Presentation by:

Zeal for the mission group

 One of the very serious
problem not only in our
country, but all over the
world is DEGRADATION.

 DEGRADATION: the
wearing down of the land
by the erosive action of
water, wind, or ice.
This means that people must collaborate,
cooperate and work hand in hand
Adoption of new value
Change of habits and Environmental
lifestyle awareness,
Towards the PRESERVATION consciousness and
and CONSERVATION OF THE understanding
ENVIRONMENT.

WE need to inculcate
in our minds the
need to love, care
and nurture the
environment.

People provide SOLUTIONS

to environmental problems
of their community.
 STUDY
Ecology is the study ofOR SCIENCE OF
relationships
HOUSE between
OR LIVING PLACE (EARTH)
living organisms and their
BY: German biologist ERNST HAECKEL
environment, as no living
organisms in isolation.
Organisms interact with
one another and with the
chemical and physical
components of the
nonliving environment
Deals with the relationship Focuses on the relationships
between an organism or between communities and
population and the their environment.
environment.

MANGO TREE
Mangifera
indica
 Population
◦ It is a group of organisms
belonging to the same
species living together in a
certain area or habitat.
 Community
◦ It is a group of organisms
belonging to different species
living together and
interacting in a certain area or
habitat.
 Ecosystem
◦ It is a group of organisms and
their interaction or
interrelationships with the
nonliving environment.
 Biosphere
◦ It is composed of all living
organisms on or around the
earth.
 Ecological Niche
◦ It is the physical space
occupied by an organism and
its functional role in the
ecosystem.
 Habitat
◦ It is the place where an
organisms lives.
 Identify the components of an ecosystem, and
give the roles/functions of the components
 Compare the flow of energy and material in an
ecosystem
 Describe and cite examples of the interaction of
organisms in an ecosystem
 Explain the interaction between living things and
their environment
 Give the use of the different kinds of ecosystems
and communities as well as the problems
confronting them.
Ecosystem
 It is an interaction of
the living organisms and
nonliving environment.
 It is an area within the
natural environment in
which physical factors such
as rocks & soil, function
together along with
interdependent organisms,
such as plants & animals,
under the same habitat to
form a stable system.
1. Biotic or Living components
◦ Bio means life. Therefore, the biotic components
refer to the living world of an ecosystem.
◦ Such as plants, animals and microorganisms.
2. Abiotic Or nonliving components
◦ Which includes air, water, soil, inorganic
substances, organic substances that link biotic
and abiotic factors, and climate regime in a given
area.
1. Autotrophs
◦ These are organisms that fix light energy and use
simple inorganic substances to build up complex
substances and which includes plants.
2. Heterotrophs
◦ these are the organisms that utilize, reaerrange
and decompose the complex materials,
particularly the animals, bacteria, and fungi.
 Primary Producers
Green plants are called producers or the
first level of biotic component of the
ecosystem.  Through photosynthesis  plants
synthesize their own food like  proteins and
fats and hence are also called autotrophs. 
Besides this, producers also maintain
CO2/O2 balance of nature.
 Herbivores
◦ Also called as plant eaters. These are the primary
consumers that eat plants only.
 Carnivores
◦ Meat eaters, the secondary consumers that ingest
other animals for their food
 Omnivores
◦ Which eat both plants and animals
 Microorganisms
◦ Obtain nourishment by absorbing dissolved
organic material.
◦ they are called saprotrophs or osmotrophs
◦ They are responsible for the decomposition or
breaking down of dead organic matter.
 Detritus feeders
◦ They extract nutrients from partly decomposed
matter
◦ Such as crabs, termites, carpenter ants and
earthworms.
 Hydrosphere(water)
◦ One of the most unusual natural compounds found
on earth, and it is also one of the most important.
◦ Covers 71% of the earths surface and a meduim of
transport of several ecosystems.
 Solvent
 Carrier
 Temperature regulator
 Protectant
 Lubricant
 Has high heat capacity
 Has high heat conductivity
 Dissolving of minerals and nutrients for use
in natural processes in the body.
 Hydrolysis
 Support of aquatic organisms
 Fertilization of gametes
 Dispersal and germination of seeds, gametes

