Ecology is derived from the Greek words “oikos” meaning house and “logos” meaning the study of. It is the scientific study of the interrelationship of plants and
animals and the environment.
This word in recent years has been misused as a synonym for environment.
Ecology includes wildlife management, agriculture, forestry, pollution control and conservation.
Ecological Classification of Organisms
Autotrophs (“self-nourishers or producers”). These are mainly green plants which manufacture their own food from carbon dioxide, water, mineral and sunlight.
Heterotrophs are organisms which lack metabolic machinery to
synthesize their own food and must obtain it from other sources.
Classification of Heterotrophs
Herbivores – plant eater
Carnivores – predators / animals eater
Omnivores – eat both plants and animals
Scavengers – eat large dead organisms
Decomposer – smaller heterotrophs that feed on dead organisms
Parasites – eat living organisms but unlike predators, they do not devour their hosts at one
IMPORTANT TERMS IN ECOLOGY
Ecosystem refers to an area whose chemical, physical and biological traits and forms of energy present, like air, water and soil including the organisms big and small are interrelating in a natural way showing specific characteristics that distinguish the area from adjacent communities. It is a community of living things in an area at a given time, where the environment affects the growth and development of living things. An ecosystem is a life support system in equilibrium.
Community is the term applied
to the assemblage of organisms Biomes refers to the most extensive communities
which occupy a wide
geographic area
Conservation is the planed and wise use of water, forest and
other natural resources so that they will not be wasted.
Recycling means using something more than once, either just the way it is, or treated and made into something else.
Pollution is the contamination of air, water or soil by
material that can injure health, the quality of life or the working of the
ecosystem.
Deforestation means the cutting down of most of the trees from forested land so that the land can be use for another purpose.
Reforestation means plating new trees in the place where other trees have been but down.
Groundwater is the water that flows in the spaces between soil
particles and tocks this up plies water for wells and springs.
Fossil fuel is anything that
comes from once living matter deep in the earth such as coal, gas and oil.
Endangered species refers to organisms whose population is so
reduced that they are threatened with extinction.
Extinction is the complete disappearance of a species of a plant or animal from the earth.
Causes of Extinction
1.
Environmental change
2.
Human activities such as hunting, fishing and
clearing of lands and forests.
3. Pollution
Pollution is the addition of chemical, physical or biological agent into the air, water or soil in an amount or rate that threatens human health, wildlife and plants or disrupts the orderly functioning of the environment. The main pollutants are industrial wastes and plastics.
Biodegradable are substances which can be broken down by the decomposing action of living organisms like bacteria.
Non-Biodegradable are substances that cannot be broken down by decomposers. They are pollutants like plastics and other man made chemicals
Ozone Depletion. The zone layer protects the earth from too much radiation of the sun. When ozone layer is destroyed, the ultraviolets rays coming through pose great health risk to people and other living organisms on earth.
Global warming is the increase in earths temperature due to a build up of certain gases in the atmosphere.
Greenhouse effect is the warming of the earth caused by
certain gases that form a blanket in the atmosphere high over the earth.
Compost heap is a pile of food scraps and yard wastes broken down by worms, tiny insects and other microorganisms which can be used to enrich the soil.
Acid rain refers to the rainfall with a pH less than 5.6 in a measuring scale that runs from 0-14. Pollutants and other emissions coming from industrial and electric plants increase acidification. The usual sources of acid rain are electricity generating plants and large burning of coal and oil.
El Niño is the term applied to the change in the circulation of pacific currents caused by the dropping of pressure in the giant high pressure system centered near East Pacific of South America. This brings warmer weather on certain areas and colder weater to other areas in the circulation of the Pacific currents. This phenomenon seems to occur every 4-7 years which brings drought to affected areas. This is named after the Child Jesus, as at this occurs often on Christmas season.
La Niña is the opposite of El Niño. This brings heavy
torrential rains on affected
areas.
Sustainable Development is the term applied to the idea od
securing the need of the present but without compromising the ability of the
future generations to meet their own needs.