Last Update: 3 November 2017 Part I

E.T. - 87
Concept of Ecology
Q. Define Ecology, Environment, Biosphere, Ecosphere & Ecosystem.

Ecology is the study of the relationship between living things with each other and with their
environment.
The term ecology was first coined by the Germans biologist Ernst Hackle (866). It is made of two
Greek words-(oikos - home, logos- study). Literally ecology is defined as the study the relation of organisms
or group of organisms to their environment, or the science of interrelations between living organisms and
their environment. Because ecology is concerned especially with the biology of groups of organisms and
with functions processes on lands, in the oceans and in fresh waters, it is more in keeping with the modern
emphasis to define ecology as the structure & function & nature
Earliest English spelling of the ecology was ecology. In 1893, a botanical congress was held on
Madison, USA. This botanical congress dropping the O and was introduced the term ecology. Warming
(1909 ) defined ecology is the study of organisms in relation to environment.
Environment:- It is the sum of extrinsic factor influencing the response of organism. All environmental
factors are external. These factors may be biotic and abiotic. Environment and organism -these two factors
are insuperably interrelated.
Biosphere:- The term biosphere was first used by Lamar (1809) and he defined it is the blanket of life
which cover the earth.
Modern concept of biosphere was derived by Suess (1875). He defined biosphere as change into
biogeochemical nation. Biosphere is a narrow interface on earth consisting the living thing and the place
where these are found. This includes hydrosphere, lithosphere and lower portion of atmosphere. .
Ecosphere:- Ecosphere is troposphere, hydrosphere, lithosphere and atmosphere. Ecosphere was used by
RL smith (1997). According to EP Odum (1983) the term ecosphere and biosphere are synonymous. In
biosphere there are two important components -abiotic and biotic.
Ecosystem:- ecosystem is a technical term of nature. The term ecosystem was first proposed by AG Tanslay
(1935). Later Sukachev (1944) used the term Biogeocoenos for the same purpose. Ecosystem and
Biogeocoenos are synonym according to hill (1960).
In biosphere, a biotic, and biotic two components function together as an ecological system
which is known as ecosystem. Ecology is the study of ecosystem defined by Odum (1959 ). Odum further
elaborate it is structure and function of nature. A system consist of regularly interacting and interdependent
component forming unified whole.

Fig -Levels of organisation spectrum

According to Evens (1956) ecosystem is the basic unit for all ecological studies. This is a conceptual
unit for is an idea that cannot be measure. Ecosystem has both structure and function but it has no size limit.
It is a unit through which energy flows and materials are cycled. Ecosystem is an open, self sustained and
self regulated. Integrated home consisting of biotic and abiotic components through energy flows &material
cycles.

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 IE + S + OE= Ecosystem
IT is capable for production its own activity. Some time output is regulated in put. This is called feed
back loop.

Fig -self Regulated system.

Any ecosystem in the earth can able to

i) Transformation of energy.
ii) Accumulation of energy. By biological means
iii) Transfer of energy.
These three points provide it should be an open system. Cave is not considered as ecosystem because there
is no light so therefore there is no producer.

Deep sea or ocean is not an ecosystem because light cannot penetrate the deep ocean and there is no
transformer and producers.
Division of ecology :- Odum elaborated ecology as the study of the structure and function of nature [1963 ]
Modern ecology has some division.
a) System ecology.
b) Mathematical ecology
c) Evolutionary ecology.
Ecology is artificially classified into
i) plant Ecology
ii) Animal ecology.
What is an Open System ?
Any system permits input and output is called an open system.
Self Regulated System :
It output regulates input in the form of feed back loop, the system is called self-regulated system,
e.g.- Thermostatic oven.
Self-Sustained System :
It any system has all components producer and consumer, the system is called self-sustained system.
Ecosystem is self-sustained system. Because it has producer and consumer. If producers are absent,
consumers are died.
Q. What are the different components of ecosystem?
Ecosystem has own functional and structural components :-
Functional Components :-
i) Production
ii) Energy flow
iii) Biogeochemical Cycle
iv) Biological regulation (Population fluctuation, homeostasis)
Structural Components :
Odum (1986) has identified sit structural components -
Abiotic Substances
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 i) Inorganic substances which are involved in material circulation. E.g. - N2, H2,C etc.
ii) Organic materials like protein, carbohydrates, humus etc. which make a link between abiotic
component and biotic component.
iii) Air, Water, Substrate and other physical characteristics such as climatic regime as temp, light,
moisture etc.
Biotic Components :-
i) Producers are autotrophs. These are the organisms which manufacture their own food. These are
photosynthetic or chemosynthetic organisms such as plant, bacteria.
ii) Macro consumers, are phagotrophs. These are the consumer which infest their food either
thorough mouth or other system.
iii) Micro consumers are decomposer. These are divided into two categories -
(a) Osmotroph (Passing energy through plasma membrane).
(b) Saprotroph (Passing energy through dead matter).
Oribatid mites are the example of detrivores. They are microtrophs, on the other hand they eat the
food.
Then Wiegert and Owen (1971) grouped all heterotrophs into two categories -
a) Biophages : Organism which is feeding on living organisms or lining tissue.
b) Saprophages : These are feeding on dead organism or dead part of organism.

Besides these there are two types of species.

(a) Euryphagic - (broad range of food). If a species can feed on different types of organisms. e.g.-
Wood cock.
(b) Stenophagic - (Narrow range of food) If a species feed on a few types of organism. Eg - Earth
warm. Most of the consumers are euryphagic.
Q. What is food chain, food web and trophic level?
Food Chain :-
The transfer of food energy from the source in plants through a series of organisms with repeated
eating & being is referred to as the food chain.
At each transfer a large proportion, 80 to 90 percent, of the potential energy is lost heat. Therefore
the number of steps or links in a sequence is limited, usually to four or five. The shorter the food chain (or
the nearer the organism to the beginning of the chain), the greater the available energy. Food chains are of
two basic groups :- the grazing food chain, which, starting from a green plant base, goes to grazing
herbivores (i.e. animal eating living plants) & on to carnivores (i.e. animal eaters) & the detritus food chain,
which goes from dead organic matter into micro organisms & then to detritus feeding organisms & their
predators.
Food Web :-
Food chains are not isolated sequences but are interconnected with one another. The interlocking
pattern is often spoken of as the food web.
Trophic Level :-
In complex natural communities, organisms whose food is obtained from plants by the same number
of steps are said to belong to same trophic level.
Biotic community can be arrange into different feeding categories. Each feeding level is known as
trophic level. Thus green plants (the producer level) occupy the first trophic level, plant eaters the
second level (primary consumer level), & secondary carnivores the forth level (the tertiary consumer
level). It should be emphasized that this trophic classification is one of function and not of species as
such, a given species population may occupy one or more than one, trophic level according to the
source of energy actually assimilated. The energy flew through a trophic level equals the total
assimilation (A) at that level, which, in turn, equals the production (p) of biomass plus respiration (R).

What do you mean by standing crop & Biomass?

During in a particular time in a particular trophic level the number of living organism is known as
standing crop. It can be expressed either in terms of unit area or biomass. The most reliable expression of
standing crop is energy of unit area (energy measured by kilometre).

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