INTRODUCTION TO
ECOLOGY
Prepared by:
ARJUNE A. LUMAYNO, LPT, MAST
WHAT IS ECOLOGY??? • Ecology is the study of the
relationships between living
organisms, including humans,
and their physical environment.
• It seeks to understand the vital
connections between plants and
animals and the world around
them.
• Ecology also provides
information about the benefits of
ecosystems.
• And how we can use Earth’s
resources in ways that leave the
environment healthy for future
generations.
Who are Ecologists?
• Ecologists study these
relationships among
organisms and habitats of
many different sizes.
• Ecologists also study many
kinds of environments.
• For example, ecologists may
study microbes living in the
soil under your feet or
animals and plants in a rain
forest or the ocean.
In essence, ecologists seek to
explain:
•life processes
•interactions, interrelationships,
behaviors, and adaptations of
organisms
•the movement of materials and
energy through living communities
•the successional development of
ecosystems
•the abundance and distribution of
organisms and biodiversity in the
context of the environment
The Role of Ecology in Our Lives
• There are any specialties within ecology:
• Marine/Aquatic Ecology
• Vegetation Ecology
• Microbial Ecology
• Population Ecology
• Evolutionary Ecology
• Conservation Ecology
• They provide us with information to better understand the world
around us.
• This information also can help us improve our environment,
manage our natural resources, and protect human health.
IMPORTANCE OF ECOLOGY IN
OUR LIVES
Non-Native or Introduced Species
Invasions
• Some non-native species threaten our forests, croplands, lakes,
and other ecosystems.
• Introduced species do this by competing with plants and animals
that were originally there, often damaging the environment in
the process.
Public Health
• Ecologists have discovered that
marshes and wetlands filter toxins and
other impurities from water.
• Leaving some of these filtering
ecosystems intact can reduce the
burden on water treatment plants that
have been built to perform the same
service.
Biomedical Contributions
• Ecologists have discovered that many
plants and animals produce chemicals
that protect them from predators and
diseases.
• Some of these same chemicals have
been synthesized by scientists or
harvested from the organism and used
to treat human diseases.
• For example, a substance found in
horseshoe crabs, hemolymph, that is
used in leukemia treatments.
Natural Resource Management and
Endangered Species Protection
• Some of the world’s most cherished
species such as:
• Humpback Whale
• Right Whales
• Philippine Eagle
• Bald Eagle
• Have either been brought back from
the brink of extinction or their
populations have been stabilized.
Whales were hunted because of….
Forestry Solutions
• Ecological concepts have
been applied to forest
management and are slowly
being integrated into
traditional forest science.
• The science behind
forestry is called
“silvics”, and the
practical application of
that science is called
“silviculture.
Agricultural
Solutions
• Biological control is a technique
that uses the natural enemies and
predators of pests to control
damage to crops.
• Biological control alleviates crop
damage by insects, saves money,
and decreases problem associated
with pesticides.
Fishing Solutions
• Ecological research has shown
that estuaries are nursery
grounds for fish populations
that live in coastal waters, an
important reason to protect
these areas.
BIODIVERSITY RESEARCH
• Biodiversity science investigates levels of
biodiversity, its functional effects, and
how and why it changes over time.
There are many practical applications of
ecology:
• conservation biology
• wetland management
• natural resource management (agroecology, agriculture,
forestry, agroforestry, fisheries)
• city planning (urban ecology)
• community health
• Economics
• and human social interaction (human ecology).
GEOGRAPHY
• Geography is the study of places
and the relationships between
people and their environments.
• Geography seeks to understand
where things are found, why
they are there, and how they
develop and change over time.
What do geographers do?
• Geographers explore both the physical properties of Earth’s surface
and the human societies spread across it.
• They also examine how human culture interacts with the natural
environment and the way that locations and places can have an
impact on people.
2 main branches of Geography
• Physical Geography- the study of the processes that shape the Earth's
surface, the animals and plants that inhabit it, and the spatial patterns they
exhibit.
• Human Geography- the study of the interrelationships between people,
place, and environment, and how these vary between locations.
Why are these two related?
• Geography and Ecology are related to each other.
• Because these two fields are vital in showing/assessing the
interaction between humans/animals in different ecosystems.
• Geography will be able to deal with various elements of land
forms, soil, climate and vegetation.
“We are the first generation to feel the impact
of climate change and the last generation that
can do something about it.”