and larval stages of aquatic organisms

 Photosynthesis
 Osmosis and turgidity
 Transpiration
 Translocation of microorganisms and organic

compounds
 As habitat for aquatic organisms
 Lithosphere(solid outer portion of the earth)
◦ The role of soil in the ecosystem is that they are the
source of all nutrients and water for living
organisms in terrestrial ecosystem.
◦ The rocks facilitate the storage and movement of
groundwater; they are the source of mineral
constituents of sediments and soils; and they serve
medium of storage and transportation of
groundwater.
◦ Sediments serve as the habitat for aquatic
organisms and the source of nutrients for aquatic
organisms.
 Three Components of Lithosphere
◦ Soil- a complex mixture of rock fragments, highly
altered minerals, organic debris and living
organisms which supports plants in the terrestrial
environment.
◦ Rocks- consolidated units of the earth’s crust which
consists of minerals that have come together by
hardening of lithification of sediments, by
solidification from molten mass or by alteration of a
preexisting rock.
◦ Sediments- rock fragments that may or may not be
chemically altered by weathering which are carried
by wind or water.
 Atmosphere(air)
◦ It is the site of weather and different gases which
are needed by living organisms
 Stratosphere
◦ it is where the ozone layer is found, absorbs
ultraviolet radiation (UV) from the sun, thus
preventing excessive amounts of UV rays to reach
the surface of the earth.
 Energy
◦ It never appears or disappears into nothing . It can
always accounted for. It is everywhere.
◦ For life to exist, the earth must constantly receive
energy inputs from the sun and make energy
outputs mostly as heat, which passes on the outer
space.
◦ Energy from the sun maintains all the life
processes in the earth ecosystem.
 Solar energy
◦ Radiated in all directions, part of it is toward the
earth; but the atmosphere keeps some solar
radiation from reaching the earth.
Energy Input Ecosystem
Energy Output
energy used in energy lost in
photosynthesis respiration
Food
Solar Production and
Heat
Energy Consumption
 It states that energy can be transformed
from one form to another but can never be
created or destroyed.

 It also tells us that one cannot get

something from nothing. Although the
amount of energy in various forms may
change, the sum in all forms remains
constant.
 It states that every time energy is
transformed, it tends to go from a more
organized and concentrated form to a less
organized and more dispersed form that it is
no longer useful.
 The ecological implication of the second law

is that the transfer of energy from one use

to another is never very efficient . The energy
decreases in each successive step.
 Food Chain
Food Web
Trophic Levels
 What is Food Chain?

•It is the transfer of energy and material through a

series of organisms as each on is fed by the next.
•The series of feeding relationship between
organisms that shows who eats whom.
•A series of steps of eating and being eaten.
•A food chain is the way energy goes from one
living thing to another through food.
 What is Food Web?
•A relatively complex series of
feeding relationships which may
comprise a group of food chains.
•made of many food chains in a
community of plants and
animals.
 What are Trophic Levels

•Composed of three basic levels, the

producer, various level of
consumers and decomposers.
•It refers to the number of steps of
the organisms are away from
primary production
 What is the importance of
water cycle in the
ecosystem?
◦ One of the earth’s great cycles
is the water or hydrological
cycle. Water constantly moves
from the atmosphere to the
earth to the oceans and back
to the atmosphere. Water
changes the surface of the
earth. It is not simply found in
the bodies of water.,
underground and in the
atmosphere.
 ◦ It is constantly cycled from one
ATMOSPHERE
of these locations to another.
The water cycle is driven by
energy from the sun and by
gravity. It provides the
connection among the
LITHOSPHERE atmosphere, the lithosphere,
and the hydrosphere. It makes
HYRDOSPHERE
the presence of life on earth
possible.
 Precipitation. Condensed water vapor that
falls to the Earth's surface . Most precipitation
occurs as rain, but also includes snow, hail,
fog drip, graupel, and sleet. Approximately
505,000 km3 (121,000 cu mi) of water fall as
precipitation each year, 398,000 km3 (95,000
cu mi) of it over the oceans.
 Snowmelt. The runoff produced by melting
snow.
 Infiltration. The flow of water from the

