Organisms and the Environment

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LEVELS OF ECOLOGICAL ORGANISATION Levels of ecological organisation Producer, consumer, population, community, habitat, niche, food chain, food web, trophic level, ecosystem and biome.

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Your preparation of this topic should enable you to Define, with examples, the terms: Producer, consumer, population, community, habitat, niche, food chain, food web, trophic level, ecosystem and biome.

Indicate the relationships between the terms

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Organisms
Living things Composed of cells (membrane, cytoplasm, genetic material,

ribosome)

Features of organisms Feed, respire, reproduce, move, excrete, grow, detect environment

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Environment The complete range of physical and biological conditions where organisms live.
(These conditions are external to the organism)

includes soil, climate, atmosphere, water, chemicals, food, etc., includes other organisms with which the primary organism interacts

whether the interaction is beneficial or detrimental.

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Environment the multiplicity of factors in the surroundings of an organism which affect its existence.

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http://jonathanmpelleg.com/company/environment.jpg

temp, precipitation, humidity, ph, climate, chemicals

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both benefit

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Ecology

From Greek Oikos meaning the family household and Logy meaning the study of

Study of the Biotic and Abiotic environment of an organism. Study of the interactions between an organism and its environment.

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ECOLOGY Study of the relationships or interactions of living organisms with each other and their physical (non-living) surroundings.
Aphids in colony

Biotic:
Host plant Siblings Wasp Ants Beetle Grubs Fly Larvae
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Abiotic:
Temperature Humidity Wind Rainfall

Organisms in an environment, may be organized into 1. Populations 2. Communities 3. Ecosystems 4. Biomes

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A species is a group of individuals that

resemble each other closely (share morphological features) Morphological Concept can successfully inter-breed with each other and are reproductively isolated from other such groups Biological Concept share a common ancestor and share gene pool among themselves but not with other groups Phylogenetic/Evolutionary Concept

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Population A group of organisms of one species which occupy a defined area at a particular time and are usually isolated to some degree from other similar groups (of the same species). the individuals of a particular species in an area at a specific time individuals in a population therefore share a common gene pool, interbreed
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Community a group of organisms of different species that coexist in the same area or habitat and interact through feeding (trophic) and spatial relationships.

all the organisms in a particular area at a given time Biotic part of the environment
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Ecosystem a community of organisms (biotic) along with the physical (abiotic) components that form their surroundings. the interdependence of living things with one another, and their physical environment. a natural unit of living and non-living parts that interact to produce a stable system in which the exchange of materials between living and non-living parts cycles
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Ecosystem takes into consideration the biogeochemical cycling of nutrients the flow of energy via food chains or webs Both biotic and abiotic components of an ecosystem consist of matter and energy. Anything that living organisms do will depend on the utilization of energy

Energy is the force/means which allows a body to do work while utilizing matter or radiation.
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Ecosystems vary, eg.

An old tyre in which water has collected for some time an ephemeral pond a lake an ocean a forest a desert

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Abiotic components

include soil, water and climate.

Soil and water contain a mixture of inorganic and organic chemicals, including nutrients. Climate includes light, temperature, humidity, rain, etc.

The connections between different organisms and their abiotic environment is important especially in terms of energy flow and biogeochemical cycling.
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Biotic components

Organisms: either autotrophic or heterotrophic.

Autotrophs mainly use CO2 carbon source They produce energy using solar radiation or various energy sources (like oxidation of H2S, NO2or NH3. Photoautotrophs, Chemoautotrophs. Manufacture own food (energy storage compound) using this energy and C (from CO2) and H2O. Then manufacture other structural & metabolic organic compounds Cellular respiration to obtain energy stored in food.
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Heterotrophs depend on autotrophs for their food supply and thus their existence.
Both energy and metabolic compounds are manufactured from organic material obtained from autotrophs. Cellular respiration to obtain energy stored in food Relationships between autotrophs and heterotrophs are important in understanding food chains and food webs and the movement of energy and nutrients within ecosystems. Next Lecture.
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Biome Grouping of many similar ecosystems throughout the world. a large, easily differentiated community unit arising as a result of complex interactions of climate, other physical factors and biotic factors. Distinctive, broad, terrestrial ecosystems of plants and animals that occur over wide geographical areas within a specific climatic regions.
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Characterized by temperature, precipitation, soil nutrients, vegetation, fauna

Biome Temperate Evergreen/ Taiga/ Boreal Forest Tropical Rain Forest Climate Largest. Northern. Severe winters. Little rainfall. Conifers (evergreen) & deciduous (shed leaves) trees Bears wolves rodents insects High rainfall. High temp. Little sunlight on floor Evergreen angiosperms. Epiphytes Insects reptiles amphibians birds Seasonal rainfall. High temp throughout Tropical grassland. Scattered trees Many large herbivores in herds Low rainfall, temp varies greatly throughout day Perennials, flowering annuals, xerophytes Small reptiles, insects, small mammals
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Savannah

Desert

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http://earth.rice.edu/mtpe/bio/biosphere/topics/biomes/biomes_map_final.gif

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Population ecology Study of the number of organisms inhabiting the ecosystem at a particular point in time how the populations are maintained how the populations grow how and why they increase or decline

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Population dynamics considers: how and why population sizes change over time characteristics of the population such as

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birth rate (natality) numbers of offspring produced per female per unit time sex ratio death rate (mortality) numbers of individual of a species that die per unit time survivorship age structure/ life stages emigration / immigration.
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Population increases are influenced by

birth rate immigration adequate food supply other favourable factors

Population decreases are influenced by death rate emigration competition food shortage pest, parasites, pathogens

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K= carrying capacity = largest population that can be maintained for an indefinite period in the environment as it currently is.

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http://www.bio.miami.edu/~cmallery/150/handouts/c8.53x12.sigmoid.jpg

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J-shaped when organisms enter a new environment, the population density increases exponentially. The larger the population the faster it grows Can t be sustained in the wild; Growth stops abruptly due to environmental resistance (e.g. seasonality) or some other factor (e.g. the end of the breeding phase). Numbers fluctuate greatly.
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S-shaped when organisms enter a new environment, the population density of an organism increases slowly initially, then gradually accelerates then increases exponentially, then decelerates until at zero growth rate the population stabilizes. Growth depends on density.
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Density = the number of individuals of a species per unit area or volume at a particular time. Dispersion = spacing of individuals in the population relative to each other

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individuals are concentrated in particular areas of the habitat due to

the distribution of resources antipredatory behavior family grouping asexual reproduction

Variance : mean ratio >1

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individuals are evenly spaced in a habitat due to

aggression territoriality severe competition

Variance : mean ratio < 1

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spacing of individuals in the habitat is unrelated to the presence of others Variance : mean ratio = 1

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R Selectors/ Strategist
high population growth rate organisms are relatively small, mature early, high fecundity, little or no parental care, short life span.

K Selectors/ Strategist
population maintained at carrying capacity organisms are relatively large, slow development, late reproduction, low fecundity, parental care, long life span.

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http://www.bio.miami.edu/dana/pix/survivorship.gif

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Type I survivorship curves are for species that have a high survival rate of the young, live out most of their expected life span and high mortality in old age. eg. Humans Type II survivorship curves are for species that have a relatively constant death rate throughout their life span. Death could be due to hunting or diseases. Eg. squirrels, honey bees, reptiles. Type III survivorship curves are found in species that have many young, most of which die very early in their life. Eg. Plants, oysters, sea urchins
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