Module 1

Introduction to
Ecology
In the beginning, when God created the universe, the earth
was formless and desolate... and the power of God was
moving... So God made them all, and He was pleased with
what He saw.”
- Genesis Chapter 1
• Water abounds and an array of materials and
chemicals necessary to sustain life are present on
earth as well.
• The Book of Wisdom always instructs us to
observe and learn from little things which
surround us. They may seem insignificant for us,
but they convey a lesson for those wise enough
to learn it.
Specific Objectives

• At the end of the module, you should be able

to:
• Define ecology as a branch of Science and
state its importance to human
• Review the principles of Ecology
• Identify the scales of Ecology with the help of
the given diagram
Introduction

• Ecology as compared to Environmental Science?

• Environment (from the French environner: to
encircle or surround) can be defined as:
• (1) The circumstances and conditions that
surround an organism or a group of organisms.
• (2) The social and cultural conditions that affect
an individual or a community.
 Ecology can be defined as:

• Ecology (from Greek: oikos,

“household, home or house” and
logos “knowledge”) is the scientific
study of the distribution and
abundance of life and the
interactions between organisms and
their environment.
• The study of the interactions of
organisms among themselves and
with the physical environment.
 The word “ecology” is often used more loosely in such
terms as social ecology and deep ecology and in common
parlance as a synonym for the natural environment or
environmentalism.
 The term ecology or oekologie was coined by the German
biologist Ernst Haeckel in 1866, when he defined it as
“the comprehensive science of the relationship of the
organism to the environment.”
 The first textbook on the subject was written by the
Danish botanist, Eugenius Warming. Warming is often
identified as the founder of ecology.
 The Principles of Ecology

Everything is connected to everything else.

Everything must go somewhere.
Sun is the source of life.
Nature knows best.
Ours is a finite planet.
All life forms are important.
 Environmental science
can be defined as:

• Environmental science is the

systematic study of our environment and
our place in it either globally or locally, and
its living and non-living components. A
relatively new field, it is highly
interdisciplinary.
 Environmental Science
• An approach to study environmental systems.
It encompasses wide range of scientific disciplines to
better understand and manage the natural environment
and the relationship and interconnectedness of all the
organisms.
• Attempts to interpret and study the impact of human
actions on terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.
• Develop programs and strategies in restoring these
ecosystems.
impacts
impacts
impacts
 Environmental
Science
• It is inclusive and holistic, mission oriented and
implies that we all have a responsibility to get
involved and try to do something about the
problems we have created.
• It integrates information from natural sciences
which include biology, chemistry, geography,
agriculture and many other fields
• Social sciences which include economics,
political science, sociology, history, philosophy
and ethics.
• Other sciences such as mathematics, statistics,
technology, business and management, law,
religion, morality and aesthetics.
 Goals of Environmental
Science:

• To develop a sustainable world, a world in which

the supply of food, water, building materials,
clean air, and other resources can sustain human
populations to continue to exists indefinitely with
high standard of living and health.
 Goals of Environmental
Science

• To study environmental problems and issues, and

priorities regarding acceptable environmental
preservation of natural species and habitats,
freedom of nations to do as they please, within
their own potential boundaries, and issues on
the quality of life, fairness and ethics.
 Environmental Education

• Environmental education is the process

by which people develop awareness, knowledge,
and concern of the environment and its diverse
values and processes, and learn to use this
understanding to preserve , conserve and utilize
the environment in a sustainable manner for the
benefit of present and future generations.
 Resource management
and resource technology
• Resource management and resource technology
are significant features of environmental science.
Our natural resources are classified as follows:
• Non-renewable – resources that can be retrieved
from the environment once, but are not
generated.
• Renewable – resources that can be retrieved,
adjusted and manipulated such as some of our
biological resources.
• Both renewable and
non-renewable
resources can be created
or replaced. Replacement
costs more than what can
be prevent the depletion
of our resources
• Diagram illustrating the scales of ecology:
• atom  molecule  organelle  cell  tissue 
organ  organism  population  community 
ecosystem  biosphere
 Scales of Ecology
Atom – smallest
unit of an element
that still retains
the characteristic
properties of that
element.
Molecule – unit
of matter in
which two or
more atoms of
the same
element or
different ones,
are bonded
together.
Organelle – specialized part of a cell
performing one or more specific
functions.
Cell – basic living unit of all plants and
animals.
Tissue – a group
of cells and
intercellular
substances that
function together
in one or more
specialized tasks.
• Organ – part of the
body composed of
two or more tissue
types and
performing one or
more specific
functions.
• Organism – any
living thing
considered as a
whole, whether
composed one cell
or many.
• Populations - any
group of
organisms of the
same species
defined by space
and time in a
given ecosystem
Community - is
made up of all the
population of plants,
animals and
microorganisms
living and
interacting in a
given habitat
Ecosystem - any
stable environment
in which living and
non living tings
interact and which
materials are used
over and over
again.
Biosphere - is the
part of the earth
that supports life,
which includes the
top portion of
earth’s crust all the
bodies of water on
the earth surface
and the
surroundings
atmosphere
Activity 1: The e- Report

• News about the environment has now become

an important part of television and newspaper
reports. They make our people aware of what is
happening with our environment problems.
• At the end of the activity, you should be able to
write your own news report about the current
situation. Write the article you have chosen and
be sure make a comment for your article
Interpretation and Analysis of Data:

• 1. What are the important environmental facts in

your article? Give at least 3
• 2. Compare your news article with those of your
classmates. Do they have similarities/
differences? State them.
• 3. define the following terms: (1) Environmental
Science ; (2) Environment; (3) Environmental
education; (4) Science; and (5) Resources
 According to Albert Einstein:
• “Our world has become a dangerous place to live
in, not because of some people who are evil , but
because of the many people who do not do
anything about it.”

Thank You!