Types of Ecology

Why to Study Ecology?

• Ecology is essential in providing the

information on how the world works. It also
provides facts on the interdependence
between the natural world and people.
• A better understanding of ecological systems
can help us understand the global and
regional consequences of competition
among humans/other living organisms for
the scarce natural resources that support us.
Listed below are different types of ecology

• Behavioral Ecology
• Population Ecology
• Community Ecology
• Ecosystem Ecology
Organism /physiological/ behavioral ecology

• It focuses on how the living organisms

(animal and plants) react to biotic and
abiotic factors in their environment;
physiology, morphology and behavior.
Physiological ecology on animal focuses on
the whole-animal function and alteration to
ever-changing environments. These
alterations have a tendency to maximize the
fitness of animals (their capacity to survive
and reproduce successfully).
• The physiological processes studied are
temperature regulation, nutrition, water
and metabolism on energy and energetic
and response to environmental stresses.
• These environmental factors may include
nutrition, disease, climate variation and
toxic exposure.
• For instance, animal’s heat and mass balances
are affected by the climate thus these changes
affect how bodies regulate temperatures.
• On the other hand, physiological ecology on
plants emphasizes on understanding how
plants deal with environmental variation at
the physiological intensity, and on the
pressure of resource limitation growth,
metabolism and reproduction of individuals.
• They also deal with plants populations,
gradients and different communities and
 ecosystems.
Population ecology
• It deals with studies of structure and dynamics of
populations. That is; factors that affect population and
how and why a population varies over time. A population
ecologist studies the interrelations of organisms with their
environments by gauging properties of populations rather
than the behavior of the individual organisms.
• Among the properties of population studied is population
size, population density, patterns of dispersion,
demographics, dynamics, population growth and
restraints on growth of This ecology is vital in upkeep of
biology, particularly in the progress of PVA (population
viability analysis) which allows the forecasting of long-
term possibility of a species persevering in a particular
locale such as a national park.
Community Ecology
• This deals with the interactions between organisms that
is, the feeding relationships among species, or who helps
who, who competes with whom and for what resources
and how those interactions affect community structure
(the organization of a biological community with respect
to ecological interactions).
• Community ecologist investigates the factors influencing
community structure, biodiversity, and the distribution
and abundance of species. These factors include the
interrelations with the non living world and different
collections of interrelations that take between species.
The primary focus of community ecology is on predation,
herbivory, competition and parasitism and mutualism.
Ecosystem Ecology

• Ecosystem is a community of living organism that

is, animals, plants and microbes together with
abiotic components of their environment (such
components include things like water, air and
mineral soil) interrelating g as a system.
• The studies of ecosystem includes the study of
certain processes that link the living (biotic
components) to the non-living (abiotic
components). These components are said to be
joined together via nutrient sequences and energy
flows.
Classification of Ecology

• The classification of ecology into other

disciplines allows a detailed and
meticulous approach to all the elements
and interactions that can be registered
between living beings and their
environment.
• There are some other branches, according
to different environmental status, habitat,
taxonomy which are:
• Microbial ecology, refers to the branch of
ecology that studies microorganisms in
their natural habitat.

• Mathematical ecology: applies the

methodology of mathematical science to
address the problems arising from the
relationship of living beings with their
environment.
• It forms the basis for the formulation of
the theoretical statements of ecology.
• Ecology of recreation: It studies the ecological
relations between the human being and the
nature in the recreational context. It is of great
importance for sustainable tourism and the proper
management of natural protected areas for leisure
purposes.
• Ecology of the Landscape: It is focused in the
study of the impact that the human groups can
generate on the natural landscapes being the man
a powerful enticing agent of the physical-
ecological dynamics of its surroundings.
Habitat Ecology

• A. Aquatic Ecology
• Fresh water ecology
• Salt water ecology

• B. Terrestrial Ecology
• (I) Conservation ecology
• (II) Production ecology
• (III) System ecology
• (IV) Human ecology
• (V) Space ecology
• (VI)Radiation ecology
• (VII) Taxonomic ecology
• On the planet there are different types of
ecosystems (aquatic, natural, terrestrial,
aerial and maritime), if we unite each and
every one of the existing ecosystems, the
whole of all would be called ecosphere.
Ten Rules of Ecology
• 1. Ecology is a Science - this is a scientific discipline which aims
to understand the relationships between organisms and their
wide environment
• 2. Ecology is only understandable in the light of Evolution –
the huge diversity of organisms and the wealth of variety in
their morphologies, physiologies and behavior are all the
result of many millions of years of evolution.
• 3. Nothing happens for the “good of the species” - a common
misconception is the notion that patterns of behavior in
organisms which appear to be costly to an individual are for
the good of the species
• 4. Natural selection will favor those genes which are assessed
on to the most offspring. If the genes for suicidal behavior in
ants or early death in octopuses were good for the species but
bad for the individuals carrying them, evolution would favor
their replacement with other genes.

• 5. Models – at first glance ecology might appear

incomprehensible , millions of species each with varying
numbers and ever changing behaviors set in the context of a
structurally complex and dynamic environment. These can be
understood thru models e.g. mathematical model
• 7. Story-telling is Dangerous – in attempting to explain
ecological patterns or relationships, it is easy to slip into a
make-believe world where every observation is readily
explained by some ad hoc assertion such as the classic
“examination blunder” – polar bears are white so they are
hidden from predators in the snow

• 8. There are Hierarchies of explanations – For any observation

there is always an immediate cause that can be diagnosed.
Often the causal explanation is insufficiently informative and
we need to probe deeper to reach a fuller grasp of the
situation
• 8. There are Multiple Constraints on Organisms – the total
diversity of form, function and environmental resilience
exhibited by organisms are awe-inspiring, each individual
operates within a relatively narrow range of constraints.
Constraints fundamentally take 2 forms (1) physical and (2)
evolutionary

• 9. Chance is important – chance/local events play a critical role

in ecology. The opening of a gap in a forest canopy will have
major impact on the ecology of local fauna and flora

• 10. The Boundaries of Ecology are in the mind of the

Ecologists – mathematics, chemistry, physics, statistics and
other natural sciences are tools essential to the understanding
of ecology
Adaptation to the
Environments
The fitness of an individual will be high if that individual gives
rise to many offspring which themselves are reproductively
successful , fitness will not necessarily be maximized by
producing the most offspring – it may be better to produce
fewer, larger offspring which will have better survivorship