Chapter 1: An introduction to Ecology Flashcards
August 22, 2022 Class
Ecology
The study of interactions among organisms and between organisms and their environment.
Biotic? Examples?
interaction among living organisms
Examples: bacteria (symbiotic relationship), sharks (predator), two males fighting for a mate (competition), tapeworms, dogs
Abiotic? The two types? Examples?
There are two types of abiotic 1) physical 2) chemical.
Example:
Physical: sunlight (affects kelp etc.,), water, tides
Chemical: ocean acidification, chemical defense (chemical itself in organisms such as that of the poison frog is chemical, but the production of chemical is biotic)
Organismal ecology? What are the three main subdisciplines of it?
Organismal ecology investigates how individuals’ adaptations and choices affect their reproduction and survival.
Example: “How often do zebras produce?” “How fast does one grow?”
three main subdisciplines: evolutionary ecology, behavioral ecology, physiological ecology
Evolutionary ecology?
Considers how organisms have evolved to adapt to their environment through interactions with individuals, populations, and other species.
Example: Penguins. Penguins have not traveled outside the southern hemisphere because of 1) the equator (they have never been able to cross), 2) there is an abundance of krill (food) for the penguins in the southern hemisphere). Water that is clear lacks krill etc., that penguin would need to survive on.
Behavioral ecology?
Focuses on how the behavior of an individual organism contributes to its survival and reproductive success, which in turn affects the abundance of a population.
Example: Forest tent caterpillars, Malacosoma species, they are famous for residing in silken tents. They do this to be able to leave a trail and return to forage (find food) in subsequent days.
- group living becomes advantageous here since large group means a large/thick trail and can also attract mates.
Physiological ecology
Investigates how organisms are physiologically ( level of cells, tissues, organ systems and the whole body. ) adapted to their environment and how the environment impacts the distribution of species.
- effects of temperature, water, nutrient availability, and other physical factors are looked at here to see how species are distributed or abundant in area/places
Population Ecology
Focuses on populations, groups of interbreeding individuals that occur in the same place at the same time. (goal- understand the factor(s) that affect a population’s growth and determine its size and density)
What does population ecology include?
Includes the study of species interactions such as competition, predation, mutualism (type of symbiotic relationship where both organisms benefit), commensalism (when one organism benefits, but the other does not), herbivores, and parasitism.
Community ecology? Example of a biome?
Focuses on factors that influence the number of species in an area.
Example: community in small ponds to huge tropical rain forests (biomes)
Biomes: tropical rainforests, temperate deciduous forests, or temperate grasslands.
Ecosystems ecology vs ecosystem?
deals with the flow of energy and cycling of nutrients among organisms within a community and between organisms and the environment
vs.
ecosystem is a living, biotic community and its nonliving abiotic environment
2nd law of thermodynamics? Example in ecosystem ecology? what is not an example?
in every energy transformation, free energy is reduced because heat energy is lost from the ecosystem in the process. therefore, there is, a unidirectional flow of energy through an ecosystem, with energy dissipated at every step,
example: the sun, an external source from an ecosystem, dissipates to sustain itself
not an example: chemicals such as nitrogen and phosphorus do not dissipate and constantly cycle between abiotic and biotic components of the environment, often becoming more concentrate in organisms higher in the food chain
Biodiversity crisis?
Used to describe this elevated (increasing) loss of species
Conservation biology?
studies how to protect the biological diversity of life at all levels
Deforestation? Agriculture?
the conversion of forested areas to non-forested land, is a prime cause of the extinction of species.
Agriculture harms the land too- increased flooding, declining soil fertility, silting of the rivers, and desertification (wetlands have been drained for agricultural purposes- increasing risk of floods)
