1. What is Ecology?

2. Origin of the word…”ecology”
 Greek origin
 OIKOS = household
 LOGOS = study of…
 Study of the “house/environment” in which
we live.

3. Ecology is study of interactions between
 non-living components in the environment…
 light
 water
 wind
 nutrients in soil
 heat
 solar radiation
 atmosphere, etc.
AND…

4.  Living organisms…
 Plants
 Animals
 microorganisms in soil, etc.

5. To study Ecology involves…
 For non-living
(abiotic)
 Climatology
 Hydrology
 Oceanography
 Physics
 Chemistry
 Geology
 soil analysis, etc.
 For living
(biotic)
 animal
behavior
 Taxonomy
 Physiology
 mathematics
(population
studies)
 etc.

6. Ecology…
 views each locale as an integrated
whole of interdependent parts that
function as a unit.
tundra
caribou

7. The interdependent parts are…

8.  Nonliving
 dead organic
matter
 nutrients in the
soil and water.
 Producers
 green plantsTundra

9.  Consumers
 herbivores and
carnivores
 Decomposers
 fungi and
bacteria
Tundra
Caribou

10. ECOLOGY:
Levels of Organization
- a hierarchy of organization
in the environment

11. Levels of organization - Terms
 Biosphere
 Surface of the earth
 Composed of many ecosystems
 Ecosystem
 Large or small as we decide
 Backyard, O’Melveney Park, Hedge along Room
110, etc.

12. Levels of organization - Terms
 Population – one species live in one place at one time
 Community – All populations (diff. species) that live
in a particular area.

13. Levels of organization - Terms
 Habitat – physical location of community
 Organism – simplest level of organization

14.  Very complex
 Can contain 100’s to 1000’s of interacting
species.

15. THEN…
Ecology is an integrated and
dynamic study of the environment.

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