Ecology is the study of the relationships among

organisms and the relationship between them

and their surroundings.
 Basic concepts of Ecology
The word ecology derived from the Greek word 'Oikos meaning habitation /
house, and logos meaning to study, implies a study of habitations of organisms.
Ecology was first described as a sepearate field of knowledge in 1866 by the
German Zoologist Ernst Haeckel, who invented the word Ecology for 'the relation of
the animal to its organic as well as its inorganic environment, particularly its friendly
or hoslite relations to those animals or plants with which it comes in contact.
Ancient Greek philosophers such as Hippocrates and Aristotle laid the
foundations of ecology in their studies on natural history. Modern ecology
transformed into a more rigorous science in the late 19th century. 
Ecology is not synonymous with environment, environmentalism, natural
history, or environmental science. It is closely related to evolutionary biology, 
genetics, and ethology. An understanding of how biodiversity affects ecological
function is an important focus area in ecological studies. Ecologists seek to explain:
• Life processes, interactions and adaptations
• The movement of materials and energy through living communities
• The successional development of ecosystems
• The abundance and distribution of organisms and biodiversity in the context of
the environment.
 Basic concepts of Ecology
Ecology is a human science as well. There are many practical applications of
ecology in conservation biology, wetland management,natural resourcem
anagement (agroecology, agriculture, forestry, agroforestry, fisheries), city
planning (urban ecology), community health, economics, basic and applied
science, and human social interaction (human ecology).

For example, the Circles of Sustainability approach treats ecology as more

than the environment 'out there'. It is not treated as separate from humans.
Organisms (including humans) and resources compose ecosystems which, in
turn, maintain biophysical feedback mechanisms that moderate processes
acting on living (biotic) and non-living (abiotic) components of the planet.
Ecosystems sustain life-supporting functions and produce natural capital like
biomass production (food, fuel, fiber and medicine), the regulation of climate,
global biogeochemical cycles, water filtration, soil formation, erosion control,
flood protection and many other natural features of scientific, historical,
economic, or intrinsic value.
 ECOLOGICAL PRINCIPLES
• Protection of species and species subdivisions will
conserve genetic diversity
• Maintaining habitat is fundamental to conserving species
• Large areas usually contain more species than smaller
areas with similar habitat
• All things are connected but the nature and strengths of
those connections vary
• Disturbances shape the characteristics of populations,
communities, and ecosystems
• Climate influences terrestrial, freshwater and marine
ecosystems
 SCOPE OF ECOLOGY
Ecology has a wide scope of coverage and is
significant in many fields such as range, forest
and game managements; agriculture – livestock
raising; fish culture; conservation of land and
its products (minerals, soil, vegetation, water);
space ecology; problems of increasing
population; pollution; urbanization; town
planning; disaster mitigation.
 SUBDIVISIONS OF ECOLOGY
There are two artificial divisions AUTECOLOGY and
SYNECOLOGY
• AUTECOLOGY:
This is the study of interrelations of individual organisms with
the environment or environmental physiology or ecophysiology
or ecophysiological ecology. It is the level of integration
between the environment and the individual. It is experimental
(field and laboratory).
• SYNECOLOGY:
The study of groups of organisms i.e. community. It is
descriptive but also can be experimental with the aid of tools
such as computer and radioactive tracers. It is subdivided into
aquatic and terrestrial; Terrestrial includes Desert, Grassland,
Forest and Aquatic includes Freshwater, Brackish and Marine
water.
• Habitat:
1. It is a specific place or locality where a
community resides.
2. A habitat has a number of niches.
3. Habitat supports a number of species.
4. A number of environmental variables occur in a
habitat.
5. A species does not change its habitat.
• Niche:
1. It is an ecological component of habitat which is
delimited by functioning of an organism.
2. A niche does not have components.
3. Niche supports a single species.
4. Niche has a specific set of environmental
regimes.
5. A species may live in more than one niche in
different stages of its life cycle.
 Habitat
A habitat
is the
home or
location
where an
organism
lives.
 Habitat

In a habitat, an
organism must find
-food
-water
-shelter
-space
 Habitat Size
•Habitats can
be very small
•A barnacle’s
habitat is a
tiny place on a
rock, shell,
boat, or even a
whale.
 Habitat Size
•Habitats can be
very large.
• Polar bears
habitat covers
the annual sea
ice and they can
be found 200
miles offshore.
 Niche
•A niche is an
organism’s role
(job) in the
ecosystem
•It includes what
it eats, where it
lives, and what it
does.
What is the niche of a beaver?
 A beaver’s niche in the ecosystem
• cutting down trees includes:
• building a dam to flood
an area and make a
pond
• building a lodge to live
in
• raising a family of
beavers
• chewing bark and
 Niche
•No two species
can occupy the
exact same
niche, because
no two species
do the exact
same thing.
 Niche

•If they do, or try

to, one will do it
better and the
other will have
to change or
become extinct.
 Red-Tailed Hawk & Barred Owl

•Birds of prey
•Live in forests
on the edge of
fields
•Eat mice and
other rodents
•Nest in trees
Red-Tailed Hawk Barred Owl
“The ecological niche of an
organism depends not only on
where it lives but also on what
it does. By analogy, it may be
said that the habitat is the
organism's ‘address’, and the
niche is its ‘profession’,
biologically speaking.”

Odum - Fundamentals of Ecology

 Habitat vs. Niche
Niche - the role a species plays in
a community (job)

Habitat- the place in which an

organism lives out its life
(address)
 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.
HABITATE