Transcript Document

05.09.2014
ECOLOGY
Nazarenko Olga Bronislavovna
D.Sc., professor
Department of Ecology and Base Safety
155 room, 8 building
Introduction.
The problems of interaction
between society and nature
 Definition of Ecology.
 History of Ecology.
 Ecological Organization.
 Main Forms of Ecology.
 Modern Ecology as a Multidisciplinary Science.
 Relationship between Human and Nature.
 Ecological Problems and Solutions.
Definition of Ecology
Ecology is the study of the
relationships and interactions
between living organisms and their
natural or developed environment.
Ernest Haeckel, German scientist, 1866
«Generelle Morphologie der Organismen»
• οικος — home, place to live
• λόγος — discussion, study of…
• Ecology is the study of organisms
“at home” in their native
environment
Ecology is the science of how to live in
your own home, what we should do if we
want to survive on our own planet
History of Ecology
3 stages
1. The origin and formation of
ecology as a science
• … to 60s. XIX century
• the data on the relationship of organisms
with their environment were accumulated;
the first scientific generalizations were
made
Ancient Greek philosophers
Aristotle
(384–322 BCE)
“History of Animals”
observations on more than
500 species of animals
Theophrastus
(371–287 BCE)
“Historia Plantarum”
It described plants by their
uses, but also attempted a
biological classification based
on how they reproduced.
• Carl Linnaeus (1707–1778)
developed the binomial nomenclature for classifying
plants and animals
• Jean-Baptiste Lamarck (1744–1829)
evolution occurred and proceeded in accordance with
natural laws
• Alexander von Humboldt (1769–1859)
was the first to analyze the association among
organisms and their environment
Krasheninnikov Stepan Petrovich (1711–1755)
"Description of the Land of Kamchatka“
(“History of Kamtschatka” )
Krasheninnikov
volcano,
Kamchatka,
Russia
2. Formation of ecology as an
independent branch of knowledge
(60s. XIX century – 50s. XX century)
 Charles Darwin (1809-1882)
 On the Origin of Species (1859)
Evolution resulted from a process of natural
selection
 The Descent of Man, and Selection in
Relation to Sex (1871)
• Ernst Haeckel (1834–1919)
• Karl Mobius (1825–1908)
biocenose
• Vasily Dokuchaev (1846–1903)
soil science
ecology
Edward Suess (1831–1914)
biosphere
The biosphere is the global ecological system
integrating all living beings and their
relationships, including their interaction with
the elements of the lithosphere, hydrosphere
and atmosphere.
Vladimir I. Vernadsky
(1863–1945)
"The biosphere" (1926)
Arthur Tansley (1871-1955)
Ecosystem
(1935)
An ecosystems is the interactive system established
between the biocenosis (the group of living creatures),
and their biotope, the environment in which they live.
 A community or biocenosis is an association of
populations of two or more different species occupying
the same geographical area and in a particular time.
Biotope is an area of uniform environmental
conditions providing a living place for a specific
assemblage of plants and animals
Material and energy
exchange
Ecosystem = biocenosis + biotope
Ecosystem
Biogeocenosis
Vladimir Sukachev (1880–1967)
Stage 3. The present stage - the
transformation of ecology into
complex science
(50s. XX century – To date)
The present stage associated with progressive
environmental pollution and a sharp increase in human
impact on nature.
The feature of environmental studies are widespread
use of mathematical modeling of the processes in the
biosphere, in order to maintain its stability, as well as
the need to develop engineering solutions aimed at
improving the quality of the environment.
Eugene Odum
(1913–2002)
Nikita Nikolayevich
Moiseyev (1917–2000)
Hermann Remmert
(1931–1994)
Remmert: We have to remember that the Earth’s ecosystems
have not always been hospitable for humans, and most likely will
not be at some time in the future. We are but just a ‘blip’ on the
evolutionary landscape. It will be a daunting task to sustain the
Earth’s ecosystems in a way that will sustain human life on
earth. Our understanding of Ecology will have to be a lot better
than it is now.
Ecological organization
Hierarchy of levels in the organization of
living organisms and nonliving matter
Ecological hierarchy
Levels of Ecological Organization
1. Organism
individual living things
2. Population
all the organisms of one species living in one
area
3. Community
all the organisms of the different interacting
species in an area
4. Ecosystem
all the organisms of a community plus the
abiotic (physical) factors influencing them
5. Biome
large scale areas of similar vegetation and
climatic characteristics
6. Biosphere
entire region of the earth where living things
may be found
Main forms of ecology
Autecology deals with the study of the
individual organism or an individual species.
Demecology / Population ecology deals
with the dynamics of populations of species
and the interaction of these species with the
environment.
Synecology deals with the study of groups of
organisms which are associated together as a
unit.
