ENVIRONMENTAL

ENGINEERING
Principles of Ecology

This is your world

What is Environmental
Engineering?

The application of scientific and

engineering principles to assess,
manage, and design sustainable
environmental systems for the
protection of human and
ecological health.

Environment

Physical and biotic habitat

which surrounds us; that which
we can see, touch, smell or
taste

Is this
ecology?

Or this?

Ecology and Life

Ecology

is the study of how

organisms interact with one
another and with their nonliving environment.

Ecology takes the entire

living world as its domain.

Ecology and Life

A species consists of all organisms which

can reproduce living offspring.

Populations consist of organisms of same

species living in same place at the same
time.

Several interacting populations occupying

the same habitat form a community.

An ecosystem is the communities and

their non-living environment.

All earths ecosystems form the

ecosphere.

Ecology: a hierarchy of
complexity

Physiological ecology
adaptations for resource
acquisition and dealing with
environmental stresses

Physiological ecology: temperature

Physiological
ecology:
water availability

Physiological ecology: light availability

Physiological ecology: the integrated

organism

Ecology: a hierarchy of
complexity
Population ecology population growth, distribution, and
regulation for a certain species

Physiological ecology

But no cactus is an island

Population ecology:
abundance and
distribution

Population ecology:
population growth and
regulation

Population ecology: life histories

The Earth Support System

Atmosphere

consists of
inner trophosphere and
outer stratosphere.
Hydrosphere

is liquid,
solid, and gaseous water.
Litosphere

is crust and
upper mantle.
Ecosphere

is portion of the
earth where organisms
interact (atmosphere,
hydrosphere, and upper
litosphere).

The Biosphere

Closed s

ystem
All materials
are recycled ove
r and over
Only one con
tribution from t
he outside
the Sun

Intersection between air, land, and water

Biomes

Broad terrestrial regions of the biosphere

Characterized by a particular climate and

specific assemblage of plants and animals.

Biomes contain many ecosystems

They differ in climate

Climate is weather over the long term, it

determines the type of life forms in the
biomes

Most important climatic factors are

precipitation and temperature.

Aquatic Life Zones

Freshwater zones
Lakes
Rivers

Oceans
Estuaries
Coastlines
Coral reefs
Continental shelves
Deep ocean

Ecosystems

Consist of organisms, their

environment, and all of the
interactions that exist within.

Ecosystems

Biotic Factors - organisms

Plants
Animals
Microorganisms
Fungi

Abiotic Factors
Water
Air
Nutrients
Solar energy

Biotic Factors

Producers (autotrophs)
Support the entire living world through
photosynthesis
Nourish themselves by using sunlight
and atmospheric CO2 to make food
materials they need to survive.

Consumers (heterotrophs)
Feed on plants and other organisms
Herbivores
Carnivores
omnivores

Tolerance for Abiotic Factors

Interaction among
Organisms

Predation

Comensalism

Mutualism

Parasitism

Competition

Interaction between Biotic & Abiotic

Factors