ECOLOGY OF LIFE

ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING

Esmundo, Silver Mae Concepcion, Lara Louise

Broncano, Jefferson Figuracion, Bohn Eugene
Cenidoza Jr., Fernando
What is Ecology?

Ecology is the scientific study of interactions

between organisms and their environments,
focusing on energy transfer. It is the study of the
distributions, abundance, share affects, and
relations of organisms and their interactions with
each other in a common environment.
Ecology of Life
 Environment
The conditions that surround someone or something and influences and affects
growth, health, progress, etc. the environment is made up of two factors; biotic and abiotic
factors.
Biotic Factors- all living organisms that inhabit the Earth.
Abiotic Factors- non-living parts of the environment that includes: temperature, soil,
light, moisture and air currents.
 Ecosystem
An ecosystem consists of all organisms living in a particular area, as well as non-
living, physical components of the environment with which the organism interact, such as soil,
water, air and sunlight.
 Ecology of Life
• Any unicellular or multicellular form exhibiting all the characteristics of life, an
individual.
ORGANISM • The lowest level of organization.

• A group of organisms of one species living in the same at the same time that
interbreed and compete with each other for resources (ex. Food, mates, habitat).
POPULATION

• Several interacting populations that inhabit a common environment and are

interdependent.
COMMUNITY

• Populations in a community and the abiotic factors with which they

interact. Examples, marine and terrestrial.
ECOSYSTEM

• Life supporting portions of Earth composed of air, land, fresh water and salt
BIOSPHERE water.
Ecology of Life
Habitat vs. Niche
 Habitat – the place in which an organism lives. Like an address.
 Niche –the role a specie plays in a community. Like a job.
 Limiting Factor – any abiotic or biotic factor that restricts the existence of an organism in
a specific environment.
 A niche is determined by the tolerance limitations of an organism or a limiting factor.
Ecology of Life
Feeding Relationship
There are three types of feeding relationship.
1. Producers – Consumer
2. Predator – Prey
3. Parasite – Host
Producers (autotrophs)
Bottom of the food chain.
Consumer (heterotrophs)
Herbivores, carnivores, omnivores, decomposers.
Ecology of Life
Symbiotic Relationships
 Symbiosis – two species living together.
Three types of symbiosis:
1. Commensalism
One species benefits and the other is neither harmed nor helped.
2. Parasitism
One species benefits (parasite) and the other is harmed (host).
3. Mutualism
Beneficial to both species.
Ecology of Life
Trophic Levels
 Each link in a food chain is known as a trophic level. Trophic levels represent a feeding
step in the transfer of energy and matter in an ecosystem.
 Biomass – the amount of organic matter comprising a group of organisms in a habitat.
Energy is transferred upwards but is diminished with each transfer.
 Food chain – a model that shows the relationship between the consumer and the producers
and how the energy can be transferred from one consumer to another consumer.
 Food web – shows all possible feeding relationships in a community at each trophic level.
A representation of an interconnected food chains.
Fig 1. Trophic Levels
Fig. 2 Food Chain Fig. 3 Food Web
Ecology of Life
Nutrient Cycle
 The cycle maintains hemeostasis (balance) in the environment.
There are three cycles to know:
1. Water cycle
Evaporation, transpiration, condensation, precipitation.
2. Carbon cycle
Photosynthesis and respiration cycle carbon and oxygen through the environment.
3. Nitrogen cycle
Atmospheric nitrogen makes up nearly 78% - 80% of air. Organisms can’t use it in
that form. Lightning and bacteria convert nitrogen into usable forms. Only in certain bacteria
and industrial technologies can fix nitrogen.
Fig. 4 Water Cycle
Fig. 5 Carbon Cycle
Fig 6. Nitrogen Cycle
Ecology of Life
Nutrient Cycle – Nitrogen Cycle
Nitrogen cycle
Nitrogen fixation – convert the atmospheric nitrogen into ammonium which
can be used to make organic compounds like amino acids.
Nitrogen-fixing bacteria: Some live in a symbiotic relationship with plants of
the legume family (soybeans, clover, peanuts). Some nitrogen-fixing bacteria lives in free soil.
Nitrogen-fixing cyanobacteria are essential to maintain the fertility of semi-aquatic
environments like rice paddies.
 Ecology of Life

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We hope you learned something
from us.
God bless!