Lecture - Chapter 1: Ecology Flashcards
Darwin
The origin of Species (1859)
Natural selection
Importance of biotic interactions and abiotic processes
Ernst Haeckel’s
oekologie
Ellen Swallow Richards (1842-1911)
Ecology
Ecology is
A subdiscipline of biology. it is multidisciplinary; often involves other sciences. Study of interactions between organisms and their environment
abiotic
nonliving/inorganic/physical
biotic
living / organic components
ecological research focuses on
explaining the abundance and distribution of organisms. the behavior of organisms is also the topic of much research - what do they do, why they do it and how
environmentalism
activism for proecting nature
environmentalist
self declared label with no qualifications
ecologist
qualified scientist with advanced degrees and publications in peer reviewed journals.
Levels of ecological organization
individual - population - community - ecosystem - biome - biosphere
Individual organism
Alive, has metabolism, can grow survive and reproduce.
metabolism
all chemical reactions that sustain life, e.g. photosynthesis, respiration
Population
a group of organism of the same species, that interact at the same time and place
ecosystem
an energy driven complex of a community (biotic) and its physical environment (abiotic). Conerned with energy and nutrient cycles. Self-sustaining
Biome
A group of similar ecosystems. it is one of the main ecosystem types defined by teh corresponding vegetation type. Defined by the main vegetation type of the dominant ecosystem.
Biosphere
All biomes collectively. Thin shell of the planet that sustains life. The biosphere extends deep into the earth such as bacterial communities in extreme, inhospitable environments.
Scientific method
For hypothesis based on observations, use it to generate predictions. Test them. Modify based on results.
Data analysis
Interprets test results
Graphs
visual display of ecological data.
scatter plot
early stages of analysis
histogram
frequency distribution data
