Lecture 1 Flashcards
What is Ecology?
The study of interactions and relationships between organisms and the environment
To understand individual behaviors what scientific field will be used?
Physiology
What science is used to understand poulations?
Chemistry
What science is used to understand communities and ecosystems?
Genetics
What science is used to understand ecosystems?
Geology
What is used to better understand the biosphere?
Physics
What are the three largest overarching fields of science
Stats
Data science
Computer Science
What is an ecosystem?
An arbitrarily defined geographic volume containing interacting biotic and abiotic factors connected to other ecosystems by a series of inputs and outputs.
Additionally, they have a time dimension, and humans can either be a part of the system or apart from the system.
What is an arbitrarily defined geographic range?
- ecologist will break down ecosystems by similar properties and characteristic.
Primarily vegetation types on land.
Rate of flow of water (lakes vs rivers vs streams)
(grasslands and forests)
What are Biotic factors?
Anything that is alive
- animals
- plants
- fungi
What are Abiotic factors?
Anything that is not alive
- water
- light
- temperature
- air
True or false:
Grasslands are far more dry than forest enviorments
True
more light = less water
What are the diffrences between abitoic and biotic factors in rivers and lakes
rivers: animals try to stay still
Lakes: animals adapted to move up and down the water coloum.
“Connected to other ecosystems by a series of inputs and outputs”
Animals will transfer resources from one ecosystem to another through eating and pooping.
“Ecosystems have a time dimension”
Ecosystems change over time. Although, this change can take a short period of time or a large period of time
What factors do humans change in ecosystems?
- Abiotic: gases in the atmosphere
- Biotic: moving animals to non-native environments
What dose it mean to “think like an ecosystem”
The ability to understand the interaction between abiotic and biotic factors.
looking at the tree, and the forest, and everything in-between.
What is the boundary of the kelp forest?
- The space the kelp dominate
What are the Biotic and abiotic factors of the Kelp forest?
- kelp, sea urchins, star fish
- rocks, temp, water, rochs, sand
TIme domain in the kelp forest ?
The urchins will cut down the Forrest and make Barrins
What is the scientific method?
- Observations
- Questions
- Hypothesis
- prediction
- Test of prediction
- Examine results
ecological hypothesis must be________
directional and mechanistic
why
Null and alternative hypothesis
A null hyopthesis is one that directly counters your main hypothesis
hypothesis: Temperature dictates how warm it is
Null hypothesis: Temperature will not dictate how warm it is.
