chapter 1 and 2 ecology

Question 1

the study of the interactions that determine the abundance and distributions of organims

Answer 1

ecology

Question 2

a group of interacting organisms and their physical envioronment

Answer 2

ecosystem

Question 3

the current geological epoch that is characterized by the large and influential effects humans have on the planet

Answer 3

Anthropocence

anthropo- human
cene- recent

Question 4

since the 1950s (beginning of the anthropocene) what did we see increases in?

Answer 4

1. population
2. real GDP (total monetary value of goods and services)
3. primary energy use
4. carbon dioxide
5. methane
6. nitrogen to coastal zone
7. surface temperature
8. tropical forest loss
9. ocean acidification

Question 5

the sudden, intense increase across a range of planetary metrics due to human influence (starting in the 1950s)

Answer 5

the great acceleration

Question 6

an impact on earth’s ecology that is caused by human actions

Answer 6

anthropogenic effects

Question 7

what are the 4 approaches for doing ecological science?

Answer 7

1. observation and natural history
2. experimental ecology and null hypothesis testing
3. multiple hypothesis testing with best fit comparisons
4. ecological modelling

Question 8

the first ecologists were called

Answer 8

naturalists (a person who studies natural organisms in a deep context)

Question 9

“just so stories” a narrative that explains an observed pattern without proof and is believed correct because it sounds right

Answer 9

ad hoc fallacies

Question 10

key aspects are also called

Answer 10

focal factors

Question 11

manipualted aspects are called

Answer 11

treatments

Question 12

nonfocal elements

Answer 12

extraneous factors

Question 13

a statement proposing that the focal explanatory factors DO NOT have an effect

Answer 13

null hypothesis

Question 14

a statement proposing that the focal explanatory facotrs DO have an effect

Answer 14

alternative hypothesis

Question 15

a conceptual model that is translated into the language of mathematics

Answer 15

mathematical model

Question 16

a theoretical construct that specifies how various components of a system fit in relation to each other

Answer 16

conceptual model

Question 17

a model that can be solved mathematically or for which the relationships among the variables can be interpreted through math

Answer 17

analytical models

Question 18

a model that is solves or run on a computer multiple times to explore outcomes with different parameters

Answer 18

simulation model

can be conceptual or mathematical

Question 19

carefully watching nature and natural phenomena and constructing narrative explanations

Answer 19

observation and natural history

Question 20

hypothesis testing through the use of manipulative experiments

Answer 20

experimental ecology and null hypothesis testing

• used to study smaller organisms under shorter timescales

Question 21

results and conclusions are based on the strength of evidence supporting one or more of the competing hypotehses

Answer 21

multiple hypothesis testing with best fit comparisons

• used in the context of large scale studies in which multiple causative factors are at play

Question 22

the application of math or mathematical thinking to measured or counted information in order to gain a deeper understanding of a topic

Answer 22

quantitative reasoning

• usually involves numbers, measuring etc (quantity not quality)

Question 23

ability to collect, analyze, make sense of, and communicate the meaning of quantitative and qualitative data

Answer 23

data literacy

Question 24

a changeable value within an equation

Answer 24

variable (generally uppercase letters)

Question 25

an element in a mathematical model that will not change across iterations of a model

Answer 25

parameters (generally lowercase letters)

Question 26

a mathematical model that will always produce the same result if the starting conditions are the same

Answer 26

deterministic model

Question 27

a type of model that lets the parameter values to change between iterations, therby allowing the results to vary

Answer 27

stochastic models

Question 28

a data type associated with no inherent numerical value and that is defined by names (ex. blue, yellow,etc)

Answer 28

nominal categorical variables

Question 29

a data type that is not characterized by a numerical value but it has a natural order (ex. small, medium, large)

Answer 29

ordinal categorical variables

Question 30

A data type whose possible values are numbers that can take on any value, including fractions and decimals (e.g., acorn length).

Answer 30

continuous numerical variable

Question 31

a data type whose possible values are numbers but which can only occur on whole numbers, not fractions or decimals

Answer 31

discrete numerical variables

Question 32

A statistical term describing the probability of collecting observed data if the null hypothesis is true; in practice this often means the probability of getting the statistical results of an experiment by random chance.

Answer 32

p-value