Lecture 2 - Zoology - An Ecological Perspective

Zoology:
An Ecological Perspective
RAISA A. MENDOZA, MSc.
Instructor, College of Arts and Sciences
Faculty Researcher, Center for Engineering, Science,
Technology and Innovation (CESTI)
Laboratory Manager, Molecular Microbiology and
HABs Laboratory
raisa.mendoza@ssu.edu.ph
ramendoza7@up.edu.ph
NSE: General Zoology Prepared by: Raisa A. Mendoza, MSc. raisa.mendoza@ssu.edu.ph / ramendoza7@up.edu.ph
Ecology
• Greek word oikos, “house”

• Study of the relationship between
organisms and their environment
• Study of all complex
interrelationships referred to by
Darwin as the conditions of the
struggle for existence (Ernst
Haeckel (1866)
• Processes of nature
• Biotic
• Abiotic
How do we
study ecology?
Figure 1. Ecological hierarchy
visual depiction (Eugene Odum,
1953) of the different levels of
the ecological hierarchy. From
left to right, the smallest to
largest unit of study
How do we study
ecology?
At the organism level

• study individual organisms and their
adaptations to specific habitats and
condition
• Help determine how adaptations
provide individuals with increased
ability to survive and reproduce
• Bats and echolocation
• For social communication
• To find their prey in the dark
How do we study ecology?
At the population level
• Population
• group of individuals of one species living in the same area
at the same time
• study how and why the numbers of individuals
of a species change over time
• use tools to understand the changes within
populations and the factors that influence their
growth, decline, regulation, and dynamics
• e.g. mathematical modelling (birth and death rates)
At the community level
• Community
• assemblages of populations of different species
that inhabit the same place at the same time.
• study the connections among groups of species (e.g.,
predation, herbivory, competition, mutualism, parasitism)
and how these interactions affect community structure
and the diversity and relative abundances of species.
How do we
study ecology?
At the ecosystem level
• Ecosystem
a community or group of living
organisms that live in and interact
with each other in a specific
environment.
• Flow or exchange of materials
and energy between organisms
and the physical environment
How much carbon does a
mangrove ecosystem sequester?
At the global level

• study how global patterns and dynamics are
responsible for the geographic distribution and
abundances of populations as well as the functioning
and productivity of ecosystems
• global ecology focus on interactions among the
earth’s ecosystems, land, oceans, and atmosphere
• the study of global ecology is concentrated on the role
humans play in the functioning of the biosphere
Some Animals Are More Equal
Than Others: Keystone Species
and Trophic Cascades
Supplemental Video
World Resources and
Endangered Animals
• Global overpopulation
• Exploitation of world resources
World Resources and
Endangered Animals
Introduction of the Nile perch (Lates niloticus) in an
attempt to improve Lake Victoria’s fishery has resulted in
the extinction of many cichlid species and has indirectly
contributed to decreased water quality.
World Resources
and Endangered
Animals
• Introduction of non-native
species
• Decimation of native species
• Reduction in biodiversity (fish
species)
• Reduction in food supply
World Resources
and Endangered
Animals
• Global population
• Root of all other
environmental problems
• 9.3 billion by 2050
• 9 billion = carrying
capacity
• Carrying capacity
• a species' average
population size in a
particular habitat
World
Resources and
Endangered
Animals
World Resources and
Endangered Animals
• World Resources
• Overpopulation stresses all resources
• Climate change, deforestation, water shortages,
extinction of species
Other Anthropogenic
Activities that Impact World
Resources
Deforestation (destruction of forests)
• Deforestation is the permanent removal of

trees to make room for something besides
forest.
• This can include clearing the land for

agriculture or grazing, or using the timber
for fuel, construction or manufacturing.
• It releases carbon dioxide and reduces the

number of trees able to capture carbon
dioxide from the atmosphere.
Tropical rainforests:
A Threatened World Resource
Other Anthropogenic
Activities that Impact
World Resources
Reduction of biodiversity
creates an unstable
ecosystem. Nature loss leads
to ecosystems that are less
able to capture carbon from
the atmosphere and less
resilient to rising
temperatures.
Other Anthropogenic
Activities that Impact
World Resources
Burning fossil fuels for heating and cooking,

generating electricity and powering vehicles releases
carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.
Air Pollution is caused by fertilizer use, livestock

production, and certain industrial processes that
release fluorinated gases.
Pollutants in the air can produce serious

environmental issues and contribute to climate
change. The major concerns include:
• The ability of pollutants to trap too much heat in the
atmosphere.
• The mixture of gases with moisture in the atmosphere which
produces damaging acid rain.
• The presence of particles in the atmosphere that block
sunlight.
World
• Nature has intrinsic value that
Resources provides services to humans and
other organisms.
and • Recognition of this intrinsic worth
Endangered provides important moral impetus
for preservation.
Animals • Solutions require dealing with
overpopulation.
World Resources and Endangered Animals
What solutions can you recommend to preserve animal diversity and other world resources?
QUESTIONS?

Lecture 2 - Zoology - An Ecological Perspective

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Lecture 2 - Zoology - An Ecological Perspective

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Description:

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Lecture 2 - Zoology - An Ecological Perspective

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Zoology:

• Greek word oikos, “house”

At the organism level

At the global level

• Deforestation is the permanent removal of

• This can include clearing the land for

• It releases carbon dioxide and reduces the

Burning fossil fuels for heating and cooking,

Air Pollution is caused by fertilizer use, livestock

Pollutants in the air can produce serious

You might also like