Autecology – All about the topic

The term autecology was first used alongside synecology in 1902 by the botanist Carl Joseph Schroeter, and was later also coined by his scientific work and discoveries. But what does autecology actually mean?

Autecology is a branch of ecology that deals with the interaction between individuals of a species and the surrounding environmental factors. Autecology is therefore sometimes called the ecology of species.

Carl Joseph Schroeter was a Swiss and German-born botanist. He lived from 1855 to 1939, during which time he coined the term autecology. During his lifetime he played a major role in ecology and the natural sciences. Above all as the founder of geobotany. Through his numerous travels, he gained more and more knowledge about the vegetation and ecosystems on the different continents, such as Europe, Asia or North and South America. In 1902 he introduced very important terms for ecology: synecology and autecology

ecology

For a better understanding of what autecology is in more detail and which topics it covers, it is worth taking a quick look at ecology again. After all, what exactly does ecology mean in biology?

Ecology is the science of interrelationships. Interactions between an organism and its animate (biotic) and inanimate (abiotic) environment are examined. For this purpose, different levels of investigation are considered, starting with a single organism, up to the population and consideration of the entire biosphere.

Abiotic and biotic factors

The environmental factors include abiotic factors such as Temperature, light intensity, atmospheric pressure or in bodies of water, too ion composition in water. On the other hand, biotic factors such as Food quality, interrelationships with parasitic and symbiotic species, or that behavior compared to other animal species.

Ecologists therefore not only study the interactions between organisms in a targeted manner, but also which species survive best or are more capable of surviving in which environment and with which food. In addition, another task of ecologists is environmental protection, which, especially nowadays, is ascribed a major role.

tolerances

When considering the abiotic and biotic factors, it is important to also determine the basic concept of the tolerance ranges of certain living beings in this context. A tolerance range is the range in which the levels of an abiotic factor can fluctuate and the living being still remains capable. These are often tested under laboratory conditions, which is why a distinction is made between two tolerances:

Physiological Tolerance

The physiological tolerance range describes the tolerance range under laboratory conditions. Here only one environmental factor is tested while the others are held constant. The extent to which an organism can withstand fluctuations in the value of the factor is examined. In the wild, however, it does not happen that only one value changes at a time, which is why one also looks at the tolerance in the wild and under competitive conditions.

ecological tolerance

Ecological tolerance describes tolerance towards a certain factor, whereby other factors can also change and interspecific and intraspecific competitive behavior can also occur. For these reasons, the ecological tolerance range is usually somewhat smaller.

values ​​of environmental factors

Both the physiological and the ecological tolerance range are marked in three fixed points, within this range the value of the environmental factor can fluctuate.

minimum value

The minimum marks the lower limit that the value of the environmental factor can reach. If the value falls below the minimum, the organism can no longer maintain its important life functions and it dies.

optimum value

The optimum designates the optimum value that the environmental factor can have. If the value reaches the optimum, the organism develops and multiplies best because it has the best environment for itself.

maximum value

The maximum describes the upper limit of the tolerance range of a living being towards an environmental factor. If the factor exceeds this value, the organism is again in a range in which it can no longer maintain vital body functions.

pessimism

The pessimum is an area that is still within the tolerance range. If the value of the environmental factor approaches the minimum or the maximum without exceeding it, the creature is in ecological pessimum. Here some life functions are restricted and it can no longer produce offspring. However, the organism does not die directly.

Figure 1: Temperature tolerance curve; Source: u-helmich.de

Inside tip:

In modern times, the term «autecology» is rarely used due to the multiple interactions. Instead, one speaks today of physiological ecology or ecophysiological.

Autecology – The most important thing