Ecology: Water and Aquatic Habitats
ECOLOGY
Ecology is concerned with the study of organisms and their habitats. This includes the interdependence of various populations, their impact on each other and their surroundings, the effect of the surroundings on their behaviour, as well as the ways in which the organisms and the environment change in response to each other. A pond and its inhabitants provide a good example of these interrelationships. A pond contains:
a. soil consisting of rock, minerals and dead remains of organisms
b. water with minerals
c. aquatic plants including algae
d. aquatic animals like snails and tadpoles
e. bacteria and other microorganisms such as protozoans
All these components interact to produce a system called an ecosystem which is constantly changing. An ecosystem may be divided into physical or abiotic factors and living or biotic components. Abiotic factors may be climatic, physical and chemical. A number of ecological factors are common to both terrestrial and aquatic habitats. Most of these factors are climatic - that is having to do with heat, cold, amount of rainfall or sunshine and so on. Some ecological factors like edaphic (those relating to soil – like pH of soil, water content, drainage and porosity) and topographic ( shape of the land, whether it is mountainous or flat) only relate to terrestrial environments. Other like salinity ( freshness or saltiness of the water) and tidal action ( ebb and flow if the tides)only apply to aquatic habitats.
ECOLOGICAL FACTORS COMMON TO ALL HABITATS
Factors like temperature, rainfall, light, hydrogen ion concentration (pH), wind and pressure are common to all habitats.
Temperature
Temperature is one of the main climatic factors. It affects terrestrial habitats more than aquatic ones as the range in temperature is much wider in terrestrial habitats. Temperature variations result in both hot and cold climates. The temperatures of temperate terrestrial habitats have markedly seasonal variations with temperatures below 00C in
Ecology is concerned with the study of organisms and their habitats. This includes the interdependence of various populations, their impact on each other and their surroundings, the effect of the surroundings on their behaviour, as well as the ways in which the organisms and the environment change in response to each other. A pond and its inhabitants provide a good example of these interrelationships. A pond contains:
a. soil consisting of rock, minerals and dead remains of organisms
b. water with minerals
c. aquatic plants including algae
d. aquatic animals like snails and tadpoles
e. bacteria and other microorganisms such as protozoans
All these components interact to produce a system called an ecosystem which is constantly changing. An ecosystem may be divided into physical or abiotic factors and living or biotic components. Abiotic factors may be climatic, physical and chemical. A number of ecological factors are common to both terrestrial and aquatic habitats. Most of these factors are climatic - that is having to do with heat, cold, amount of rainfall or sunshine and so on. Some ecological factors like edaphic (those relating to soil – like pH of soil, water content, drainage and porosity) and topographic ( shape of the land, whether it is mountainous or flat) only relate to terrestrial environments. Other like salinity ( freshness or saltiness of the water) and tidal action ( ebb and flow if the tides)only apply to aquatic habitats.
ECOLOGICAL FACTORS COMMON TO ALL HABITATS
Factors like temperature, rainfall, light, hydrogen ion concentration (pH), wind and pressure are common to all habitats.
Temperature
Temperature is one of the main climatic factors. It affects terrestrial habitats more than aquatic ones as the range in temperature is much wider in terrestrial habitats. Temperature variations result in both hot and cold climates. The temperatures of temperate terrestrial habitats have markedly seasonal variations with temperatures below 00C in