BI111 Lecture Notes - Lecture 1: Biotope, Allelopathy, Biome
Document Summary
Ecology: the study of interactions that take place between organisms and their environment. Microenvironment: environment close enough to object to be influenced. Environment: summation of all biotic and abiotic factors that surround and influence an organism and its habitat. Mutualism (interaction where both benefit, help each other to survive) All chemical and physical aspects of the environment that influences a plant"s growth and distribution. Levels of organisation in ecology: biosphere: part of earth that supports life, biomes: large group of ecosystems that share certain characteristics (desert, forest, ecosystems: made up of interacting communities, organisms, sharing environment. Organisms in a population compete with each other for food, water, mates. Symbiosis: a close and permanent relationship between two organism. It means living together: mutualism - both benefit, the coral reef and the algae exist in a mutualistic relationship. They supply food and shelter for each other: lichens are made up of fungi and algae.
