutualism
Mutualism- both organisms benefit (+,+)
Cleaner
Shrimp or Clownfish in
an anemone
THE PYRAMID OF LIFE
TERTIARY
CONSUMERS
---------------
SECONDARY
CONSUMERS
----------------------
PRIMARY CONSUMERS
--------------------------
PRODUCERS
3ND
OMNIVORES
HUMAN
2ND
CARNIVORES:
HAWK
1ST CARNIVORES:
SNAKE
HERBIVORES: RABBIT
PLANTS: FIELD GRASS
ORGANIZATION OF FEEDING
RELATIONSHIPS
Food Chain- The flow of energy through an
ecosystem. Only one feeding pathway is
illustrated.
Food Web- Shows all feeding pathways in
an ecosystem.
THE ARROW IN BOTH CHAINS AND
WEBS ALWAYS POINTS IN THE
DIRECTION ENERGY IS FLOWING!!!
A Food Chain:
Demonstrates
ONE
PATHWAY
of feeding
within an
ecosystem.
A FOOD WEB: shows all feeding relationships
(notice the direction of the arrows)
The Pyramid of Biomass
The amount of
energy or biomass
decreases at each
level of the food
chain. As a result,
fewer organisms
can be supported
at each level!!!
Succession
The aging of an ecosystem… the process by
which populations in an ecosystems are
gradually replaced by new ecosystems.
Each community in succession makes the
environment better for the next community.
EACH GROUP OF ORGANISMS PREPARES
THE WAY FOR THE NEXT!
Land Succession: The change in vegetation in an
ecosystem as the soil matures and changes. The soil is
enriched at each stage, preparing the way for more
complex plants. Results in a climax community
The first
organisms in
succession to
appear will be
called pioneer
organisms
Let’s Start From The
Beginning
• You need some disturbance to
clear the land:
Fire
Mt. St. Helens: May 18,
1980
Mt. St. Helens
• Pond Succession
Pond
Succession
The gradual
filling in of
a pond over
time.
CYCLES IN NATURE
The Water Cycle…
Precipitation- the falling of water back to
earth
Infiltration- water penetrates soil and bodies
of water
Evaporation- water changes from a liquid to
gas
Condensation- water vapor condenses into
clouds
The Water Cycle
The Carbon-Oxygen Cycle
• Carbon Dioxide is absorbed by plants
in photosynthesis. Oxygen is
released by plants in photosynthesis.
• Oxygen is absorbed by plants and
animals in cellular respiration.
Carbon Dioxide is released as a
waste product during cellular
respiration
The Carbon/ Oxygen Cycle
Nitrogen Cycle
• Nitrogen is necessary to construct protein.
• Nitrogen is not in a usable form in the air.
• Nitrogen fixing bacteria convert
atmospheric nitrogen into a usable form
for plants.
• Denitrifying bacteria return nitrogen to the
atmosphere.
• Decomposing bacteria help in this
process…
The
Nitrogen
Cycle
