Bio 208 Flashcards
What is ecology
Ecology is the scientific study of interactions between organisms and their environment in a hierarchy of levels of organization: individuals, populations,
communities, and ecosystem
In simpler terms, it is the interaction between organisms and their environment in an hierarchy
How is organismal life organized
individuals -> population -> community -> ecosystem -. landscape -> biosphere
what is individuals
Living entities that are genetically and physically discrete.
what is population
Group of interbreeding individuals of a single species
inhabiting a defined area in space and time
what is community
Population of species that occur together in the same space
and time. (= association of interacting species)
what is ecosystem in the hierarchy
Biological community together with its associated physical
and chemical environment.
what is a landscape
Exchange of materials, energy and organisms among
ecosystems
what is a biosphere
Portions of the Earth that support life, including land, waters
and atmosphere
what is Autoecology
ecology of individuals. this is a discipline in ecology. this disciplines focus on the interaction between species with their environment. tend to focus on the behavior or physiology of the individual species. this displinces discovered caribou eat different food depending on the season
what is population ecology
focus on process that influence population structure and dynamics such as birth and morality rates (AKA studies population to maybe predict population by the next season)
ex: can be used to manage the population for the benefit of the environment and humans. knowing the effect of hunting on wildlife on grizzly bears in British Columbia
what is community ecology
focus on intreaction between species or factors that influence the structure of entire communities
ex: study competition between plants and how competitive some of the plant
ex: study how bison influence plant community structure in grassland through dietary preference, provide nutrient through fences, and the bison spread the seeds in others areas
what is ecosystem ecology
focus on how organisms and chemical & physical processes interact.
The key study area is energy flow and nutrient cycling
ex: studying how pest outbreaks ad wildfires affect soil nutrient cycling in forest
what is the landscape ecology
study how landscape patterns influence ecology processes and how the ecology process are changing the landscape
key study area: how humans altered the landscape to affect organisms movement
ex: studying effects of roads (building disturbs) on animals movement
ex: effects of natural areas on agroecosystem
what is macroecology
study of process at large spatial scale such as region, a continent or several continents
tend to focus on organisms abundance, distribution and diversity
ex: study the major driver of wild bee diversity in the US
what is global ecology
study processes at the global scale with relevance for all life on our plant
key study area is the global climate change
studying effect of different carbon dioxide emissions scenarios and associated warning on global species extinction rates
