Ecology: The Basics
Ecology is the scientific study of interactions among organisms and between organisms and their physical environments. The terms environment and population get thrown around a lot, however they have very specific meanings regarding ecology. Just as atoms are to chemistry and cells are to biology, ecology also has its own "base unit". Individuals are the smallest category recognized within ecology. An example from the arctic would be a single polar bear. In terms of biology, individuals are organisms for they are made up of organ systems, organs, tissues, and cells. The next level up is a population. Populations are multiple individuals or organisms put together in a group. These individuals are of the same species and live in a confined area. A family of polar bears in Iceland would be considered a population. Once populations begin interacting within a confined area, they are categorized as a community. Within the arctic, a population of polar bears living among arctic foxes and lichen would be considered a community. So far, all of these categories have only included living elements, more formally referred to as biotic factors. Once a community of biotic factors is immersed in abiotic factors, or nonliving elements, ecologists call this an ecosystem. Examples of biotic factors in the arctic would be red foxes competing with arctic foxes while abiotic factors would include natural disasters, snow, permafrost, and global warming. That community of polar bears, arctic foxes, and lichen interacting with the weather would be an example of an ecosystem. With all of these terms, what would the arctic be considered? Possibly an ecosystem? Almost. An ecosystem is again only in a specific area such as Iceland. The arctic is an umbrella term for all ecosystems which share similar characteristics, populations, and abiotic factors all across the globe. A biome is the official term which sums up that entire sentence in a word. The arctic is a biome because it includes ecosystems from Scandinavia, Canada, and Russia which share similar biotic and abiotic traits rather than just accounting for one geographical area. Ecologists even like to combine all of the world's biomes into a single category known as the biosphere. This is the largest term that is studied within ecology and can be considered the "whole picture" regarding organism interactions.