Levels of

Ecological Organizations

BY:
Solafa Mohammed Abutalib 4078491
Esraa Yahya Al-Shanqeeti 4257042
Shahad Abed Al luhaybi 4257430
Shaden aljabri 4254221
Table of Contents
Introduction: ................................................................................................ 2
Body:............................................................................................................ 4
1- Organism ............................................................................................... 4
2- Population:............................................................................................. 5
3- Community ............................................................................................ 6
4- Ecosystem:............................................................................................. 7
5- Landscape .............................................................................................. 9
6- Biome .................................................................................................. 10
Aquatic zones............................................................................................. 10
7- Biosphere ............................................................................................. 11
Conclusion ................................................................................................. 12
References: ................................................................................................ 13

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Introduction:
William Evan, a researcher at the Wharton School, used the term
"organization-set" to describe the population level and began concentrating
in 1966 on the relationships between various organizations within the
population. However, the majority of organizational studies research before
to the middle of the 1970s concentrated on adaptable change in
organizations. The ecological approach shifted attention to the
organizational-impacting environmental selection processes.

Population ecology is "the study of the organizational field formed by

a number of organizations whose interrelations compose a system at the
level of the whole field," according to Eric Trist's definition from 1976.
Additionally, he promoted the idea that organizational studies research
should concentrate on people and specific organizations as parts of open
rather than closed systems that are subject to both bureaucratic (internal)
regulation and ecological (community environment) management.

The population ecology of organizations, a 1977 article in the

American Journal of Sociology by Michael T. Hannan and the late John H.
Freeman, and its 1989 sequel, Organizational Ecology, represent the first
explicit formulation of a theory of population ecology. Both books explore
the context in which organizations compete and how a process like natural
selection operates. This theory examines organizational growth and change,
firm mortality, organizational founding, and the demise of existing
organizations.

Known for its empirical, quantitative nature, organizational ecology

has grown over time to become one of the core areas of organizational
studies. Typically, the studies of ecological studies are broad and long-term.

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 A subfield of organisational studies, organisational ecology is a
theoretical and empirical approach in the social sciences.

The goal of organisational ecology is to comprehend the

circumstances that lead to the emergence, development, and demise of
organisations. It draws on concepts from biology, economics, sociology, and
statistical analysis.

The community, the population, the organism, the ecosystem, the

landscape, and the biosphere are the six tiers that make up an organization's
ecology.

Ecology is the scientific study of life's number and distribution, as

well as the interactions between various creatures and their surrounding
environments. Ecology is a subfield of biology, and its name comes from a
Greek term that means "home" or "environment."

Ecology encompasses the study of populations, communities,

ecosystems, biomes, and the biosphere as a whole in addition to the analysis
of how particular creatures interact with their surroundings.

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Body:
1- Organism
The basic unit of organisation in ecology is an organism. In essence, an
organism is a person. All living things must possess all eight life-giving
qualities. An organism, the human is. An organism is the tree that
contributed to the creation of the air we breathe. An organism is the single-
celled creature living in our stomach.
Characteristics Of Organisms
Certain characteristics are present in living creatures. These characteristics
assist us in determining if something is alive or not.
- Food
Food is a necessary component of life. Food is self-produced by plants. Both
humans and animals rely on plants for food. It provides individuals with
energy for both their everyday tasks and the internal bodily processes
necessary for life.
- Showing Growth
With time, we develop. All living things develop. Although the change
might not be immediately apparent, it happens over time. As an illustration,
we are taller than we were when we were children, kittens develop into cats,
and chicks hatch from eggs to become hens or cocks, among other things.
From seed to fully grown tree, plants develop into a variety of sizes and
shapes over time.
- Respiring
We need oxygen to breathe to survive. Respiration is the mechanism through
which humans and animals take in oxygen produced by plants and exhale
carbon dioxide. Finally, energy from the food we consume is obtained
through this process. However, some species have unique ways of breathing.
For instance, earthworms breathe via their skin, while fish use their gills to
receive oxygen that has been dissolved in the water.
Plants breathe through tiny holes in their leaves, which are responsible for
this. Through the process of photosynthesis, they absorb carbon dioxide and

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release oxygen when exposed to sunlight. Plants release a lot more oxygen
during the food preparation process than they do during respiration.
- Respond To Stimuli
Each of us reacts differently to environmental changes. For instance, if
we contact a highly hot surface, we might nimbly move our hands away.
Stimuli refers to this reaction to the changes. Since cockroaches are light-
sensitive, they start to move when we quickly turn on the lights. Even
plants react to stimuli; for example, the touch-me-not plant or mimosa
plant folds its leaves when touched.
- Excretion
All of us require food to survive. Additionally, our bodies are unable to
thoroughly digest all food. Excretion is the process by which our bodies
rid themselves of this undigested waste. Different excretion methods are
used by plants. Some plants retain these wastes in a way that prevents
them from harming other plant parts, while others secrete them.
- Reproduce
Reproduction is a fundamental need for all living things in order to
maintain the survival of their species. There are various reproduction
methods. Some produce eggs, while others give birth to young.
Pollination, budding, fragmentation, spore generation, and other
processes are used by plants to reproduce.
- Moving
Every living thing has some sort of movement. It is essential for carrying
out the numerous survival duties (such as acquiring food, escaping
predation, finding mates etc). Even though they are rooted in the ground,
plants still move slightly.

