ELEMENTS OF ECOLOGY AND TYPES OF HABITAT

Ecology is the study of the interactions of living organisms with their environment. Within
the discipline of ecology, researchers work at four specific levels, sometimes discretely and
sometimes with overlap. These levels are organism, population, community, and ecosystem.
In ecology, ecosystems are composed of dynamically-interacting parts, which include
organisms, the communities they comprise, and the non-living (abiotic) components of their
environment. Ecosystem processes, such as primary production, pedogenesis (the formation
of soil), nutrient cycling, and various niche construction activities, regulate the flux of energy
and matter through an environment. These processes are sustained by organisms with specific
life-history traits. The variety of organisms, called biodiversity, which refer to the differing
species, genes, and ecosystems, enhances certain ecosystem services.
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 Eco physiology. 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.
Through the concept of Tansley (1935) the divergence between autecology and synecology
were brought together. The concept states that “all organisms are interacting with one another
and also with the abiotic elements of their environment in an interrelated system. This means
that organisms and environment form a reciprocating system. There is a give and take
between these two systems with the action or inaction of one system having impact on the
other system.

Living Things and the Environment

Despite their tremendous diversity, all organisms have the same basic needs: Energy and
matter. These must be obtained from the environment. Therefore, organisms are not closed
systems. They depend on and are influenced by their environment.
The environment of an organism includes two types of factors: Biotic and Abiotic.
Biotic factors are the living aspects of the environment. They consist of other organisms,
including members of the same and different species.
Abiotic factors are the nonliving aspects of the environment. They include factors such as
sunlight, soil, temperature, and water.
Ecology typically focuses on the living world at and above the level of the individual
organism. These levels are illustrated and defined as follows:
 A population consists of all the individual organisms of the same species that live
and interact in the same area. For example, all of the angelfish living in the same area of the
ocean make up the angelfish population.
  A community refers to all of the populations of different species that live and interact
in the same area. The aquatic community that includes the angelfish also includes the
populations of other species of fish, corals, and many other organisms.
 An ecosystem includes all the living things in a given area, together with the
nonliving environment. The nonliving environment includes abiotic factors such as water,
minerals, and sunlight.
 A biome is a group of similar ecosystems with the same general type of physical
environment anywhere in the world. Terrestrial biomes are generally delineated by climate
and major types of vegetation. Examples of terrestrial biomes include tropical rainforests
and deserts. Aquatic biomes are generally defined by the distance from shore and the depth
of water. Examples of aquatic biomes include the shallow water near shore (littoral zone)
and the deepest water at the bottom of a body of water (benthic zone).
 The biosphere includes every part of Earth where life exists, including all the land,
water, and air where living things can be found. The biosphere is the largest ecological
category and consists of many different biomes.

Basic Ideas in Ecology

A number of concepts and principles are basic to the study of ecology. They include the
ecosystem, niche, habitat, and competitive exclusion principle.

Ecosystem
The ecosystem is one of the most important concepts in ecology and often the focus of
ecological studies. It consists of all the biotic and abiotic factors in an area and their
interactions. While an ecosystem is a real system in nature, it is often artificially delineated
by researchers. For example, depending on an ecologist’s research focus, a lake could be
considered an ecosystem, but so could a dead log, like the one in Figure 24.2.5. Both the lake
and the log contain a variety of species that interact with each other and with abiotic factors.

Niche
One of the most important concepts associated with ecosystems is the niche. A niche refers to
the role of a species in its ecosystem. It includes all the ways that the species interacts with
the biotic and abiotic factors of the ecosystem. Two important aspects of any species’ niche
are its sources of energy and nutrients and how it obtains them. For example, the jumping
spider is a Carnivore (meat eater) that obtains food by preying on insects such as flies.

Habitat
Another fundamental aspect of a species’ niche is its habitat. The habitat is the natural
environment in which a species lives and to which it is adapted. A species’ habitat includes
any factors of the environment including both biotic and abiotic factors that are related
directly or indirectly to the use of the environment by the species. There are three major types
of habitat:
Aquatic habitat: the word ‘aqua’ translates to water, hence; this habitat simply depicts the
water environment like lakes, rivers, ponds and wetlands. Several factors influence the kinds
of living organisms found in the aquatic habitat. These factors include the temperature of the
water and how much it changes, availability of nutrients in the water and the degree of
movement or flow of water. These habitats are broadly classified into two types:

Freshwater Habitats: These include rivers, lakes, streams, ponds, and wetlands. They are
characterized by low salt content and are home to species such as fish, amphibians, insects,
algae, and various plant species adapted to freshwater.

Marine Habitats: These include oceans, seas, estuaries, and coral reefs. Marine habitats have
higher salt content and support diverse life forms, such as fish, crustaceans, coral, seaweed,
marine mammals, and more.

Terrestrial habitat: This habitat refers to the land environment. This can be further
subdivided to forests, grasslands and deserts. Terrestrial habitat can also include habitats that
are made by man (artificial) such as houses, farms, tents, towns, cities etc. Also, we have
some of these artificial or man-made habitats that are under the Earth-like caves and mines.
Several factors influence the kind of plants and animals that grow and thrive in the terrestrial
habitat. Such factors include the temperature of the environment, the humidity of the
environment (i.e. the amount of moisture in that environment; in the soil or that comes down
as rain or snow), availability of nutrients in the soil and the degree of flooding in that
environment. This habitat is for all organisms that can survive on land. Examples of such
organisms are human beings (just like you!), dogs, goats, camels, donkeys, lions, cactus
plant, pawpaw trees, mango trees etc. Some of these organisms live either on the ground or
under the ground. Dogs, lions, human beings, camels, donkeys etc. live on the ground, while
ants live under the ground but still move on the ground too.

Arboreal habitat:
‘Arbor’ is a Latin word for trees; therefore, this habitat refers to habitat within trees. It can be
at the roots, the canopies, the branches etc. Arboreal basically refers to animals that live
mostly or exclusively in trees. Examples of such animals include monkeys, ants, birds,
rodents, parrots, chameleons, geckos, tree snakes and several insects.