Ecology What is ecology & important terms Ecology is the study in biology which is concerned with plants, animals and their habitat and environment. The environment is the natural surroundings where an organism, object or community lives. Abiotic and biotic factors An abiotic factor is a non-living part of an ecosystem that shapes its environment. For example, in an environment such as the ocean the abiotic factors would be - Salinity Wind Temperature etc. On the other hand, biotic factors, are the living organisms in the environment. Using the above example of an ocean, biotic factors would include, - Seaweed Fish Coral Both abiotic and biotic factors work together to form ecosystems. Ecosystems An area where abiotic and biotic factors work together to create a habitat for organisms. There are natural and artificial ecosystems. Some natural ecosystems include - Reefs Savanna Whereas artificial ecosystems include - Zoos Botanical gardens Ecosystems can range from marine environments to deserts. Parts of an ecosystem Ecosystems include organism which are categorised into the following categories. - Primary consumers – organisms regarded as prey Producers – create their own food for example photosynthesis Tertiary consumers – the typical predators Decomposers – the organisms which break down food, bacteria, and fungi Pyramid of energy The pyramid of energy is a graphical representation of the energy lost from the stage of sunlight to the tertiary animals (predators). The most energy is at the bottom. For example, the picture above. As shown, 1 million joules of sunlight are begun with. 10’000 joules are used for producers and the rest is lost in energy transfer. So, on, each trophic is 10% of the one underneath. Biological adaptations Biological adaptations are adaptations in the organism’s body due to evolution. Evolution is a change in a species over long periods of time. Adaptations usually occur because a gene mutates or changes by accident Sometimes these mutations aid in the organism’s survival, while other times it doesn’t. Examples of biological adaptations are - Long necks in giraffes (to help them eat the leaves at the top of the tree) Seals have flippers (to navigate water) There are different types of biological adaptations. Adaptations could be of various types: 1. Structural or physical Adaptations Structural adaptations are the changes to the structure of a living organism to adapt better to an environment. These adaptations can affect an animal at many different levels and such changes are highly visible adaptations, such as long necks on giraffes. Example - Desert plants have adapted to the desert conditions where there is a very little amount of water available, and the temperature is high. Plants called succulents have adapted to the desert conditions by storing water within themselves to compensate for the lower water availability. 2. Behavioural Adaptation Behavioural adaptation is the change in the behaviour of an organism to survive better in an environment. Behavioural adaptations are not easy to identify nor are they very common. Example - Migration- bird migrates to the south in winter as there is more food available, but some birds also do migrate for the purpose of reproduction. 3. Physiological Adaptations Physiological adaptations are a body process that helps an organism survive/reproduce better in an environment. These adaptations could be the different ways in which an organism responds to the environment. Example - An animal which is living in cold regions will have features like thick fur and short ears to reduce the heat loss. The physiological adaptation here is the shivering to generate more heat when it gets cold. 4. Coadaptation Co-adaptation when two or more species are symbiotically bound to each other for their survival and adapt together, it is called co-adaptation. Example - Humming birds have long beaks which helps the bird capture nectar from specific plants during which it gets dusted with pollen grains. In this way, the pollen grains are distributed, and the hummingbirds get their food. Food chains Carbon cycle