2- Population:

A population is a collection of members of the same species that live in a

specific geographical area. They mix genetically and engage in resource
competition.

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A population is a discrete collection of things having observable traits, such
humans and animals, for the purpose of analysis and data collection. It
comprises of a related collection of species that live in a specific area and
have the ability to interbreed. In order to interbreed and create fruitful
children, individuals in a community must be able to mate with other
individuals.
Genetic differences cause some individuals to be unable to survive and
procreate.
A local population may only occupy a small area or it may cover a greater
area, representing the entire species.
When individuals in one local population move to another local population,
it creates a metapopulation.
Due to different environmental physical conditions that operate as barriers to
the population's exponential growth, the majority of populations are
unstable.
A population pyramid is a diagram that shows the age-sex distribution of a
nation's population at a certain point in time. It demonstrates the fluctuation
in the population of men and women with age that is otherwise impractical
(for bar graphs). The population is plotted on the x-axis and age is plotted on
the y-axis, resulting in a pyramidal structure.
There are three types of population pyramids:
1. Expansive Pyramid
2. Constrictive Pyramid
3. Stable Pyramid

3- Community

The term "community" in ecology, or more correctly "biotic community,"

refers to the populations of various species of organisms coexisting in the
same habitat.
The community's structure is the distinctive pattern it exhibits, and it is
determined by:

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 - the interactions between various populations of the community
inhabiting the area.
- the type of area that is inhabited by the populations of the community
- the roles played by its various populations
- the diversity of species in the community
- the range of its various populations
Community members actively engage with their surroundings. Only plant
and animal species that have adapted to a specific environment are allowed
to coexist in a community. The type of environment and, thus, the type of
creatures in a community are determined by the climate.
In contrast to naturally occurring communities, which are made up of a
variety of species, communities formed by humans, such as lawns or
agricultural communities, are very simple and include only one species.
Man-made communities need a lot of care, ongoing manipulation, and
upkeep because they are so unstable.
Types of Community
1. Major Community: These have a sizable, well-organized, and
largely independent group. They are independent of the inputs and
outputs from nearby communities and only rely on the energy from
the sun. for instance: the North-tropical East's evergreen fores.
2. Minor Communities: These are frequently referred to as societies
and rely on nearby communities. Due to their secondary aggregation
status within a larger community, they do not function entirely
independently in terms of energy and nutrient dynamics. ex: A mat of
lichen on a cow dung pad.

4- Ecosystem:

An ecosystem is a structural and functional element in ecology that describes

how living things interact with one another and their environment. The
interactions between various species and their environment make up an
ecosystem. The term "Ecosystem" was originally used in 1935 by an English
botanist by the name of A.G. Tansley.

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Structure of the Ecosystem
Both biotic and abiotic elements are arranged in a particular way inside an
ecosystem, which defines its structure. The way energy is dispersed in our
surroundings is a part of this. The weather patterns present in that specific
environment are also included.
An ecosystem's structure can be divided into two primary parts, namely:
1. Biotic Components
2. Abiotic Components
In an ecosystem, the biotic
and abiotic elements are
interconnected. It is an open
system in which components
and energy can move freely
across barriers.
Functions of Ecosystem
- It regulates the essential ecological processes, supports life systems
and renders stability.
- It is also responsible for the cycling of nutrients between biotic and
abiotic components.
- It maintains a balance among the various trophic levels in the
ecosystem.
- It cycles the minerals through the biosphere.
- The abiotic components help in the synthesis of organic components
that involve the exchange of energy.
Types of ecosystem:
An ecosystem can range in size from a little oasis in a desert to an ocean
covering thousands of kilometers. Two distinct ecotypes exist:
- Terrestrial Ecosystem: Forest Ecosystem, Grassland Ecosystem,
Tundra Ecosystem, Desert Ecosystem
- Aquatic Ecosystem: Freshwater Ecosystem, Marine Ecosystem

