Lecture 1 Ecological complexity Flashcards
Ecology is
study of interactions between organisms and their environment.
Flavours of ecology (4)
Community, behavioural, ecosystem, population.
Community ecology is
study of interactions between species in relation to the environment
Food web represents
who eats who
Four types of community interactions
Predation, competition, mutualism, parasitism
Major categories within food webs
Primary Producers, Consumers (Carnivore, Herbivore, Omnivore, Parasite), Decomposers
List three things bears feed on
grass, berries, roots, salmon, moose
Behavioural ecology is
study of animal behaviour in relation to the environment
Standard prediction of “foraging theory” is
animals should eat foods that maximize their energy intake.
7 factors to consider when choosing food
- Abundance of prey
- “Catchability”
- “Quality” (younger salmon the better)
- Competition
- Predation risk (raccoon scared of predators)
- Essential nutrients
- Protection from toxins
Ecosystem ecology is
the flow of energy and matter through the biotic and abiotic components of ecosystems
Trophy cascade is
chain of affecting either higher levels’ abundance (bottom-up) or lower levels’ abundance.
Two types of control in ecosystem ecology are
Bottom-up and Top-down
Describe Bottom-up control
abiotic factors (amount of nutrients, sunlight, water) determine abundance of primary producers.
ex: Nitrogen is limiting in temperate terrestrial environments. N2 is not usable, fixed by bacteria in soil or in roots of legumes. Urea acts as fertilizers
Describe Top-down control
Predators control abundance or productivity of lower trophic levels