Classification of Ecology
Specialized branches of ecology
The relationship between
human and nature
• Modern humans Homo sapiens
• more than 100 000 years ago
1. Hunter-gatherer societies
relatively small impacts on natural ecosystems
population density is low
Ecological influence:
overhunting
altering the landscape through
extensive use of fire
2. Agrarian societies
• 10 000 years ago
• horticultural societies focus on planting
• herding or pastoralist societies focus on
livestock
Domesticated animals
Horses and oxen are used to
pull plows
Beasts of burden are used to
mill grains, along with water
and wind mills
Dog 30000 BCE
Sheep 10000 BCE
Pig
9000 BCE
Goat
8000 BCE
Cow
8000 BCE
Cat
7500 BCE
Chicken 6000 BCE
Horse 4000 BCE
Goose 3000 BCE
Irrigation systems
Irrigation has been an important base for
agriculture in dry areas with low rainfall
Influences on natural ecosystems
The impacts of agrarian societies on wildlife
and natural ecosystems:
o intensive grazing by
livestock
o desertification
o salinization
o deforestation
o erosion of soils
Overgrazing
 Overgrazing by livestock can lead to land
degradation, desertification and erosion
 10 000 years ago the Sahara was a savanna. People
have transformed savanna in the desert by
overgrazing of cattle and sheep
Salinization
 Soils in dry irrigated areas tend to become salinized
 Ecological crisis in ancient Mesopotamia, in the
basins of the rivers Tigris and Euphrates (2000 BCE)
Deforestation
 The high population densities of late agrarian
societies have high demands for firewood and timber;
it caused deforestation and as result accelerated
erosion of soil
Despite the changes in ecosystems at the
local scale, human activities fit into the
biogeochemical cycling of matter and did not
change the flow of energy in the biosphere.
The biodegradable plant materials (wood,
straw) and metals were mainly used in human
activity;
self-purification of water and land was fully
implemented.
3. Industrial Societies
 Industrial Revolution in the 18th–19th centuries:
 Innovations in transport, such as the railway and
automobile; energy development, such as coal and
electricity;
 Advanced technologies;
 Urbanization;
 Professional specialization.
The benefits of industrial society
Urban Development
Improving health care
Improving the quality of food
High level of education
 As a result of the technologies
development, people's living
standards rises, the life
expectancy increases.
The negative effects
of industrial civilization
Human population explosion;
large loss in biodiversity;
the cycling of matter is broken;
energy consumption increases – shortage
of energy resources
Scheme of social metabolism and energy
exchange between society and nature
At all stages of interaction between society
and nature environmental pollution occurs
Annual consumption per person
Characteristics of the current
state of the biosphere
 The biosphere changes: deforestation; depletion of
mineral resources; creation of new water reservoirs;
creation of agrocenosis on the place of the primary
biocenosis.
 Chemical and physical composition of air, water and
soil changes. The biosphere polluted with pesticides,
fertilizers, industrial wastes, radioactive substances
 The main waste can not be used by
microorganisms. The rate of the natural process of
biological treatment, the of self-purification process
decreased.
Ecological crisis
Ecological crisis is the stage of interaction
between society and nature, in which the
contradictions between the economy and
ecology are extremely aggravated, and the
ability of self-regulation of ecosystems under
anthropogenic impact significantly
undermined.
Modern Problems of Ecology
 demographic problem;
 depletion of natural resources;
 energy problems;
 pollution of the biosphere:
 acid rain,
 ozone depletion,
 greenhouse effect, etc.
 human health problems.
• Experience of humanity shows that aspiration
of people to material benefits and unlimited
consumption of resources is a natural human
feature. From ecological position the economic
growth is a constant increase in the
consumption of natural resources. At the
same time progress can not be forbidden - it
will always accompany human.
Directions to get out of the
ecological crisis
1. ecologization of technologies;
2. economization of industries;
3. administrative and legal action;
4. ecological education;
5. international legal protection.
The main goal of ecology is to lead humanity out of global
ecological crisis on the path of sustainable development,
at which the satisfaction of the vital needs of the present
generation is achieved without depriving future
generations of such a possibility.
Sustainability is a property of a human
society in which ecosystems (including
humans) are managed such that the
conditions supporting present day life on Earth
can continue
Scientific principles of sustainability
Reliance on solar energy
Biodiversity
Population control
Nutrient recycling
Copy Nature: In nature, nothing is wasted
because everything has a use or a purpose
Solutions
How nature works
Runs on renewable solar energy
Recycles nutrients and wastes.
There is little waste in nature
Uses biodiversity to maintain
itself and adapt to new
environmental conditions
Lessons for us
Rely mostly on renewable solar
energy
Prevent and reduce pollution and
recycle and reuse resources
Preserve biodiversity by
protecting ecosystem services
and habitats and preventing
premature extinction
Controls a species’ population
Reduce human births and
size and resource use by
wasteful resource use to prevent
interactions with its environment environmental overload and
and other species
depletion and degradation of
resources
Ecology and global policy
 1971, UNESCO – “Man and Biosphere”
 1972, Stockholm, the Ist International Conference on
the Human Environment – “Think Globally, Act
Locally”
 1992, Rio de Janeiro, Earth Summit (United Nations
Conference on Environment and Development
UNCED) - Rio Declaration on Environment and
Development, Climate Change Convention,
Convention on Biological Diversity
 1997, Kyoto Protocol
 2002, Johannesburg, Earth Summit 2002 (Rio+10)
 Earth Summit 2012 - “The Future We Want”
Ecological knowledge allow us to understand how
the human impact on the environment occurs,
and to find those limits changes in the conditions
that will prevent environmental crisis.
Only ecological knowledge will
help to stop the spontaneous
development.