Golis University
NAME: MOWLIID DAYIB HUSSEIN MUUSE NO
Ecology: Assignment
1- What is ecology?: is the study of the relationships between living organisms, including
humans, and their physical environment
2- What is the difference between the concepts of community and population?
• Community: It is grouping of individuals of different species found in an area
• Population: It is a grouping of individuals of a single species found in an area.
3- What is the difference between an ecological niche and a habitat?
• Niche: is that organism's role within that environment.
• Habitat: is the place where an organism lives
4- What are biotic factors? Are living things and factors producers, consumers,
herbivores, carnivores, omnivores, and decomposers.
5- What are abiotic factors?: Are the non-living things Abiotic factors include : water,
sunlight, oxygen, soil and temperature.
6- What is the difference between the concepts of food chain and food web
• Food chain: follow just one path of energy as animals find food.
• Food web: show how plants and animals are connected in many ways to help them all
survive
7- Explain the term biome?: refers to the community of plants and animals that occur
naturally in an area, often sharing common characteristics specific to that area
8- What is biodiversity?: is the variety of all living things; the different plants, animals
and micro organisms
9- What is the difference between the primary and the secondary succession?
• Primary: is the process in which plants and animals first colonize a barren habitat.
• Second: is the process relating to community growth or change that takes place when a
habitat is disturbed or damaged.
10- Define the following ecological terms
a- Ecosystem: the interaction of the living things with the non-living environment
b- Mortality rate: this means the ratio of deaths to the population of a particular area or
during a particular period of time. Or It is defined as the number of deaths in the population
in a given period of time.
c- Natality rate: this means the number of live births per thousand of population per year.
Or refers to the number of births during a given period in the population.
d- Immigration: Immigration is the movement of people from one country or region to
another in order to make a new home. Or it is the number of individuals of the same species
which come to a new habitat during the time period under consideration. Immigration helps
to prevent extinction of a smaller population.
e- Emigration: is a process of people leaving one country to reside in another or
It is the number of individuals of the population which are left that habitat and move
somewhere else during the time period under consideration.
f- Air pollution: is the contamination of air due to the presence of substances in the
atmosphere that are harmful to the health of humans and other living
g- Water pollution: The contamination of the water bodies by discharge of pollutants
directly or indirectly into them is called water pollution.
h- Deforestation: is the process a Cutting of the natural forest cover is called deforestation