Earth Science: Biology – Ecology – Ecosystems Ecosystems are dynamic systems of inanimate (abiotic) and animate (biotic) components. They are interconnected through material and energy cycles. Abiotic factors include air, soil, climate, and food requirements; the biotic factors are plants, animals, fungi, and bacteria All ecosystems on Earth make up the biosphere. Earth Science: Biology … Read more
Earth Science: Types of Cohabitation – Parasitism Parasites are organisms that withdraw nutrients from other species (hosts). This may damage the host but it will not, at least during the early stage, kill it. Parasites are mostly specialized for a specific host (host specificity). Parasites are intricate organisms who have complex relationships to their hosts. … Read more
Earth Science: Biology – Ecology – Types of Cohabitation A particular form of cohabitation between different species, advantageous for both partners, is symbiosis (also referred to as mutualism). This is in contrast to other parasitic relationships where organisms feed partially or completely at the expense of others, while they live temporarily or permanently on or … Read more
Earth Science: Ecology – Populations – Competition The intra- and interspecific competition—that is, the contest among organ- isms for limited resources, such as food and living space—are significant biotic environmental factors that often have a large influence on biomass. With intraspecific competition, the individuals of a species are in direct competition for biotic and abiotic … Read more
Earth Science: Biology – Ecology – Populations The totality of individuals of a species that form a reproductive community within a delineated space is called a population. Each population has a uniform gene pool, which can be different from the gene pool of another population of the same species, due to different climatic zones. Population … Read more
Abiotic Factors: Temperature and Water Apart from the equatorial region where there are constantly high temperatures throughout the year, plants and animals are often exposed to daily rhythms and temperature variations to which they need to adapt. Among animals, metabolically controlled heat regulation exists only in those species which are warm-blooded (homoiothermic). in other words, … Read more
Ecology of The Individual Ecology is a branch of biology that deals with the interre-lationship of organisms among themselves and with their biotic (animate) and abiotic (inanimate) environment. The study area of ecology is the ecosystem, which is the unity made up of the environment (biotope) and the living ecological community (biocenosis). Biology – Ecology … Read more
Earth Science: Biology – Ecology The term ecology was first introduced in 1866 by German biologist Ernst Haeckel. However, the study of the relationships of living things with each other and their environments has only gained broader public attention as more and more people have become aware of the rising degradation of the environment. They … Read more
Earth Science: Behavioral Patterns – Learned behavior Learning is the capacity to store individual experiences in long-term memory and use them to adapt to new situations. The ability to learn significantly enhances an individual’s chances of survival in a changing environment. Learned behavior includes imprinting and conditioning. Imprinting is a basic and necessary learning experience … Read more
Earth Science: Biology – Ethology – The Biological Clock The timing of many behavioral patterns is determined by certain biological rhythms, which are usually based on endogenous circadian clocks as well as certain outside factors called timers. It is most likely that all animals follow a daily routine governed by a biological clock, which determines, … Read more
