Introduction to the Discipline of Ecology Flashcards
What is the definition of ecology?
-Ecology is the scientific study of the interactions that determine the distribution and abundance of organisms (Charles J. Krebs)
Why is it important to study ecology
-Maximize agriculture
-Eradicate pests
-Stop disease spread
-World population
-Climate change
When did ecology come to prominence?
1960s
Where can the origins of ecology be traced to?
Ancient Greece
Who introduced the word ecology into English?
Ellen Swallow Richards (1842-1911)
Who coined the concept of ecology of nature?
Carl Linnaeus (1707 - 1778)
What occurred in the 1960s in relation to ecology?
-Rapidly increasing human population
-More awareness of pollution and environmental
-Increased interest in ecology
-Birth of environmentalism
When was Silent Spring written by Rachel Carson?
1962
Describe environmentalism
-Social and political movement
-Concerned with human impact on environment
-Seeks to minimise human impacts
Describe ecology
-Scientific discipline
-Concerned with interactions between all living things and their environment
-Removed from ethical considerations
What is the order of living things (etc. cells - tissues -organs)
-Individual organisms
-Populations
-Species
-Communities
-Ecosystems
What happens with an increase of complexity?
A decrease of scientific understanding
What are the principles of ecology?
-Factors that determine the distribution of organisms
-Questions of abundance
-Ecological communities
-Ecological energetics
Describe factors that determine the distribution of organisms
Is the spread of exotic species
Describe questions of abundance
Population growth
Regulation and limitation
Carrying capacity
Describe ecological communities
Natural succession, keystone species, biodiversity
Describe ecological energetics
How energy and nutrients move through ecosystems
What is species distribution shaped by?
-Adaptation and natural selection
-Environmental and biotic change
Why is it important to have understanding of factors that affect species distribution?
-Design of Marine Protected Areas
-Predicting species responses to climate change
-Managing invasive species
Species could survive outside its current range but its absent because…
- It can’t get there dispersal
- It does not recognise it as suitable habitat (habitat selection)
Species could not complete its lifecycle outside of its current range because of….
- Interactions with other organisms
- Impacts of physical and chemical factors (temperature, light moisture)
How can factors that limit distribution by identified?
Oceanographic modelling
Ecological niche modelling
Transplant experiments
What information does oceanographic modelling provide?
Simulates dispersal trajectories
What information does ecological niche modelling provide?
Predicts suitable habitats