Basic definitions
Ecology
It is the study of life and its interactions with each other and with the environment. It studies the abiotic (inert or non-living elements such as water and sediments) and the biotic (all living organisms).
Ecosystem
It is a natural system that functions as a unit and consists of all living organisms that interact in a defined area among themselves and with other abiotic factors.
Coral reefs, mangroves, seagrass beds, rocky shoreline, sandy shoreline and sedimentary bottoms
Community
It is a collection of different living organisms that interact within an ecosystem with similar characteristics in a given time and area.
Population
A group of organisms of the same species that interact within a community
Species
A species is a set of organisms or natural populations capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring, isolated from similar groups at the reproductive level (isolation mechanisms: Geographic, ecological, temporal, behavioral, mechanical incompatibility, gametic incompatibility, hybrid inviability, hybrid infertility).
Example of speciation in Orcas
Taxonomy and systematics
Systematics is one of the oldest branches of biology and is responsible for reconstructing the evolutionary history of all living organisms.
Through taxonomy (classification), organisms are given names and placed into categories based on their evolutionary relationships, with each level encompassing all levels below it. Each domain contains many kingdoms, each kingdom contains phyla, and so on. As one descends the hierarchy, increasingly smaller groups with more recent common ancestors are included.
Categorization
Domain
Kingdom
Phylum/Division
Class
Order
Family
Gender
Species
Classification of some organisms reflecting their degree of relatedness. Taken from Audesirk et al, 2002
These names represent categories and the group that is placed at a certain level is the taxon (Phylum = category or level, Echinodermata = Taxon)
The scientific name of an organism is formed from the two smallest taxonomic categories: genus and species. Each genus contains a group of closely related species, and each species contains populations that can reproduce under natural conditions.
Each scientific name is unique, thus eliminating confusion about common or vulgar names, and is written in italics or underlined with an initial capital letter in the genus.
Example
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Species
•It is the group of organisms that can reproduce and generate fertile offspring.
•It is written in italics with gender and epithet
• Acanthurus coeruleus: Its coloration is intense blue, sometimes violet, juveniles are yellow
Gender
•This is above species
•Species of the same genus are closely related
• Acanthurus sp . (3 spp. in Santa Marta)
Family
•Group of genres that share characteristics.
• Acanthuridae: pair of spines, or scalpels, one on each side of the caudal peduncle, which are very dangerous stings, giving rise to their common name of surgeonfish
Order
•Related families are grouped into orders
• Perciformes: About 40% of all fish and the largest order of vertebrates. The name Perciformes means "perch-like" or "fish-like."
Class
•Group that relates orders
• Actinopterygii: bony fishes with adaptations for living in aquatic environments
Phylum
•Class grouping.
•Phyla groups animals with different forms but shared internal organization.
• Chordates: includes animals with a notochord and dorsal nerve. Vertebrates with a spinal cord
Kingdom
•The ranks are organized into kingdoms.
• Animalia : groups heterotrophic organisms (do not produce their own food), eukaryotes (cells with a true nucleus), multicellular, (tissue-level), form tissues.
Domain
•The rows are organized into domains
• Eukarya: groups organisms with eukaryotic cells, that is, they have their genetic material enclosed in a nucleus surrounded by a membrane, in addition to other cell organelles contained by membranes
Differences between biomes
Terrestrial biome
PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS
Air-based
Low density
Air generates offspring distribution limited to adaptations of lightness: spores, pollen, and seeds
Similar light penetration levels throughout, allowing for plant growth.
Air does not alter the spectral quality of light
Combatting the effect of gravity (support structures)
As they move, they struggle against the friction of the ground (like a snake). The larger they are, the more energy they expend moving.
High percentage of carbohydrates and fats
Atmospheric oxygen is already in gaseous form and is distributed relatively uniformly, making up 21% of the air.
STRUCTURAL CHARACTERISTICS
Plants dominate most environments.
Because of the development of structures like tree trunks, which allow them to remain upright, they cannot move. This makes their domain relatively stable.
We refer to terrestrial ecosystems according to the dominant plants.
Short food chains because the plants are large: three links such as grass - antelope - lion
Aquatic biome
PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS
Water-based
Water is denser than air, allowing for a great variety of sizes, as they live suspended, allowing the development of the plankton community (vagrants).
Due to the currents and the presence of plankton, there are organisms that live attached to the substrate and feed by filtering
The currents distribute food and larvae.
Water absorbs light asymmetrically, reaching depths of up to 180 m in very clear water. This restricts plants and photosynthesizers to the first few meters of the water column, and color absorption affects the vertical distribution of these organisms because they utilize different wavelengths of the photosynthetically active light spectrum.
Buoyancy counteracts gravity, making vertical movement easy.
Many organisms grow without the need for support structures.
Water resistance restricts movement (hydrodynamics and sedentary organisms)
High in protein and low in fat, except for aquatic mammals, which are animals that originated on land and returned to the water.
The uneven distribution of oxygen generates particular adaptations in the gills.
STRUCTURAL CHARACTERISTICS
Most aquatic plants are small forms, easily removed from the environment, making them unstable systems.
Long-lived animals consume plankton populations, eliminating them.
Animals are the dominant forms, referring to aquatic ecosystems in terms of animals.
Long and complex food chains because small animals consume small plants