Lesson One Flashcards
What is ecology?
a branch of science dedicated to the study of relationship among organisms, including how they interact with each other and with the environment. (How they interact with biotic and abiotic factors)
What is natural history?
the foundation of ecology, focused on understanding the mechanism causing patterns in the natural world. (How and why are the big questions)
What is autoecology?
studies how an individual organisms or one specific species (how they eat, mate, etc) and how it interacts with its an environment. Encompasses research of physiological and behavioural ecologists.
what is physiological ecology?
focuses on morphological and physiological process used to gather energy and cope with stress.
what is behavioral ecology?
focuses in determinants of individual behaviour and how they affect interactions
What is community ecology?
studies interactions between effects of predation, parasitism, mutualism and competition.
What is physiological and behavioral ecology
studies individual life forms based on evolution theory
What is population ecology?
studies factors influencing population structure and dynamics. Different from autoecology looking at species. When looking at population ecology you are focused primarily on numbers of the population and what affects them. (example population growth)
What is synecology?
Just another way to say population ecology.
What is population?
is a group of single species inhabiting a defined area, this also time bound. (example, species, how many and when)
What is ecosystem ecology?
The biological, chemical, physical processes and interactions that occur within one location. So interactions between abiotic and biotic species within a specific area. (the goal is to understand the controls exercised on nutrient cycling and energy flow through the ecosystem)
studies the flow of energy and matter through through organisms and the environment
Landscape ecology
studies exchange of materials, energy and organisms with other communities and ecosystems. (all natural communities are open systems subject to various interactions and exchanges with other communities)
studies the interactions between ecological processes and environmental on a broad scale
macroecology
studies regional ecology processes and patterns. All landscapes are part of regions, subject to large scale and long term regional processes.
What is the difference between ecosystem and landscape ecology?
Landscape is multiple different locations and how they can changed over time whereas ecosystem focuses on the specific interactions within the area.
What is Global Ecology?
Is the largest spatial scale and highest level of ecological organization. The biosphere represents portions of earth that supports life or total global ecosystem.
the study of earths ecosystems, ocean atmosphere, and land and how they all interact with each other
How do ecologists design studies?
They base their studies on research questions, temporal/spatial scale of the study as well as available research tools.
Scientific method
Theories based on first principles leading to a testable hypothesis, test the hypothesis by collecting data/observing, and experiments in a lab/field that can last from a week to millennia.
temporal vs spatial scale?
A temporal scale is defined as a scale used to measure the change in a variable over time, like a timescale. A spatial scale is used to measure the change in a variable across space (just the area the change is happening, size wise)
What is an ecotones?
transitions from one type of ecosystem to another.
Scientific method
Observation, question, hypothesis, prediction, and then the test of the hypothesis. (If, then because, is a hypothesis) You don’t prove a hypothesis you support it. If it is not supported you need to change your prediction/hypothesis. Having a hypothesis that is not supported is not wrong, it is important in the hypothesis process, you still need to document it.
