Ecology and Ecosystems Flashcards
What is ecology?
study of interactions of living things in relation to their environment
What is the ecosystem?
a complex system of organisms, physical environments, and their interactions
Why is ecology in public health?
Human health and well being depends on natural, interacting systems composed of living things and their environments or ecosystems
-Human activities affect ecosystems and vice-versa
Disciplines and focal studies?
look at chart on Week 2 slides*
-everything is connected
Terrestrial food chain?
The hierarchy of what consumes what
- sun is energy
- grass is producer
- grasshopper is primary consumer
- shrew is secondary consumer
- owl is tertiary consumer
How can producers die?
If there isn’t a constant source of energy
Phosphorous cycle?
An essential
- Phosphorous in soil to grow plants
- lose phos through bleaching and erosion
Biodiversity?
degree of variation of life in all forms
-varies between different ecosystems
Pop. ecology?
study of dynamics species’ pop., interactions and how they change over time and space
-w/o constraints, pop. grow exponentailly
Pop. decline?
deaths>births
Ecosystems Services?
elements that support human health and well being
Millenium Ecosystem Assessment categories?
-provisioning
-regulating
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