intro / fundamentals Flashcards
origin of ecology
oikos - house / place to live
pioneered “population regeneration” and “food chain” studies (person)
anton van leeuwenhoek
coined the term “ecology” - body of knowledge concerning economy of nature; relations of animal to in/organic environment (person)
ernst haeckel (zoologist)
elevated ecology to one of the (3) natural divisions of biology - (1) physiology (2) morphology (3) ecology (person)
burdon-sanderson
accdg to them, ecology is the scientific study of distribution and abundance of organisms (person)
andrewartha
accdg to them, ecology is the structure and function of nature (person)
odum
accdg to them, ecology is the scientific study of processes regulating dist. and abundance of organisms and interactions among them, as well as the study of how these organisms in turn mediate the transport and transformation of energy and matter in the biosphere (study of design of ecosystem structure and function) (person)
krebs
(divisions of biology) horizontal layers (e.g., molecular bio, devt bio, genetics, ecology, etc)
basic divisions
(divisions of biology) vertical slices (e.g., bacteriology, ornithology, botany, entomology)
taxonomic divisions
biotic components (list)
genes, cells, organs, organisms, populations, communities
abiotic components (list)
matter, energy
biotic components + abiotic components = _________________ ?
biosystems
interaction with physical environment (energy + matter) at each level produces characteristic FUNCTIONAL systems
e.g., genetic system, cells system, organs systems, organismic systems, populations systems, ecosystems
study of individual organism and/or species with emphasis on LIFE HISTORIES and BEHAVIOUR as means of adaptation to the environment
autoecology
study of groups of organisms which are associated together as a unit
syncecology
group of interacting and interbreeding organisms
population
different populations living together and interacting
populations can interact as COMPETITORS, PREDATOR and PREY, or SYMBIOTICALLY
community
organisms and their physical and chemical environments together in a particular area
smallest units that can sustain life in isolation from all but atmospheric surroundings
ecosystem
large scale areas of similar vegetation and climatic characteristics
biome
thin film on surface of the earth in which all life exists; the union of all the ecosystems
highly ordered system, held together by the energy of the sun
biosphere
basic functional unit of ecology
involves biotic communities and abiotic environment both necessary for maintenance of life
ecosystem
person who proposed the term “ecosystem”
A.G. Tansley (british ecologist)
(trophic - (relating to feeding/nutrition) standpoint)
component of an ecosystem in which fixation of light energy, use of simple inorganic substances and build-up of complex substances predominate
autotrophic component
(trophic - (relating to feeding/nutrition) standpoint)
component of an ecosystem in which utilisation, rearrangement, and decomposition of complex materials predominate
heterotrophic component
one of the universal features of all ecosystems
interaction of auto- and heterotrophic components
process that occurs in the upper “green belt” stratum in which light energy is available
autotrophic metabolism
process that occurs in the “brown belt” below in which organic matter accumulates in the soils and sediments
heterotrophic metabolism
(energy circuit - space time separation of heterotrophic utilization of autotrophic organism products)
refers to direct consumption of living plants and plant products
grazing circuit
(energy circuit - space time separation of heterotrophic utilization of autotrophic organism products)
involves accumulation and decomposition of dead materials
organic detritus circuit
identify the 6 components of the structure of an ecosystem
(1) inorganic substances
(2) organic compounds
(3) climate regime
(4) producers
(5) macroconsumers or phatographs
(6) microconsumers, sapotrophs, or osmotrophs
(ecosystem structure component)
includes C, N, CO2, H2O, etc, involved in material cycles
inorganic substances
(ecosystem structure component)
proteins, carbohydrates, lipids, humic substances, etc, that link biotic and abiotic
organic compounds
(ecosystem structure component)
temperature and other physical factors
climate regime
(ecosystem structure component)
autotrophic organisms, largely green plants able to manufacture food from simple inorganic materials
producers
(ecosystem structure component)
heterographic organism, chiefly animals which ingest other organisms or particulate organic matter
macroconsumers or phatographs
(ecosystem structure component)
heterotrophic organisms, chiefly bacteria and fungi, which break down the complex compounds of dead protoplasms, absorb some of the decomposition products, and release inorganic nutrients
microconsumers, saprotrophs, or osmotrophs
identify the 6 components of an ecosystem in terms of function
(1) energy circuits
(2) food chains
(3) diversity patterns in time and space
(4) nutrient (biogeochemical) cycles
(5) development and evolution
(6) control (cybernetics)
