Koustav Pal

Ecology is a wide term used to describe the study of

the interactions of the various organisms within a
particular environment.
We need ecology to understand on how the
environment works, and how our anthropological
actions will effect the environment and its residing
organisms.
Habitat:
A place in an environment where an organism lives.
If an organism lives in a very small, localized area of
that habitat, then it is known as a microhabitat.
For example, Vaibhavs habitat is his house at
Highland Woods. His specific microhabitat
may be his Civic, as he practically spends
most of his time in it.
Population:
A group of organisms of the same species present within a
particular habitat at any one time. These organisms live
and breed together.
Community:
The populations of all different species living in a particular
habitat at any one time forms a group known as a
community.
For example, the students may be thought of an individual
population in CIS, but the community includes the
teachers, the dadas, and even the life on the school
grounds, such as the grass and trees.

The niche of an organism is
its particular role played in
its respective ecosystem. It is
unique for each different
species, and each different
component of that species
will also have a unique
species.
For example, the niche of a
butterfly is to feed on
flowers, hence inducing
cross-pollination. However,
its eggs and the pupae may
have a niche to act as food for
other organisms.
Niches also influence the distribution of
where a particular species will live in an
ecosystem.

Some species may both photosynthesize
using light, but due to temperature
differences, they may spread out so that
one is in the cooler area, and another will
occupy warmer areas as this is optimal to
their metabolism. As a result, they
naturally distribute, avoiding
competition and changing the
distribution.
Succession: With time, an existing
ecosystem will gradually change
until it reaches the most stable
ecosystem. Simultaneously, the
plant and animal communities will
change till they reach the most
stabile climax community.

A good example of succession are
the islands of Hawaii. Initially just
freshly ejected lava from its various
volcanoes, each island developed
from scratch into its stable climax
community through primary
succession.
The stages in primary succession are mainly caused by
changes in the abiotic factors, which as a result cause
changes in the animal and plant communities.
Each stage is known as a seral stage, where the process
of the formation of the climax community is known as
a sere.
1. Formation of Soil:
As the barren area is usually rock, soil must be
formed by some form of erosion, or must be brought
by an external source.
Formation of Humus, or the topmost layer of soil must
occur. This is composed of detritus, and as it decays,
it further contributes free mineral ions for growth of
the pioneer species.
The primary pioneer species are known as Xerophytes, as
they usually have the tendency to survive in dry
conditions.
2. Once the primary humus forms, other species can
colonize the humus. As a result, more species join
the community, and die, further contributing their
remains to the ever-growing humus layer, and as a
result, the community increases in size.
This continues, and with the increasing plant
biodiversity, the animal community similarly
becomes more adept, until it reaches the optimal
size of plant and animal community, and this is
known as the climax community.
A theory proposed by FE Clements, a climax
community is the most stable form of a
community which has reached its last and
final stage of succession. It is dependent
upon the abiotic factors, such as climate.
Changing the climate hence will cause
succession to occur again .

Secondary Succession occurs mainly due to a large change in the climax
community. But as soil is already formed, succession and the sere
process occurs faster.
For example, in the case of a wildfire which wipes out a particular zone,
the scorched area will be favored by mosses suitable for the particular
burnt areas, and nearby soil will be available for colonization by pioneer
species, and animals will follow quickly.



1. Quadrats:
Quadrats are used by taking an x y z coordinate map,
and using a computer to generate random coodinates.
The quadrat is hence placed gently at this location,
and the different species at each quadrat space are
hence recorded.



2. Transects
Transects are another further
method of using quadrats to
hence determining the
directional variation of species
seen in a ecosystem.
A gridline of the area to be
observed is drawn, and the
biotic and abiotic factors are
observed with quadrats and
essential sensors, where the
data is recorded perpendicular
to the unidirectional physical
forces causing the variation.




3. Mark, Release, Recapture.

Animals are marked, (often with
sensors), released back into the
wild, and after some time, they
are again recaptured. This helps
to determine the population of
animals.
Works Cited
"About Ecology." British Ecological Society. British
Ecological Society, n.d. Web. 31 Aug. 2014.
<http://www.britishecologicalsociety.org/about-ecology/>.
Clegg, C. J. Hodder Edexcel A2 Biology. London: Hodder
Education, 2009. Print.
"Ecology." Cornell. Cornell, n.d. Web. 31 Aug. 2014.
<http://blogs.cornell.edu/bioee1610/2011/09/06/the-
importance-of-ecology-in-today%E2%80%99s-society/>.
"Niche Estimate." Science as Verb. N.p., n.d. Web. 31 Aug.
2014.
<http://scienceasaverb.files.wordpress.com/2010/10/compl
ex-niche-estimate.png>.