Chapter 1-4 Flashcards
Tell me about Robert MacArthur (1955)
- He was the founder of evolutionary ecology and did the study on warbler birds
- He determined the birds have their own feeding zones despite having same needs
- He introduced theoretical population biology
Hypotheses must be ___.
must be testable, repeatable, and falsifiable
Define niche
the actions of an organism in relation to the organism’s life (i.e. hunting, burrowing)
Define habitat
the place an organism lives and thrives in
Define fundamental niche
the possible environment an organism CAN live
Explain gradient
gradient is the range of tolerance that an organism has
Define realized niche
the habitat and organism ACTUALLY lives in
Explain overlap in relation to gradient
some animals may have the same range of tolerance and “overlap” each others needs. Like the warbler birds having the same nutritional needs
What is the core theme of ecology?
evolution counts for the diversity and unity of life
Define species
organisms that are able to reproduce fertile offspring together
Tell me about Nalini Nadkarni (1981)
- she studied tree canopy and took nutrient inventory
- she used mountain climbing techniques to obtain samples
- determined most nutritious plants are located near the trunks and branches of trees
Tell me about Melissa Whitaker (2019)
- she used the stable isotope analysis to get “signatures” from different sources of water
- she found that certain butterfly species feed exclusively on acacia trees
Tell me about Candace Galen (1989)
- she tested if larger flowers have more seeds because they are simply more attractive to bees
- she found that this was ture
- she also studied the impact of light on bees during a solar eclipse
Define conceptual modeling
describing data or an experiment using images and diagrams
Define quantitative modeling
the usage of mathematics and equations to display data
