ecological pyramid

Examples of ecological pyramid in the following topics:

• Ecological Pyramids

  • Ecological pyramids, which can be inverted or upright, depict biomass, energy, and the number of organisms in each trophic level.
  • Ecological pyramids show the relative amounts of various parameters (such as number of organisms, energy, and biomass) across trophic levels.
  • Ecological pyramids can also be called trophic pyramids or energy pyramids.
  • All types of ecological pyramids are useful for characterizing ecosystem structure.
  • Ecological pyramids depict the (a) biomass, (b) number of organisms, and (c) energy in each trophic level.

• Introduction to Ecology

  • Within the discipline of ecology, researchers work at four specific levels, sometimes discretely and sometimes with overlap.
  • There are many practical applications of ecology in conservation biology, wetland management, natural resource management (agroecology, agriculture, forestry, agroforestry, fisheries), city planning (urban ecology), community health, economics, basic and applied science, and human social interaction (human ecology).
  • There are also many subcategories of ecology, such as ecosystem ecology, animal ecology, and plant ecology, which look at the differences and similarities of various plants in various climates and habitats.
  • In addition, physiological ecology, or ecophysiology, studies the responses of the individual organism to the environment, while population ecology looks at the similarities and dissimilarities of populations and how they replace each other over time.
  • Finally, it is important to note that ecology is not synonymous with environment, environmentalism, natural history, or environmental science.

• Community Ecology and Ecosystem Ecology

  • Community ecology studies interactions between different species; abiotic and biotic factors affect these on an ecosystem level.
  • These interactions can have regulating effects on population sizes and can impact ecological and evolutionary processes affecting diversity.
  • Ecosystem ecology is an extension of organismal, population, and community ecology.
  • Researchers interested in ecosystem ecology could ask questions about the importance of limited resources and the movement of resources, such as nutrients, though the biotic and abiotic portions of the ecosystem.
  • This mutualistic relationship is an example of a community ecological study, which aims to examine the interactions between different species living in an area.

• Organismal Ecology and Population Ecology

  • Organismal and population ecology study the adaptations that allow organisms to live in a habitat and organisms' relationships to one another.
  • Researchers studying ecology at the organismal level are interested in the adaptations that enable individuals to live in specific habitats.
  • The study of population ecology focuses on the number of individuals in an area and how and why population size changes over time.
  • Describe populations as studied in population ecology and organisms as studied in organismal ecology

• Ecological Restoration

  • The purpose of ecological restoration projects, such as wildlife and ecosystem preserves, is to return ecosystems to pre-disturbance states.
  • Restoration ecology aims to return ecosystems to a more natural, pre-disturbance state.
  • Removing a keystone species from an ecological community may cause a collapse in diversity.
  • In the United States, since the mid-1980s, many aging dams are being considered for removal rather than replacement because of shifting beliefs about the ecological value of free-flowing rivers and because many dams no longer provide the benefit and functions that they did when they were first built.
  • The large-scale ecological experiments that these removal projects constitute will provide valuable data for other dam projects slated either for removal or construction.

• Species Distribution

  • Scientists gain insight into a species' biology and ecology from studying spatial distribution of individuals.
  • Scientists gain additional insight into a species' biology and ecology from studying how individuals are spatially distributed.

• Chytridiomycota: The Chytrids

  • The ecological habitat and cell structure of chytrids have much in common with protists.

• Nephron: The Functional Unit of the Kidney

  • This last part of the nephron connects with and empties its filtrate into collecting ducts that line the medullary pyramids.
  • The glomerulus and convoluted tubules of the nephron are located in the cortex of the kidney, while the collecting ducts are located in the pyramids of the kidney's medulla.

• Mutualistic Relationships with Fungi and Fungivores

  • Members of Kingdom Fungi form ecologically beneficial mutualistic relationships with cyanobateria, plants, and animals.
  • Symbiosis is the ecological interaction between two organisms that live together.
  • Lichens fulfill many ecological roles, including acting as indicator species, which allow scientists to track the health of a habitat because of their sensitivity to air pollution.

• Ecological Succession