ground surface into the ground. Once

infiltrated, the water becomes soil moisture
or groundwater.
 Runoff. The variety of ways by which water
moves across the land. This includes both
surface runoff and channel runoff. As it flows,
the water may seep into the ground,
evaporate into the air, become stored in lakes
or reservoirs, or be extracted for agricultural
or other human uses.
 Subsurface Flow. The flow of water
underground, in the vadose zone and
aquifers. Subsurface water may return to the
surface (e.g. as a spring or by being pumped)
or eventually seep into the oceans. Water
returns to the land surface at lower elevation
than where it infiltrated, under the force of
gravity or gravity induced pressures.
Groundwater tends to move slowly, and is
replenished slowly, so it can remain in
aquifers for thousands of years.
 Evaporation. The transformation of water from
liquid to gas phases as it moves from the ground
or bodies of water into the overlying atmosphere.
The source of energy for evaporation is primarily
solar radiation. Evaporation often implicitly
includes transpiration from plants, though
together they are specifically referred to as
evapotranspiration. Total annual
evapotranspiration amounts to approximately
505,000 km3 (121,000 cu mi) of water, 434,000
km3 (104,000 cu mi) of which evaporates from
the oceans.
 Sublimation. The state change directly from
solid water (snow or ice) to water vapor.
 Advection. The movement of water — in

solid, liquid, or vapor states — through the

atmosphere. Without advection, water that
evaporated over the oceans could not
precipitate over land.
 Condensation. The transformation of water
vapor to liquid water droplets in the air,
creating clouds and fog.
 Transpiration. The release of water vapor

from plants and soil into the air. Water vapor

is a gas that cannot be seen.
 Precipitation over the ocean is more than
three times greater than that over land. This
precipitaion may take any several courses:
◦ It may be immediately reevaporated by the sun’s
energy. (Simultaneous evaporation.)
◦ It may fall into the ocean(major water reservoir)
◦ It may fall into land masses, which results :
 It may infiltrate the soil to be absorbed by plants roots,
used in photosynthesis and transpired
 It may run off to join streams and rivers and eventually
reach ocean. Water is primarily responsible for eroding
the earth’s surface.
 It may sink downward to join groundwater reservoirs
and then reappear later as springs, seeps or lakes.
 It may be evaporated once again.
 In ecology and Earth science, a
biogeochemical cycle or nutrient cycle is a
pathway by which a chemical element or
molecule moves through both biotic
(biosphere) and abiotic (lithosphere,
atmosphere, and hydrosphere) compartments
of Earth. In effect, the element is recycled,
although in some cycles there may be places
(called reservoirs) where the element is
accumulated or held for a long period of time
(such as an ocean or lake for water).
 Nutrient Cycle: Living organisms need 30-40
elements for normal development.
 Most important elements:

◦ Carbon:
◦ Hydrogen
◦ Oxygen
◦ Nitrogen
◦ Sulfur
◦ Phosphorus
 The most important feature of a
biogeochemical cycle is that the biotic and
abiotic components are tightly intertwined
with one another. Without cycles, the
biogeochemical cycle would cease; and
without biogeochemical cycles, all life would
cease.
 Movement of the nutrient element from the
environment to organisms and back to the
environment.
 Involvement of biological organisms
 A geological reservoir (atmosphere and

lithosphere)
 Chemical change
 Gaseous nutrient cycle: it is in which the
reservoir of the nutrients in the atmosphere.
◦ The typical gaseous nutrient cycles are the carbon
dioxide, the oxygen cycle and the nitrogen cycle.

