ECOLOGICAL CONCEPTS

Ecology is the study of the environment, and helps us understand how organisms live
with each other in unique physical environments. Ecology is that part of biology that
examines the abundance and distribution of organisms, and the interrelationships
between organisms and their environment. Ecologists seek to utilize existing and new
information to understand and preserve the ability of Earth to sustain all forms of life
(including humans). Ecological concepts change somewhat over time based on new
findings and/or on new interpretations of old data. The distribution and abundance of
organisms on Earth is shaped by both biotic and abiotic factors. Ecology is studied at
many levels, including organism, population, community, ecosystem, and biosphere.
 The population and community levels of ecological organization contain only
biotic factors. A community is all of the populations of different species that live in the
same area and interact with one another. A community is composed of all of the biotic
factors of an area.
The simple standard biological organisation scheme, from the lowest level to the highest
level, is as follows:

For levels smaller than atoms see Subatomic particle, for levels larger than Biosphere or Ecosphere, see Earth’s
location in the universe.
 Most ecosystems characteristically possess a well-defined soil, climate, flora
and fauna (or communities) and have their own potential for adaptation, change and
tolerance. The functioning of any ecosystem involves a series of cycles, example: the
water cycle and the cycles of various nutrients.
Soil: Soils are the environment in which seeds grow. They provide heat, nutrients,
and water that are available for use to nurture plants to maturity. These plants form together
with other plants and organisms to create ecosystems.

Climate: Climate is an important environmental influence on ecosystems. Changing

climate affects ecosystems in a variety of ways. For instance, warming may force species to
migrate to higher latitudes or higher elevations where temperatures are more conducive to their
survival.

Flora: The term flora in Latin means “Goddess of the Flower.” Flora is a collective term for a
group of plant life found in a particular region. The whole plant kingdom is represented by this
name. It is classified and differentiated based on many factors. The best one among them is the
area in which they grow or are found. Some grow in desert regions or in water, some are found
in hilly areas while some are endemic to a specific geographic location. According to the place
at which they grow, they have adaptations also. For example, Cactus plants are naturally seen
in deserts. They have adaptations like modified leaves or prickles to preserve water and protect
themselves from predators.

Fauna: Fauna There are many explanations regarding the origin of the word. As per Roman
mythology, Fauna or “Faunus” is the name of the goddess of fertility. Another source is “Fauns”
which means “Forest spirits.”
A nutrient cycle is a repeated pathway of a particular nutrient or element from the
environment through one or more organisms and back to the environment. Examples
include the carbon cycle, the nitrogen cycle and the phosphorus cycle. Nutrient cycling
is the flux of nutrients within and between the various biotic or abiotic pools in which
nutrients occur in the soil environment. Nutrient cycles restore ecosystems to the
equilibrium state, and therefore play an important role in keeping the ecosystem
functioning. All organisms, living and non-living depend on one another. Nutrient cycles
link living organisms with non-living organisms through the flow of nutrients.

Nitrogen cycle is the series of processes by which nitrogen and its compounds are
interconverted in the environment and in living organisms, including nitrogen fixation
and decomposition. It is a biogeochemical process through which nitrogen is converted into
many forms, consecutively passing from the atmosphere to the soil to organism and back into
the atmosphere. It involves several processes such as nitrogen fixation, nitrification, DE
nitrification, decay and putrefaction. The nitrogen cycle helps bring in the inert nitrogen from the
air into the biochemical process in plants and then to animals. Plants need nitrogen to
synthesize chlorophyll and so the nitrogen cycle is absolutely essential for them.
 Water cycle is the cycle of processes by which water circulates between the
earth's oceans, atmosphere, and land, involving precipitation as rain and snow,
drainage in streams and rivers, and return to the atmosphere by evaporation and
transpiration. The water cycle consists of three major processes: evaporation,
condensation, and precipitation. Evaporation is the process of a liquid's surface
changing to a gas. In the water cycle, liquid water (in the ocean, lakes, or rivers)
evaporates and becomes water vapor.
Carbon cycle is the series of processes by which carbon compounds are
interconverted in the environment, involving the incorporation of carbon dioxide into
living tissue by photosynthesis and its return to the atmosphere through respiration, the
decay of dead organisms, and the burning of fossil fuels, the cycle of thermonuclear
reactions believed to occur in stars, in which carbon nuclei are repeatedly formed and
broken down in the conversion of hydrogen into helium.

Some organisms compete against other organisms for resources or space. Other
organisms depend on each other to survive. These relationships are called ecological
relationships. The interaction between organisms in similar or overlapping niches results
in an ecological relationship. All organisms in an ecosystem are connected in one way
or another. In fact, populations of different species generally interact in a complex web
of relationships. Relationships between species in communities are important factors in
natural selection and help shape the evolution of the interacting species.
 Ecological succession is the process that describes how the structure of a biological
community (that is, an interacting group of various species in a desert, forest, grassland, marine
environment, and so on) changes over time. Ecological succession is the gradual process by
which ecosystems change and develop over time. ... Primary succession is the series of
community changes which occur on an entirely new habitat which has never been colonized
before. For example, a newly quarried rock face or sand dunes.

Ecological succession is the gradual process by which ecosystems change

and develop over time. ... Primary succession is the series of community changes which
occur on an entirely new habitat which has never been colonized before. For example, a
newly quarried rock face or sand dunes. Species diversity is defined as the number of
species and abundance of each species that live in a particular location . Abundance is
the number of individuals of each species.

Fragmentation most generally means the process of fragmenting—breaking into

pieces or being divided into parts. Fragmentation is a type of asexual reproduction in
which an organism simply breaks in individual pieces at maturity. 2. These individual
small
Endangered species is a species considered to be facing a very high risk of extinction
in the wild. Endangered species are the organisms whose number have reduced
drastically and if not conserved will become extinct. The two examples of endangered
species are Amur tiger, red panda and Asiatic elephant.