Ecology BIO C 322 Scope of Ecology Derived
Ecology (BIO C 322)
Scope of “Ecology” • Derived from Greek words “oikos” (household) & “logos” (study). • Defn 1: Study of relationship of living organisms among themselves & with their environment. • Defn 2: Study of structure & function of Nature.
Some Definitions… • System: Regularly interacting & interdependent components forming a unified whole. • Population: Group of individuals of any one kind of organism. • Community: Populations in a given area. • Ecosystem: Community (Biotic) + Nonliving environment (Abiotic).
• Biome: Natural groupings of plants & animals based on regional climate/vegetation/soil type. • Biosphere/Ecosphere: Largest biological system; - Self-sufficient; - All living beings of Earth interacting with environment.
Levels of Organization
Homeostasis • Maintenance of a stable, internal environment by an organism, irrespective of external env. • Strong set point controls. • Feedback – Negative & positive. • Genetic, hormonal & neural controls on growth & development. • Maintaining steady state within limits.
Homeorhesis • • • Above organism level. No set point controls. Less tightly regulated. Chaotic behaviour. Feedback – Negative & positive. Maintaining pulsing state within limits.
Fundamental Questions • What are the basic features of natural systems? • How do nutrients circulate b/w organisms & environment? • How is energy transferred & utilized? • How efficient are natural systems compared to man-made systems? • How can this knowledge help us to improve food production & control pollution?
Some Recent Environmental losses (Courtesy: National Geographic News)
Global Warming Not Going Gently 2009 saw vast patches of the planet protected and world leaders pledge to fight global warming, but the climate continued to change dramatically.
Oceans Begin to Lose Appetite for Carbon As the world's greenhouse gas emissions continued to rise this year and further disrupt the global climate, the oceans appeared to lose some of their appetite to absorb carbon dioxide, a key gas implicated in the planet's warming. Why the oceans are less hungry for carbon is unclear, but it may be related to the acidification of the oceans due to too much carbon.
Drought-Stricken Kenya Loses Out on Rain, Again Tens of elephants and hundreds of other animals have perished so far amid the worst drought to hit Kenya in more than a decade. Why the drought is occurring is unknown. Some people blame global climate change. Others say it's due to long-term weather cycles.
Wolves Lose Protection, Hunts Begin In May the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service formally removed the gray wolf in the northern Rockies from protection under the federal Endangered Species Act. A few months later, wildlife managers in Idaho and Montana approved the first wolf hunts in decades. Hunters began legally pursuing wolves on September 1 in Idaho.
Caribbean Loses Sharks Some shark species no longer roam the reefs of the Caribbean, scientists announced in May. Fishers have wiped reefs clean of the big predators.
Hope Lost for the Arctic Ice Sheet? The Arctic ice cap has been on a steady, staggered march toward its summer-time death for more than a decade. The loss of the ice "puts at risk iconic figures like the polar bear, the walrus--and it also puts at risk the people that live sustainably with that wildlife in their regions.
Carbon Monitoring Satellite Crashes A satellite meant to orbit the Earth and monitor global CO 2 emissions suffered a glitch at takeoff in February and crashed into the ocean near Antarctica. NASA officials called the U. S. $270 million mission, under development for nine years, a total loss.
NASA Satellite Highlights India Groundwater Loss NASA scientists used a pair of tandem orbiting satellites called the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment, or GRACE, to get a read on how quickly the groundwater is disappearing under northern India's heavily irrigated fields of wheat, rice, and barley.
Some Recent Environmental Wins
Critical Habitat for Polar Bears Proposed In October the U. S. government proposed designating more than 200, 000 square miles of land, sea, and ice along Alaska's north coast as critical habitat for the polar bear, which is listed as threatened with extinction under the U. S. Endangered Species Act.
Massive Marine Monument Created Undersea mud volcanoes, submerged islands, and waters teeming with sharks and other predators got a new lease on life when the Marianas Trench National Marine Monument was designated a federally protected area.
Brazil Deforestation Rate Slows The reduction was prodded by the United Nations' Reduced Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation, or REDD, program. Since forests absorb the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide, the acts of conservation help keep emissions down.
Google Earth Gets an Ocean As of February, Google Earth users tired of looking at their houses from space can now download an ocean layer, which brings the underwater world to the popular 3 -D mapping tool. This is another major breakthrough in showing the people of the world why the ocean matters.
Initiative to Protect Corals Launched Six Asian nations—Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, and East Timor— launched an initiative in May to address overfishing, unsustainable coastal development, and climate change, all of which are threats to the countries' shared coral reef resources.
Salmon Return to Paris Some salmon this summer bypassed Parisian bistros and successfully navigated the Seine, the iconic river that divides the city in half. The species had disappeared from the river by 1900 due to polluted water.
A Poem… Mother Nature is healthy, And has beauty and is wealthy But with Global Warming in the way, It will take Mother Nature’s beauty away It will become hot, Like a steaming pot Leaves will become brown, Then everybody will frown We need coolness, Not hotness But also happiness, Please Mother Nature don’t come to an end Because we’ll be your friend, To help you become healthy and green again!!!
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