30.2 Role of Population in Assessment of the Autecology
of Species
Ecology is defined as the science of the interrrelations of organisms with their biotic
environment (i.e. with organisms from the same species, but also with organisms
from other species) and abiotic environment (with the features of the habitat, which
is used but, also, influenced by living) (Bavaru et al. 2007; Bick 1998; Brewer et al.
1994; Godeanu 2013).
It is determined by the influence of abiotic environmental factors (i.e. the
fluctuation of abiotic features) and that of biotic environment (i.e. of intraspecific
and interspecific interrrelations within the biocoenosis), hence, by the characteristics of the ecosystems where they are living.
Ecology was developed initially by botanists and zoologists, as species ecology.
There were considered especially the relations of species to abiotic factors: climatic
(light, heat, water) and edaphic (moisture, trophicity, acidity), either on land (relief,
rocky substrate), or in waters (depth, pressure, salinity).
There are a lot of such classifications of plant or animal species (light sensitive/
ombrophilous, thermophilic/cryophilic, acidophilic/baziphilic, oxyphilic/oxy-fuge
etc). There were also investigated more carefully concurential connections related
to natural selection (protocooperation, mutuality, predation, parasitism, commensalism, amensalism, neutrality etc) (Begon et al. 1986; Brewer et al. 1994; Chapman and Reiss 1992; Odum 1971; Whittaker 1975).
The investigations carried out proved that these relations determine the occurrence of different adaptations: morpho-anatomic, biochemical, physiologic, behavioral or genetic.
The adaptations are those modifications of the organisms which allow the
species to exist, to reproduce and to evolve in a certain environment or in several,
different, environments.
The adaptations have a qualitative character. For instance, plants developed a lot
of adaptations vs. water regime – the structure of root system, protective covers of
the stems, of leaves, seeds, osmotic pressure, phenology); animals living in water
habitats adapted to water flowing velocity, to attachment to substrate or to rapid
burying in sediments in littoral zones of vawe breaking, to salinity (for instance
anadromous or catadromous migrations), to water pressure etc.
In essence, every individual species has a number of specific adaptations, which
are present within all its populations and are transmitted by heredity. This is the
qualitative side of species autecology.
When the study of the communities of living organisms related to their abiotic
environment developed, in ecology appeared a new course, by investigation of
biocoenotic relations and of biocoenosis’ relations to abiotic environment.
In order to distinguish between these two branches of ecology, the following
terms were introduced: autecology – for species ecology and synecology – for
biocoenosis ecology. And the study of populations, in this new branch of ecology,
demonstrates that autecology itself, how it was conceived and applied till now, has
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of Species
Ecology is defined as the science of the interrrelations of organisms with their biotic
environment (i.e. with organisms from the same species, but also with organisms
from other species) and abiotic environment (with the features of the habitat, which
is used but, also, influenced by living) (Bavaru et al. 2007; Bick 1998; Brewer et al.
1994; Godeanu 2013).
It is determined by the influence of abiotic environmental factors (i.e. the
fluctuation of abiotic features) and that of biotic environment (i.e. of intraspecific
and interspecific interrrelations within the biocoenosis), hence, by the characteristics of the ecosystems where they are living.
Ecology was developed initially by botanists and zoologists, as species ecology.
There were considered especially the relations of species to abiotic factors: climatic
(light, heat, water) and edaphic (moisture, trophicity, acidity), either on land (relief,
rocky substrate), or in waters (depth, pressure, salinity).
There are a lot of such classifications of plant or animal species (light sensitive/
ombrophilous, thermophilic/cryophilic, acidophilic/baziphilic, oxyphilic/oxy-fuge
etc). There were also investigated more carefully concurential connections related
to natural selection (protocooperation, mutuality, predation, parasitism, commensalism, amensalism, neutrality etc) (Begon et al. 1986; Brewer et al. 1994; Chapman and Reiss 1992; Odum 1971; Whittaker 1975).
The investigations carried out proved that these relations determine the occurrence of different adaptations: morpho-anatomic, biochemical, physiologic, behavioral or genetic.
The adaptations are those modifications of the organisms which allow the
species to exist, to reproduce and to evolve in a certain environment or in several,
different, environments.
The adaptations have a qualitative character. For instance, plants developed a lot
of adaptations vs. water regime – the structure of root system, protective covers of
the stems, of leaves, seeds, osmotic pressure, phenology); animals living in water
habitats adapted to water flowing velocity, to attachment to substrate or to rapid
burying in sediments in littoral zones of vawe breaking, to salinity (for instance
anadromous or catadromous migrations), to water pressure etc.
In essence, every individual species has a number of specific adaptations, which
are present within all its populations and are transmitted by heredity. This is the
qualitative side of species autecology.
When the study of the communities of living organisms related to their abiotic
environment developed, in ecology appeared a new course, by investigation of
biocoenotic relations and of biocoenosis’ relations to abiotic environment.
In order to distinguish between these two branches of ecology, the following
terms were introduced: autecology – for species ecology and synecology – for
biocoenosis ecology. And the study of populations, in this new branch of ecology,
demonstrates that autecology itself, how it was conceived and applied till now, has
512
N. Donița ˘ and S. Godeanu