Ecology - Definitions and Outline
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| Environmental Science | |
|---|---|
| Topics | What is the Environment | Planetary Boundaries | Ecological Footprint and Sustainable Development | Food and Agriculture | Population | Ecology - Definitions and Outline | Energy Flow in Ecosystems | Population and Community Ecology | Material Cycles | Biodiversity | Energy | Atmosphere and Climate | Global Warming | Air Quality | Water Quantity | Water Quality | Solid Waste |
|
Contents
Introduction
Review
- Environment
- Everything that affects a living organism
- Ecology
- The branch of biology studying the relationships between living organisms and their environment
Abiotic/Biotic
We can divide the components of the environment into abiotic and biotic
- Abiotic
- non-living components
- Biotic
- living components
Definitions
- Organism
- Any form of life
- Species
- Groups of organisms which can reproduce and produce fertile offspring [1]
- Population
- group of organisms of the same species interacting within a geographical area
- Community
- All populations of different species within an area
- Ecosystem
- A community and their non-living environment
- Biosphere
- All of the Earth's ecosystems put together
Factors Sustaining Life
Three science principles affect ecosystems:
- One-way flow of high-quality energy
- Cycling of chemicals (nutrients)
- Gravity
Outline of Ecology
Outline of Ecology
Note
- ↑ This is the technical definition. The common definition is all organisms of the same "type"
