Ecology is a part or branch of science that is responsible for the study of the interactions of living beings between them and their environment. These interactions occur in ecosystems, which can be defined as a multiple system in which living beings interrelate between them and with the abiotic factors that form the environment. To study all this, ecology makes a hierarchical organization at different levels of the biological systems in nature.
If you want to get more information about levels of organization of ecology, what are and examples Of these, this ecology article continues in which the hierarchical form in which our planet is organized from the point of view of ecology will be shown.
What are the levels of ecological organization
In nature, it is important to distinguish between Abiotic factorswhich are the ones that form the environment where the living beings of an ecosystem are found and are the temperature, the chemical substances present in the environment, the climate, the geological characteristics, etc., and the biotic factorswhich are those that have life, such as flora and fauna. The interactions that are made between these two factors, give rise to the survival and reproduction of a species. Here you can learn more about the difference between biotic and abiotic.
In ecology a classification or hierarchical organization of the different biological systems that we can find in nature. This hierarchical system allows the study of living beings can be focused more directly on a single level of organization.
In each of these levels of organization there are a series of exchanges of matter and energy between the different elements that compose it. In addition to these exchanges of matter and energy, each level has its own characteristics and, likewise, the way to perform these exchanges of matter and energy do not have to be equal to those produced in the rest of the systems.
We find ourselves with 6 ecological levelswhich range from the simplest organization at the individual level to the most complex that encompasses all living beings on earth. These levels of ecological organization are:
- Individuals or organisms.
- Population.
- Community.
- Ecosystem.
- Bioma
- Biosphere.
Ecological organization level 1: individuals or organisms – with examples
This level of ecological organization is the most primary, where you can find the basic units that ecology will study. The organisms that this level comprises are independent of each other at the physiological level, although there are more than one individual of the same species.
As Examples of ecological organization levelsin the case of the first one who studies only individuals or organismswe put as examples that can be found A hummingbird (Trochilidae) either A poplar (Populus). At this level it is about studying or understanding the relationships that individuals have with the environment in which they live, since environmental conditions are not always and sometimes not the most favorable. The morphology, physiology and behavior of individuals are also studied.
To learn more about individuals, you can read these other articles on what are the unicellular and multicellular living beings with examples and the difference between autotrophic organisms and heterotrophs.
Ecological Organization Level 2: Population – with examples
The population is a set of individuals of the same speciesby continuing with the example on the previous level we refer to a colony of hummingbirds, or an alameda. These populations are found in a specific geographical area and in a certain space of time, they relate to each other in a mutualist way, competing, reproducing, parasitizing and predicting and acting in the same way before the environment.
We advise you to read this other post about what is the ecology of populations or demology.
Ecological organization level 3: Community – with examples
A community is a set of populations of different species which share the same geographical space in the same period of time. The most common structure of a community are plants, animals and decomponers (bacteria and fungi).
As an example of the level of organic organization of community we can find wolves (Canis lupus), vultures (GYPS Fulvus) and holm oaks (Quercus ilex). To learn more about him Ecological organization level of the communityyou can consult these other articles in which we talk about ecological community: definition and characteristics and biological community: what is, structure and examples.
Ecological Organization Level 4: Ecosystem – With Examples
At this level of organization, as in the previous level, we find a set of populations that coexist in a certain place and timebut the fundamental difference that exists between ecosystem and community is that at this level energy and food recycling are generated so that an ecosystem is self -sufficient With respect to other ecosystems. At this level of organization we can already talk that both biotic and abiotic components intervene.
As we do an organization of the different ecological levels, also in nature we can find and organize different ecosystems, which are mainly: water or aquatic ecosystems, such as the marine ecosystem and the fresh water ecosystem, terrestrial ecosystems, such as the desert ecosystem, the mountainous ecosystem and the forest ecosystem, and the artificial ecosystem.
To discover more about the types of ecosystems we encourage you to read this other post of Ecology Verde and, in addition, here we leave you a video on this topic that we also recommend you and, after this, we continue with the levels of ecological organization.
Ecological Organization Level 5: Bioma – With examples
In The bioma Understand a set of different ecosystems that may have similar interactions with the abiotic factors found in their environment. As an example we can say a continent, a country or a part of this, for example, in Spain we can find more humid ecosystems in the northern part of the country and ecosystems with less water needs in the southern part, and these are separated by a natural barrier. This level of organization gives the opportunity to study phenomena such as the thaw of poles or desertification.
As with ecosystems, we find different types of biomes. We can find eight main Types of biomesalthough there are other classifications, and these are: tundra, taiga, deciduous forests, steppes, meadows and pampas, Mediterranean forests, tropical jungle and aquatic biomes.
To have more information about this level of ecological organization, we recommend you read these articles on the differences between ecosystem and bioma and about what biomes, types and examples are.
Ecological Organization Level 6: Biosphere – Definition
This level of ecological organization is the most complexsince it encompasses all previous levels of organization. The biosphere is a set of biomes And, in fact, The earth has a biosphere where we can find all types of biomes, ecosystems, communities, populations and individuals. When we talk about biosphere, reference is made to the set of the three main parts that make up the Earth, which are parts in which there is life. These parts are:
- The lithosphere, which refers to the rocky part, with soil or land of the earth.
- The atmosphere, which is the gaseous or air of the earth.
- The hydrosphere, which encompasses all parts of water on the planet, whether sweet or salty, whether superficial, underground or submarine and independently of the state that is found. Therefore, it is all the water of the earth wherever it is and in the state in which it is.
If you want to discover more about the biosphere, enter these articles in which we talk about what the biosphere, layers and characteristics, difference between biosphere, ecosfera and ecosystem and what are the biaera with examples are talked about.
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