 Sedimentary nutrient cycle: it is in which the

nutrient reservoir is sedimentary rocks, soil
and minerals.
◦ It includes the phosphorus cycle and the sulfur
cycle.
 These cycles are slower and tend to exert a more
limiting influence on living organisms.
 The major reservoir of nitrogen is the earth’s
atmosphere. Atmospheric nitrogen is combined
with other chemicals into organic compounds
used by plants and animals. It is a vital
component of proteins which are necessary to all
living things. When plants and animals die, their
bodies are broken down by bacteria into
ammonia, a nitrogen compound. Other bacteria
change the ammonia to nitrates. Still other
bacteria break down the nitrates and release back
the nitrogen as gas back into the atmosphere.
 The major reservoir of phosphorus is
sedimentary rock, which is available to the basic
cycle in small amounts as a result of weathering.
The cycle does not have a major gaseous phase
and therefore moves at a very slow pace. It
begins with dissolved phosphates, which are
absorbed by plants through their roots and
incorporated into all cells in complex molecules.
Animals get phosphorus from plants. When plant
and animal die or excrete waste products, their
organic compound are broken down by
phosphotizing bacteria into organic dissolved
phosphates.
 Notice that in all biogeochemical cycles, the
nutrient usually enters the living systems
through vegetation.
 Animals are unable to free and absorb the
nutrient elements from the soil.
 Plants easily absorb nutrients along with the
soil water through root system.
 An ecosystem depends on plants not only to
supply the necessary nutrient to maintain the
flow of energy but also to fix the solar
energy.
 •Mutualism
•Competition
How do
Organisms •Parasitism
interact with •Commensalis
each other? m
•Predation
 Population Population General Nature of
1 2 Interaction
Mutualism + + The interaction is
favorable to both and
obligatory.
Competition _ _ Both organisms are
affected.
Parasitism + _ Population 1, the
parasite, generally the
organism that benefits
and the host is the
organism that is harmed.
Commensalis + 0 Population 1, the
m commensal, the benefits
while population 2 is not
affected.
Predation + _ Population 1, the
predator is the organism
that eats; population 2,
 Mutualism
•A biological interaction in which the
growth and survival of both interacting
species are enhanced.
•In nature, neither species can survive
without the other.
• A relationship between two organisms
of different species that benefits both
and harms neither.
 Competition

•A type of interaction between two

populations in which they vie for the
same limited resources.
•the struggle between organisms of
the same or different species for
limited resources such as food or
light.
 Commensalism

A type of interaction between

two species populations
where one population
benefits and the other is
unaffected.
 Parasitism

A type of interaction between

a host and a parasite. Called a
destructive symbiosis where
parasite harms the host And
benefits at the expense of the
host.
 Predation

