Ecology Chapter 1

Question 1

Define Ecology

Answer 1

Ecology is: The scientific study of the interactions that determine the distribution and abundance of organisms.

Question 2

Scientific Study

Answer 2

Using the scientific method interactions…biotic environment and abiotic environment

Question 3

biotic

Answer 3

living

Question 4

abiotic

Answer 4

not living

Question 5

distrubution

Answer 5

where an organism is found

Question 6

abundance

Answer 6

how many organisms are there?

Question 7

role of ecology in society

Answer 7

to provide impartial information gathered from scientific method

Question 8

population

Answer 8

a group of individuals living in the same species at the same time

Question 9

community

Answer 9

group of individuals, all the populations of different species found in the same place and time

Question 10

ecosystem

Answer 10

all the communities in an area and the physical environment

Question 11

ecology

Answer 11

ecosystems, communities, populations, organisms etc.

ecology is less predictable

Question 12

The scientific method

Answer 12

1. Observe a pattern and ask a question
2. Determine hypothesis that best answers question of interest.
3. make if/then statements that if true support your hypothesis
4. Design, conduct & analyze experiments and observational studies that test your hypothesis

Question 13

how do we test expiraments

Answer 13

1. Observational experiments in the field

2. expiraments

Question 14

Observational Studies

Answer 14

recording/watching
leaving nature as is
no manipulation

Question 15

experiments

Answer 15

researcher manipulates or changes something in nature

usually hypothesized driver

Question 16

correlation

Answer 16

any consistent (non random) hypothesized driver between 2 variables
correlation does not equal causation

Question 17

Karl Popper 1934- The Logic of Scientific Discovery

Answer 17

for a theory to be scientific theory, it must be falsifiable
science proceeds by attempting to falsify theories
support of hypothesis does not make it true

Question 18

control group

Answer 18

units that are identical to the treatment group, except without the manipulation of the driver

Question 19

replicate

Answer 19

repeat controls, repeat manipulations
multiple repeated units, both for the treatments and control.
used to decrease the role of chance- more likley that differences are caused by treatment

Question 20

Strengths of observational studies (2)

Answer 20

1. More realistic! experiments can be artificial
2. ecology occurs over spacial and temporal scales that are often hard to experiment on- observational studies can often be the best way to study these big scale proceses

Question 21

Strengths of experiments

Answer 21

1. experiments allow you to decouple correlation from causation
2. experiments allow you to create situations that do not naturally occur in nature
   - ask the “what if” question

Question 22

Frog Case Study

Answer 22

Frogs with deformed legs -caused by parasitic trematode flat worm
IF the leg deformities are caused by the trematode, then glass beads inserted same size as trematodes resulted in deformed frog legs

RESULT: taking away snails (intermediate host for trematodes) the frogs no longer had deformities because the trematode was not able to come full circle in the transfer from host to host.