Organism and population

By Aashish maurya
 Ecology is the branch of biology that deals with the
interactions among organisms and between the organism
and its physical (abiotic) environment .
 Autoecology (i.e. ecology of an individual species)
 Synecology (i.e. ecology of a community with more than
one species).
 Ecology is concerned with four levels of biological
organisation: organisms, populations, communities and
biomes.
 Population
 Population is defined as the total number of
individuals of a species in a specific geographical
area; can interbreed under natural conditions to
produce fertile offsprings and functions as a unit of
biotic community.
 e.g.,
all the frogs (Rana tigrina) and water hyacinth
(Eichhornia-an aquatic weed) plants found in a pond
form the populations of frog and water hyacinth of
that pond.
Population attribution
1.Population size and population density.
 Population size indicates the total number of organisms of a
specific species present in a specific geographical area at a
specific time.
 Population size depends upon - food availability ,predation
pressure and weather condition.
 Low during stressful condition and very high during favourable
condition
 Ex. for Siberian cranes at Bharatpur wetlands, the population
size is less than 10 in any year, while for locusts in African
countries, the population size may be in millions during
swarming or that of Chlamydomonas in a pond
 Population density is the number of individuals of a
species per unit area or volume.
 e.g. number of animals per square kilometre; number
of trees per hectare; number of phytoplanktons per
cubic litre of water.
 Population density (P.D.) can be calculated as :
P.D. = N/S
Where N = Number of individuals in a region.
S = Number of unit areas in a region.
2. Birth or Natality rate.
 Birth or Natality rate. It is generally expressed as
number of births per 1,000 individuals of a
population per year.

3. Death or mortality rate –

 It is opposite to the rate.
 It is commonly expressed as the number are deaths
per 1000 individual of a population per year.
Age distribution
 The relative abundance or percentage of the organisms of various age
groups in the population is called age distribution of population.
 In a population three age group classified
 Pre reproductive, reproductive and post- reproductive age groups.
 Three kinds of population
1. Expanding population – high birth rate, low death rate ( more number
of young individual)
2. Stationary or stable population - Equal to birth and death rates.
3. Decline population – higher death rate than birth rate , ( more old
members)
Population growth .
 It is indicated by the changes in the population density in
terms of time.
 Population density of an area depends upon 4 basic
processes
 Birth rate death rate ,immigration and emigration
 Immigration – Entry of certain individuals of same species
into an area from another.
 Emigration – the number of individual of a population
which move out of an area to another area.
Population growth = (Births + immigration)(Deaths +
emigration).
Growth of a population can be expressed by following formula
Nt= No+ (B + I - D - E)