A relationship between the

prey and the predator. The
predator is the organism that
eats and generally larger than
the prey, the organism that is
being eaten.
 KINDS
OF
ECOSYSTEMS AND
COMMUNITIES
The climate of the given region is a description of the
average temperature and precipitation that may be
expected on each day throughout the entire year.
Climates in different parts of the world vary widely.
Soil type and topography may also contribute to the
diversity found in biome because these two factors
affect the availability of moisture.
A. Terrestrial Communities/Ecosystems
How do terrestrial ecosystems differ from aquatic
ecosystems?
Tropical Rain Forest
Location: Northern South America, Central
America, Congo, western and central equatorial Africa,
Madagascar, Southern Asia, various islands in the
India and Pacific Oceans
How are the various kinds of aquatic ecosystems
similar and different from one another?
Description: Lakes and ponds are physical
depressions that allow precipitation and groundwater
to accumulate; in rivers and steams, water flows by
gravity toward oceans or large lakes.
Environmental parameters: The low concentration
of dissolved solids is determined primarily by soils
around the water body. Seasonal vertical
stratification in lakes separates water masses.
 What are the functions of coral reefs?
Coral Reefs
Location: They extend from the coastline outward,
often over a continental shelf, to a depth of 200
meters. In the tropics, coral reefs are major shallow
coastal forms.
Environmental parameters: They are characterized
by high productivity due to coastal upwelling and
transport of nutrients from estuaries; the water
column mixes to the bottom except where seasonal
vertical stratification development. Tidal currents
promote mixing.
Vegetation: Commonly included in this group are plankton
algae which dominate productivity; some large benthic
plants are present where water clarity permits. In coral reefs,
symbiotic algae live in coral animals; other large algae and
turtle grass predominate.
Animals: Microscopic plankton abound in the water column;
rich bottom fauna of worms, shellfish and crustaceans;
diverse and abundant fish fauna; jellyfish, turtles, fish-
feeding birds, dolphins and whales regionally abundant.
Functions: (1) They are important as fishery and nursery
areas and as tourist spots; (2)they provide protection from
erosion of coastlines; (3) and almost half of the potential
pharmaceuticals being explored are from the coral reef and
ecosystem.
 Environmental concerns:
Pollutants from estuaries and
coastal ecosystems contaminate
shellfish and fish. Rising sea
levels will inundate many low-
lying coastal areas. Overfishing of
coastal fisheries causes loss of
breeding stock and changes in
ecology. Past whaling in coastal
areas has depleted the stocks of
most species. Dynamite and
cyanide fishing kill many aquatic
organisms leading to biodiversity
loss and habitat destruction.
Global warming can cause coral
bleaching.
Mangrove Ecosystem
Description: Mangroves are woody, seed bearing,
highly specialized plants ranging in size fro shrubs to
tall trees. Most mangrove species live on muddy
soils, but they grow also on sand, peat and coral-rock.
There are two kinds of mangrove ecosystem, the
mangrove swamps which consist of large trees and
their associated species and the nipa swamps
characterized by the growth of stemless palms.
Location: Mangroves are found along the coastal
waters of tropical and subtropical regions, tidal flats
extending along rivers, streams and its tributaries
where the water is brackish.
Environmental parameters: Mangroves are characterized
by poor soil aeration, variable salinity, high humidity,
light to moderate winds, and moderate to strong currents
and waves.
Plants: Mangrove trees dominate the ecosystem due to
their ability to survive in both marine water and
freshwater. The most important mangrove families are the
Combretaceae, the Verbenaceae and the Rhizophoraceae.
Besides the mangrove tree species may other plant species
thrive such as jelly bean plant, salt brush, bead weed and
malalencus.
Animals: Aside from fish, a wide variety of invertibrates
live in the mangrove ecosystem such as worms, protozoa,
barnacles, oysters and crabs.
Environmental concerns:
Thousand of hectares of
mangrove areas have been
destroyed due to the
following: firewood
collection, charcoal making,
conversion to
fishpond/aquaculture,
conversion to commercial
and real-state development,
salt-making industry,
dumping areas for solid
wastes and oil spills.
Open Ocean
Location: It covers 70% of the earth's surface, from
the edge of the continental shelf outwards.
Environmental parameters: It reaches great depths
(as much as 11 000 meters); except for the upper 200
meters, it is without light and cold. It is nutrient-poor,
except where vertical currents bring deep water to the
surface (upwelling.)
Animals: It has a diverse zooplankton fauna
together with fish fauna adapted to different depths.
The bottom fauna is sparse except in regions of deep
hydrothermal vents. Seabirds, whales, dolphins, tuna,
sharks, flying,fish, squid, etc. as well as unique deep-
sea fish with bioluminescence are present.
 Vegetation: Commonly included are plankton species
(coccolithophorids, diatoms, dinoflagellates). The
vegetation varies according to nutrient availability.
Environmental concerns: Ozone shield depletion will kill
phytoplankton in the Antarctic, affecting the entire food
chain. Drift-netting in the high seas depletes fisheries and
kills ocean birds, turtles and mammals. Whaling has led
to steep declines in most whale species, which are still
not of danger in spite of danger in spite of a moratorium.
Warm temperature, pollution and other factors cause the
red tide phenomenon, which poses a danger to human
health. Oil pollution from ships could harm and kill
aquatic organisms and destroy habitats of organisms.
 I. Agroecosystem
 What are the characteristics
and properties of an
agroecosystem?
 An agroecosystem is an
ecosystem which is modified or
regulated by man in order to
produce food. It is self-
sufficient where the living
organisms and the nonliving
components of the environment
interact to exchange energy and
matter in a continuing cycle.


