ECOLOGY
This is the study of inter-relations (interactions) between an organ ism or a group 0of organisms and their environment.
TERMS USED IN ECOLOGY
1. Habitat: is a place where an organism lives e.g. land habitat is known as terrestrial (mainly forest, deserts and savannahs), water habitat is aquatic (includes fresh water bodies and marine water bodies)
2. Biosphere: is the part of the earth and atmosphere where life can exist. This ranges from deep water bodies, land and a few metres in the atmosphere.
3. Species: this is a group of organisms which can interbreed to give rise to a viable or fertile offspring.
4. Population: a group of organisms of the same species occupying the same area at a given time e.g. a population of elephants in Queen Elizabeth national park, population of hippos in kasinga channel, population of parrot birds in Gayaza High School etc.
5. Community. This is a collection of populations of different organisms occupying the same area or a group of different species of organisms in the same area. E.g. a community of antelopes, elephants, lions, in Queen Elizabeth National park
6. Ecological niche: This is a term used in relation to a particular organism. It refers to the role/ profession of an organism in a given habitat eg the niche of a spirogyra in a pond is to photosynthesis or to produce food.
7. Biome: These are very large ecological divisions found all over the world. They have characteristic plant and animal communities, e.g. equatorial rain forests biome, Amazon, savannah grasslands and wood lands, temperate forests etc.
8. Environment: surrounding of an organism e.g. in Gayaza environment we have organisms like birds, leopards, foxes, rats etc.
9. An ecosystem. This is any unit of environment consisting of both living and non living components existing together as a harmony e.g. a pond where living components like fish, insect larvae, amphibians, and plants like spirogyra interact with the non living components such as water, rocks, sand etc.
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