Ecology

What is ecology?
Ecology- the scientific study of

interactions between organisms
and their environments,
focusing on energy transfer.
• It is a science of relationships.
Organism- any unicellular or
multicellular form exhibiting all of the
characteristics of life, an individual.
•The lowest level of organization
What do you mean by environment?
The environment is made up of two
factors:
Biotic factors- all living organisms

inhabiting the Earth
Abiotic factors- nonliving parts of
the environment (i.e. temperature,
soil, light, moisture, air currents)
HABITAT
The area where the organism live is called as
Habitat.
Population-a group of organisms of
one species living in the same place
at the same time that interbreed
and compete with each other for
resources
Community- several interacting
populations (different species) that
inhabit a common environment and
are interdependent.
Ecosystem- populations in a
community and the environment with
which they interact.
Biosphere- life supporting portions
of Earth composed of air, land,
fresh water, and salt water.
•The highest level of organization
Habitat vs. Niche
A niche is determined by the
tolerance limitations of an
organism, or a limiting factor.
Limiting factor- any biotic or

abiotic factor that restricts the
existence of organisms in a
specific environment.
Energy flow
• Ecosystems maintain themselves by cycling energy and
nutrients.
• Primary producer (plants, algae, and some bacteria) use
solar energy to produce organic plant material through
photosynthesis.
• Herbivores—animals that feed solely on plants—make up
the second trophic level. (Primary consumer)
• Predators that eat herbivores comprise the third trophic
level. (Secondary consumer)
• Organisms that feed at several trophic levels (for example,
grizzly bears that eat berries and salmon) are classified at
the highest of the trophic levels at which they feed
• Decomposers, which include bacteria, fungi, molds, worms,
and insects, break down wastes and dead organisms and
return nutrients to the soil.
Energy Losses
1. Lost as heat energy.
2. Only some portions of the
organism will be eaten. If
it’s a plant, then roots
might not be eaten.
3. Not all are digested.
Food chain : The sequence by which energy is
passed from plant to animal and then to
another animal
• Food web:
Name of the organism and Trophic level
+
Trophic Levels
• The number of organisms in the

food chain is represented as
pyramid.
• Each level in the pyramid is called

as trophic level.
• Pyramid shape is because there is
less energy available as the
trophic levels go up.
Trophic Levels
Biomass- the amount of organic matter
comprising a group of organisms in a
habitat.
• As you move up a food chain, both

available energy and biomass
decrease.
• Energy is transferred upwards but is
diminished with each transfer.
• Most organisms feed at more than one
trophic level.
Pyramid of Numbers
1. The pyramidal representation of
trophic levels of different organisms
based on their ecological position
[producer to final consumer]
2. The length of each bar represents the

total number of individuals or biomass
or energy at each trophic level in an
ecosystem.
The pyramid is this
shape because one
tree may provide food
for many
A
Energy efficiency
NUTRIENT CYCLES
Decomposers
• Decomposers are organisms that break
down dead or decaying organism.
• Decomposers release substances from dead
organism,so that it cn be used by lving
organisms – Carbon, Nitrogen
Nutrient Cycles
Cycling maintains homeostasis

(balance) in the environment.
•3 cycles to investigate:
1. Water cycle
2. Carbon cycle
3. Nitrogen cycle
Water cycle-
•Evaporation, transpiration,
condensation, precipitation
Evaporation accounts for the movement
of water to the air from sources such as the
soil, waterbodies. Transpiration accounts
for the movement of water within a plant
and the subsequent loss of water as vapor
through stomata in its leaves.
condensation, which is the process by

which water vapor is changed back into
liquid water. Then, water
becomes precipitation, which is water
falling from the clouds as rain,
Water cycle-
Carbon cycle-
•Photosynthesis and respiration

cycle carbon and oxygen through
the environment.
Carbon cycle-
Nitrogen cycle-
Atmospheric nitrogen (N2) makes up nearly
78%-80% of air.
Organisms can not use it in that form.
Lightning and bacteria convert nitrogen into
usable forms.
Changing nitrogen gas to more reactive
form is called nitrogen fixation.
Nitrogen cycle-
Only in certain bacteria and industrial
technologies can fix nitrogen.
Nitrogen fixation-convert atmospheric
nitrogen (N2) into Ammonium (NH4+) or
as Ammonia - NH3 or as Nitrates-
NO3- which can be used to make
organic compounds like amino acids.
LIGHTNING
• Lightning makes some of the nitrogen gas
in the air to combine with oxygen to reduce
nitrogen oxides.
• They are dissolved in rain and are washed
into soil to form nitrates.
ARTIFICIAL FERTILIZERS
• Nitrogen and hydrogen can be made to react
in industrial chemical process to form
ammonia.
• This can in turn be used to produce nitrates
Nitrogen cycle-
Nitrogen-fixing
bacteria:
Some live in a
symbiotic
relationship with
plants of the legume
family (rhizobium).
• Nitrifying bacteria
– Nitrosomonas bacteria first

convert nitrogen gas to nitrite (NO2-).
– Nitrobacter convert nitrite to nitrate (NO3-), a
plant nutrient.
– Plants absorb ammonium and nitrate during the
assimilation process, after which they are
converted into nitrogen-containing organic
molecules, such as amino acids and DNA.
• Denitrifying bacteria (eg - Thiobacillus
denitrificans)
– They are capable of
performing denitrification as part of
the nitrogen cycle.
– They metabolize nitrogenous compounds using
the enzyme nitrate reductase,
turning nitrates back to nitrogen gas.
Atmospheric Nitrogen Cycle
Lightning nitrogen
Denitrification
by bacteria
Animals
Nitrogen
fixing bacteria
Plants
Decomposers
Ammonium Nitrification Nitrites Nitrates

by bacteria
Population Size
• Birth and Death Rate
– Either the organisms in the
population die or migrate
– A population increases if there is
more birth rate than death rate.
Curve of growth.
Limiting factors
• The factor that stops the population from
getting any bigger is called limiting factor.
• Environmental factors:
– Food Supply
– Number of nest sites
– Number of predators
• Reasons for Growth
– Increase in food supply
– Improved water supply
– Sewage treatment
– General standards of cleanliness
– Immunization
– Antibiotics

Ecology

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What is ecology?

Ecology- the scientific study of

Biotic factors- all living organisms

Limiting factor- any biotic or

• The number of organisms in the

• Each level in the pyramid is called

• As you move up a food chain, both

2. The length of each bar represents the

Cycling maintains homeostasis

condensation, which is the process by

•Photosynthesis and respiration

– Nitrosomonas bacteria first

Ammonium Nitrification Nitrites Nitrates

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