Where. Nt = Final population size

N0 = Initial population size.
B = Natality rate.
D = Mortality rate.
I = Immigration rate.
E = Emigration rate
Growth curves
 GROWTH of a population can be expressed by a mathematical
expression, called growth curve in which logarithm of total
number of individuals in a population is plotted against the
time factor.
 Growth curves represent interaction between biotic potential
and the environmental resistance.
 So a growth model shows the specific and predictable pattern
of growth of a population with time.
 Exponential growth – In an ideal condition where there is an unlimited
supply of food and resources, the population growth will follow an exponential order.
 Consider a population of size N and birth rate be represented as b, death rate as d, the
rate of change of N can be given by the equation
 dN/dt = (b-d) x N
 If, (b – d) = r,
 dN/dt = rN
. Where r = intrinsic rate of natural increas
This equation can be represented with a graph which has a J shaped curve.
According to calculus
 Nt=N0ert
. Where, Nt = Population density at time t
N0= Population density at time zero
r = intrinsic rate of natural increase
e = base of natural logarithms
t = time
 Logistic growth – This model defines the concept of ‘survival of
the fittest’. Thus, it considers the fact that resources in nature
are exhaustible.
 The term ‘Carrying capacity’ defines the limit of the resources
beyond which they cannot support any number of organisms.
Let this carrying capacity be represented as K.
 The availability of limited resources cannot show exponential
growth.
 As a result, the graph will have a lag phase, followed by an
exponential phase, then a declining phase and ultimately an
asymptote.
 This is known as Verhulst-Pearl Logistic Growth and is
represented using the equation:
 dN/dt = rN((K-N) /K)
 Population interaction
 In a community, members of different populations show
interspecific interactions.
 These interactions determine the nature of relationship between
these species within the community.
 These interspecific interactions are divided into three basic types
on the basis of nature of effect on the interacting organisms:
1. Positive or beneficial interactions.
 In these, members of either one or both the interacting species
are benefited but neither is harmed.
 These are symbolised as "+".
2. Negative or detrimental or inhibitory
interactions. In these, members of either one or
both the interacting species are harmed.
 These are also called antagonism.
3. Neutral interactions. In which neither of two ,
species is benefited nor harmed and are
symbolised as "O".
 Interspecific interaction are further
subdivided into following types -
 Predation
 Predation is a biological interaction where one organism,
known as the predator, kills and feeds on another
organism, known as the prey.
 Predators use prey as a source of energy and nutrients,
which is essential for their survival.
 Example of Predation-
 (1) Lion Eating deer
 ②Bird Eating grain
 ③ Cow Eating grass
 Role of predator
1. Conduit & EnergyRole of Predation
2. Control population of Proy Prey →
 Prickly pear Cactus Introduce into Australia Spread very Fast
Cause havoc (Population Bring Under Control By Moth)
3. Maintain Biodiversity
 American pacific Coast Pisaster-Important predator – all
Remove Experimentally (Some species of invertebrale Extinct)
 Behaviour of Predator prudent-Predator not kill all prey
together.
How prey Avoid predation
 Animals
 Comouflague -Blend with Surrounding
 Mimicry3
 Poison - Monarch butterfly (Poison)Acquire when its larval Feed
on poisonous
 Plants→
 Spines (Cactus) thorns citrus and baugainvillea
 Some chemicals –Caffiene ,Strycine, Nicotine
 Calotropis - Cardiac Glycoside
 Competition
 Competition occurs when closely related species compete for the
same resources that are limiting, but this is not entirely true.
 Support by – Darwin- interspecific competition
 totally unrelated species could also compete for the same resource.
Not necessary for competition
Between closely related
Ex -Flamingo( bird) complete with small fish for zooplankton in South
American lake
Food resources limited
Ex - In Galapagos Island Abingdon tortoise extinct due to introduction
of goat – food was not limited ( Interference competition )
 Competition release
 Due to the presence of superior species distribution of inferior is
limited
 If we remove superior --competition release -- inferior species
number increases
Ex – Barnacles - Superior – Balanus
Inferior – Catamalus
Effect of competition
1. It decreases r
2. Gause competition exclusion principle ( condition – Resources
limited)
Two species competiting for same resources cannot co exist
indefinitely. The inferior one has to get extinct
How to Avoid competition
Different mode of feeding
Different time of feeding
 Parasitism
 In this type of interaction the benefit to parasite for free shelter
and food and causes harm to host.
 Feature
1. Same co evolution – host evolute to same itself and parasite to
cause maximum heart
2. Obligate parasite – parasite attack only one type of host .
3. Two host ex liver fluke - Snail, fish
 Adaptation of parasite
1. Hook and sucker
2. Sensory organ absent
3. Bisexual
4. Reproduction capacity fast
5. Gland absent
Effect of parasitism –
1. Decrease life span
2. Reproduction capacity affect
3. Cause diseases
4. Work efficiency decreases
 Types of parasitism
1. Ectoparasite and endoparasite.
 Leech ,copepods on marine fish , lice and ticks on dog
 Liverfluke , Ascaris
2.Complete our partial parasite
 Cuscuta
 Orobanche striga
3.Brood parasaitism
 Cuckoo birds parasite
 Crow host
 Commensalism
 Commensalism is a type of population interaction where one organism
benefits, while the other is neither helped nor harmed.
 In this relationship, the benefiting organism gains access to resources
such as food or shelter, without impacting the other organism.
 Ex. Mango and orchids
 Cattle egret and cattle
 Sea anemone and clown fish
 Barnacle and whale
 Mutualism
 Mutualism is an interaction where both species benefit from the
relationship.
 Mutualism encourages co-evolution, where both species evolve
traits that strengthen their partnership.
 Ex Lichen
 Pollination – bee + plant
 Wasp & fig
 Moth and yucca
 Ophyrs( orchid plant flower look like female bee ) & male bee
Amensalism

 Amensalism is a type of biological interaction where one

species causes harm to another organism without any cost or
benefits to itself.
 Example. Alaxander
Staphylococcus : -
Penicillium : 0