 It is also referred to as
community of plants and
animals interacting with their
physical and chemical
environments that have been
modified by people to
produce food, fiber, fuel, and
other products for human
consumption and processing.
It comprises domesticated
plants and/or animals and the
people who manage them.
 - The farmer decides the
plant (species and variety)
to grow.
 - It is composed of one or
few species only, simple
flora.
 - The age and status of
growing plants is uniform.
 - The farmers supplies
water and fertilizer
uniformly. high.
1. Productivity is the desired output of a system or
output of valued product per unit resource input. It is
measured in terms of crop yield or net income.
2. Stability is the property of short-term homeostasis or
the consistency of productivity in the face of small,
disturbing forces arising from the normal fluctuations
and cycles in the surrounding environment.
3. Sustainability is the ability of the system to persist in
the face of repeated stress or major perturbation or it is
the ability of the agrosystem to maintain productivity
when subjected to major disturbing forces.
4. Equitability is the evenness of distribution of the
productivity of the agroecosystem among the human
beneficiaries, i.e., the level of equity that is generated.
5. Authonomy is the extent to which a social system is
able to function at a normal level, using only resources
derived from the ecosystem over which it has effective
control.
6. Solidarity is the ability of the social system to make
and implement decisions in managing ecosystem.
1. Soil erosion, overgrazing
Huge area of productive, semi-arid, lands are being
turned into worthless deserts each year by overgrazing.
Continued grazing makes grass difficult to grow. As a
result, topsoil losses compactness and this will lead to
rapid soil erosion.
2. Land conversion
Agricultural lands, prime agricultural lands included, are
being converted into residential areas and commercial
areas due to urbanization and industrialization
3. Pollution
Pesticides are transported by air, water and soil, resulting in
pollution. Pesticides are found in the food we eat as well as
in deep wells located near agricultural areas. The health
effect in humans include increased incidence of tumors,
cancer, sterility, etc. pesticides kill not only pests but
beneficial animals as well.
4. Loss of generic diversity
The release of high-yielding varieties or hybrids which was
strongly advocated by the government in the name of
modernization and world competitiveness has also caused
indirect extinction of indigenous or traditional varieties.
With constant use of these hybrids, the pure lines are
displaced, causing genetic erosion in many of our crop
sciences.
5. Depletion of ground water and salinization
In many farms, the withdrawal of groundwater for
irrigation is excessive during the dry season. This has
caused the groundwater to recede, affecting the
availability of potable water for domestic use. Also,
when much groundwater is withdrawby
agroecosystems near coastal areas, saltwater intrusion
usually occurs.
How does an urban ecosystem differ from a natural
ecosystem?

Urbanization is an increasing concentration of the

population in cities and a transformation of land use
and society to a metropolitan pattern of organization.
A city or urban ecosystem is a differentiated
community with a population and resource base large
enough for urban residents to specialize in arts, crafts,
services or profession rather than natural resource-
based occupations (Cunningham and Saigo, 1999).
What problems accompany urbanization?
People are pulled to urban areas of jobs, a better life, better
livelihood opportunities and better basic services. They may
also be pushed into urban areas by modern mechanical
agriculture which uses less farm labor and allow large
landowners to but out subsistent farmers who cannot afford
to modernize. Without jobs or lands, those people are forced
to move to cities. There jobs may expose to people to dust,
hazardous chemicals, excessive noise and dangerous
machinery. Problems such as pollution, garbage, flooding,
proliferation of squatters shanties, traffic congestion and
increase in the incident of communicable diseases are also
correspondingly increasing (Miller, 1994).
1. Scarcity o trees, shrubs and other natural vegetation
This is problematic because plants absorb air pollutants,
give off oxygen, help cool the air as water evaporates from
their leaves, muffle noise, provide wildlife habitats, and
give aesthetic pleasure.
2. Alternative of local and sometimes, regional climate
Generally cities are warmer, rainier, foggier, and cloudier
than suburbs and nearby rural areas.
3. Lack of water
This requires expensive reservoirs, canals and deep well.
4. Rapid runoff of water from asphalt and concrete
This can overload sewers and storm drains,
contributing to water pollution and flooding in cities
and downstream areas.
5. Production of large quantities of air pollution,
water pollution, and garbage and other solid waste
6. Excessive noise
Every day, one every nine Filipinos lives, works,
or plays around noise of sufficient duration and
intensity to cause some permanent hearing loss, and
that number is rising rapidly.