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2 Basic Ecology
2.1.1 Organisms
Plants, animals, and microbes are organisms. The common definition in literature is
that an organism is an individual life-form that can grow, reproduce, and is made
up of one or more cells. Furthermore, an organism can respond to stimuli and
maintain homeostasis. In ecology, the study of organisms explores their physiology,
evolution, and behavior in relation to environmental factors.
What is your understanding of the term organism?
2.1.2 Community
This is the interactions between living organisms that occupy or live in the same
area. In ecology, a community is perceived as a collection of populations of the
various species. Community ecology explores the relationships among species. It
factors the way such interactions influence community structure as well as species
richness and abundance patterns. In a community, species interact in three major
ways: mutualism, predation as well as competition. Typically, competition leads
to a double negative, whereby both species do not benefit during the interaction.
Predation is a win or lose situation with one of the species winning. Contrarily,
mutualism entails both species engaging in some way but with both species winning.
It also defines a group of more than two populations of organisms from various
species that inhabit the same location during the same period. Communities tend to
consist only of biotic factors, whereas abiotic factors only constitute the ecosystem.
Differentiate between biotic and abiotic factors. In reference to Charles
Darwin of Natural Selection, is competition healthy or unhealthy in an ecosystem? Identify mechanisms used by organisms to adapt to their communities
and environments?
2.1.3 Population
In ecology, population is defined as the characteristics of a group of organisms. A
population is also perceived as a group of organisms or individuals of the same
species living in the same area and may be defined at several spatial scales. The
2 Basic Ecology
2.1.1 Organisms
Plants, animals, and microbes are organisms. The common definition in literature is
that an organism is an individual life-form that can grow, reproduce, and is made
up of one or more cells. Furthermore, an organism can respond to stimuli and
maintain homeostasis. In ecology, the study of organisms explores their physiology,
evolution, and behavior in relation to environmental factors.
What is your understanding of the term organism?
2.1.2 Community
This is the interactions between living organisms that occupy or live in the same
area. In ecology, a community is perceived as a collection of populations of the
various species. Community ecology explores the relationships among species. It
factors the way such interactions influence community structure as well as species
richness and abundance patterns. In a community, species interact in three major
ways: mutualism, predation as well as competition. Typically, competition leads
to a double negative, whereby both species do not benefit during the interaction.
Predation is a win or lose situation with one of the species winning. Contrarily,
mutualism entails both species engaging in some way but with both species winning.
It also defines a group of more than two populations of organisms from various
species that inhabit the same location during the same period. Communities tend to
consist only of biotic factors, whereas abiotic factors only constitute the ecosystem.
Differentiate between biotic and abiotic factors. In reference to Charles
Darwin of Natural Selection, is competition healthy or unhealthy in an ecosystem? Identify mechanisms used by organisms to adapt to their communities
and environments?
2.1.3 Population
In ecology, population is defined as the characteristics of a group of organisms. A
population is also perceived as a group of organisms or individuals of the same
species living in the same area and may be defined at several spatial scales. The