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 5- Landscape

Landscape ecology is the study of how a landscape's temporal and spatial

features interact with the creatures that live there.
The majority of landscape ecologists are interested in enormous areas,
ranging from a few square kilometres to entire continents, even though there
is no particular spatial extent that defines a landscape.
Typically, it is feasible to categorise a variety of ecosystem types that occur
in patches over a region. As an illustration, the patches in an agricultural
environment might be various fields, woodlots, hedgerows, buildings, and
ponds. A landscape ecologist's objective is to comprehend and characterise
the structure of the landscape, how it affects the flow of species, objects, or
energy across the landscape, as well as how and why it evolves through
time.
By specifying the properties of patches, such as their number, size, form,
location, and composition, the structure of a landscape can be quantified.
Ecologists of the landscape have developed metrics to measure each of these
characteristics.
Geological or biological processes that occur naturally can alter the structure
of the landscape. Geological processes include landslides, volcanoes, and
earthquakes. An example of a biological activity that can alter the structure
of the landscape is the action of beavers creating a dam to flood an area.
Significant changes in the composition of the landscape have also been
brought about by human activity, such as the conversion of forest land to
farmland or the growth of urban centres. Whether brought about by human
activity or natural factors, these structural changes can have a big impact on
the ecosystem of the terrain.
Examples of how organisms interact with a landscape
- Patches: for example mature woodland, or ponds. There's a chance
that members of the in question species can't breed or find food
elsewhere. Therefore, the habitat establishes the patch.
- Barriers: Roads, pipelines or fences might form barriers to movement
of shy or less agile animals.

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 6- Biome

- The terrestrial element of the biosphere is split up into enormous regions

known as biomes.
- The climate determines where each biome's boundaries are as well as
how many plants and animals can be found there.
- Climate, vegetation, animal life, and general soil type all serve to define
biomes.
- There are various biomes, and they are all unique.
- The two key climatic factors are temperature and precipitation.
- There are various types of biomes, including tundra, boreal forests,
grasslands, deserts, temperate forests, tropical rain forests, tropical
deciduous forests, and savanna.

Aquatic zones

Despite not being classified as biomes, aquatic systems are separated into
distinct life zones that contain pockets of somewhat distinct plant and animal
life. Salinity, dissolved nutrient concentrations, water temperature, and
sunlight penetration depth are the main factors influencing the variances
between the various aquatic zones.
Types of Aquatic Ecosystem:
1. Freshwater Ecosystem:
The freshwater ecosystem can be categorised as lentic or lotic (moving
water) (still or stagnant water). Freshwater springs, rivulets, creeks, brooks,
and streams are all part of the lotic water system.
rivers, too. Pools, ponds, some marshes, bogs, and lakes are examples of
lentic water bodies. Their physical, chemical, and biological features are
very diverse.
2. Marine Ecosystem:
The ocean, which covers about three-quarters of the planet's surface, has
an average depth of 3,750 metres and a salinity of 35 ppt (parts per
thousand), with roughly 90% of that being sodium chloride.

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 3. Estuaries:
From the estuaries come coastal bays, river mouths, and tidal marshes.
Estuaries are where freshwater from rivers meets saltwater from the
ocean, where tides combine the two. Comparing estuaries to the nearby
river or sea, they are much more productive.

7- Biosphere

This level of organisation is the highest. All living things and other elements
necessary to support life make up the entire ecological system on the planet.
Generally speaking, the biosphere refers to the outermost layer of the earth.
The region of the earth where life can exist is known as the biosphere. The
atmosphere (air), hydrosphere (water), and lithosphere together make up the
biosphere, which is a highly integrated and interacting zone (land).
It is a thin layer that surrounds the earth's surface. The biosphere would be
as thick as the apple's skin if we imagined the world to be the size of an
apple.
Since adverse environmental conditions do not support life there, the
biosphere is absent at the North and South poles, the tallest mountains, and
the deepest oceans. Beyond 8,000 metres, spores of bacteria and fungus do
occasionally appear, but they are not metabolically active and hence solely
represent dormant life.
The biosphere is not evenly spread with living things. In contrast to the
tropical rain forests, which have an extremely rich diversity of plants and
animals, only a small number of creatures may be found in the polar regions.
Thus, the biosphere is just the area of the planet where all life on it exists; it
is the area of the planet that can sustain life.

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Conclusion
States, provinces, cities, and other geographic divisions make up our nation.
Our cities are divided into residential and business areas within that
framework. The schools we attend are also ranked on a smaller scale
depending on factors like locations, levels, and even classes. Ecology has
been divided into levels to aid in the study of its constituent parts because
scientists put interactions between species and their environments in distinct
groups within the field of ecology in order to better understand them.

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References:

1) Changder, Narayan. Environment. CHANGDER OUTLINE, 2009.

2) E. Trist, "concept of organizational ecology." Australian journal of
management 2.2: 161-175," 1977.
3) Forman, Richard T. T. Land Mosaics: The Ecology of Landscapes
and Regions. New York: Cambridge University Press, 1995.
4) J. D. Thompson, "Approaches to organizational design. Pittsburgh,
PA: University of Pittsburgh Press.," 1966.
5) S. a. H. S. Douma, "Economic approaches to organizations,London:
Pearson”2013.
6) Sanderson, James, and Larry D. Harris, eds. Landscape Ecology: A
Top-Down Approach. Boca Raton, FL: Lewis Publishers, 2001.
7) T. B. a. R. S. Lawrence, "institutions and institutional work." The Sage
handbook of organization studies: 215-254," 2006.
8) Turner, Monica Goigel. Landscape Ecology in Theory and Practice:
Pattern and Process. New York: Springer, 2001.

Links:

- lotusarise.com
- forestresearch.gov
- International Association for Landscape Ecology, United States
Regional Association. <www.edc.uri.edu/iale>.

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