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Ecology is a branch of science that studies the interactions between the organism and the environment. It is studied among the four levels of the biological system which are organisms, population, Biosphere and Communities. Let’s understand more about ecology, its type, factors, components and examples.
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Keyterms: Ecology, Environment, Organisms, Population, Biosphere, Communities, Ecosystem
Ecology
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Ecology is a branch of science that deals with the study of human science, population, community, environment and biosphere. It is the study of living beings, the environment and how life forms are associated with each other and their environment. It is studied differently at different levels. These levels are- organism, population, community, biosphere, and ecosystem.
Environments portray the web or network of relations among living beings at diverse scales. Since the environment has many forms of biodiversity, scientists research everything from little microbes in nutrient recycling to the impacts of tropical rain forests on the Earth's environment. Researchers who study these intuitions are called ecologists.
Understanding life processes, adjustments and territories, interactions and biodiversity of living beings are some of the important goals of an ecologist.
Branches of Ecology
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There are two branches of Ecology:
- Autecology
- Synecology
Autecology- It is the study of ecology at the level of species. It is the study of the interactions of an individual life form or a single species with the living and nonliving components of its environment.
Synecology- It is the study of ecology at the level of communities. It is a study of the development, distribution and structure of ecological communities.
Read more:
| Chapter Related Topics | ||
|---|---|---|
| Epiphytes | Camouflage | Parasitic symbiosis |
| R factor | Pelagic zone | Marine biology |
Types of Ecology
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There are various kinds of ecology and they are given below :
- Global Ecology - Global ecology is the study of the interactions among the Earth's environments, land, air and seas.
- Landscape Ecology - It deals with the study of the exchange of vitality, materials, living beings and various other parts of the ecosystem. It also depicts the role of human impacts on the landscape structures and functions.
- Ecosystem Ecology- Ecosystem ecology is the integrated study of living and non-living components of biological systems. It also deals with their interactions inside an ecosystem.
- Community Ecology - It is the study of the function and organization of communities in between organisms.
- Population Ecology - It deals with components that change and affect the hereditary composition and the size of the population of life forms. Biologists are fascinated by the variations in a population, the development of a population and any other interactions with the population
- Organismal Ecology - Organismal ecology is the study of an individual organism’s conduct, morphology, physiology, etc. in relation to natural changes.
- Molecular Ecology - Molecular ecology is the study of the environment on the generation of proteins and how these proteins influence life forms and their environment. This happens at the molecular level. DNA shapes the proteins that are connected with the environment. These interactions give rise to a few complex living beings.
Components of Ecology
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Biotic Components
Biotic components include the living beings present in an ecosystem. For example, fish, Bacteria, animals, human beings and birds.
Abiotic Components
Abiotic components include the non-living beings present in an ecosystem. Sunlight, water, and topography are examples of abiotic components.
Importance of Ecology
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- It helps with the conservation of the environment.
- It helps in the allocation of resources.
- Proper knowledge of ecological requirements can prevent the wastage of natural resources.
- The study of ecology encourages the adoption of a lifestyle that can protect the environment.
Examples of Ecology
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Human Ecology
Human ecology focuses on the interaction of humans beings with their surrounding environment.
Niche Construction
It deals with the study of how living organisms modify the environment for the advantage of themselves and other living creatures.
Read more:
| Important Topics | ||
|---|---|---|
| Population interactions | Montreal Protocol | Commensalism |
| Ecology | Environment Protection Act 1986 | Homeostasis |
Things to Remember Based on Ecology
- Ecology is the branch of science that deals with the study of interaction among organisms and their physical (abiotic) environment.
- There are two branches of Ecology: 1. Autecology, 2. Synecology
- There are various kinds of ecologies, such as Global, Landscape, Ecosystem, Community, Population, Organismal and Molecular Ecology.
- Human beings have a great impact on the biological systems that surround them.
- Biotic components include the living beings present in a biological system. For example Fish, Bacteria, animals, human beings and birds.
- Abiotic components include the non-living beings present in a biological system, such as Sunlight, water, and topography are examples of abiotic components.
Sample Questions Based on Ecology
Ques: What is Ecology? (1 Mark)
Ans: The branch of science that focuses on the interaction among organisms and their physical environment.
Ques: What are the different types of ecology? (1 Mark)
Ans: The different types of ecology are Global ecology, landscape ecology, ecosystem ecology, population ecology, organismal ecology and Molecular Ecology.
Ques: Differentiate between abiotic and biotic components? (2 Marks)
Ans: Abiotic components include the non-living beings present in an ecosystem.
Sunlight, water, and topography are examples of abiotic components.
Biotic components include the living beings present in an ecosystem. For example, fish, Bacteria, animals, human beings and birds.
Ques: Name the importance of ecology? (2 Marks)
Ans: 1. It helps with the conservation of the environment.
- It helps in the allocation of resources.
- Proper knowledge of ecological requirements can prevent the wastage of natural resources.
- The study of ecology encourages the adoption of a lifestyle that can protect the environment.
Ques: What are the two branches of ecology? (2 Marks)
Ans: The two branches of ecology are synecology and autecology.
- Autecology is the study of ecology at the level of species. It is the study of the interactions of an individual life form or a single species with the living and nonliving components of its environment.
- Synecology is the study of ecology at the level of communities. It is a study of the development, distribution and structure of ecological communities.
Ques: What is the net primary productivity of an ecosystem? (Delhi 2008C, 1 Mark)
Ans: Net primary productivity of an ecosystem is the amount of remaining energy or biomass in a producer after analyzing the amount of its respiration.
Ques: (i) What is primary productivity? Why does it vary in different types of ecosystems?
(ii) State the relation between gross and net primary productivity. (Delhi 2014, 2 Marks)
Ans: (i) The amount of organic compound produced per unit area over a period of time by plants during photosynthesis is called primary productivity. It is expressed in terms of g2yr~1.
It depends upon different plant species present in a given ecosystem their efficiency of photosynthetic which is why it varies in different types of ecosystems. Also, the environmental factors of various nutrients vary in different ecosystems which leads to variations in primary productivity.
(ii) The relationship between gross primary productivity and net primary productivity can be given by the equation:
GPP- R= NPP
Where,
GPP = total amount of organic matter produced during photosynthesis
NPP = the same amount of organic matter (biomass) for the consumption of heterotrophs.
Ques: Mention any two reasons why the primary productivity varies in different types of ecosystems? (All India 2014, 2 Marks)
Ans: The primary productivity shows variation in different types of ecosystems because-
(i) It depends on the producers of a given ecosystem and their efficiency of photosynthetic.
(ii) It depends on various environmental factors like the availability of nutrients.
Ques: Mention some of the ecological services provided by forests? (Delhi 2015, 3 Marks)
Ans: The ecological services provided by forests are:
- It purifies the air
- They help in the cycling of nutrients.
- They provide habitat.
- They reduce the chances of droughts and floods.
- They maintain biodiversity.
Ques: What are the limitations of ecological pyramids? (All India 2015, 3 Marks)
Ans: (i) It does not take account of the same species which belongs to two or more trophic levels.
(ii) It does not accommodate the food web.
(iii) In the ecological pyramid there is no place for Saprophytes.
Ques: (i) What is an ecosystem?
(ii) Who coined the term ecosystem?
(iii) Name two major kinds of ecosystems. (All India 2017, 3 Marks)
Ans: (i) Ecosystem is a functional unit of nature where living organisms interact among themselves and also with their environment.
(ii) Sir Arthur Tansley coined the term ecosystem in 1935.
(iii) Two major type of ecosystem are-
- Terrestrial ecosystem.
- Aquatic ecosystem.
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