module 1 ecology Flashcards
Ecology
A broad field of Scientific inquiry that focuses on: Interactions between organisms & their abiotic environments
Effects of these interactions on their distribution & abundance.
Ecology is
inherently INTERDISCIPLINARY , integrating many seemingly diffuse fields such as: Biology Sociology Mathematics Geology Physics Architecture Chemistry Economics
who coined the term ecology
ernst Haeckel
Ecology is the study of
interactions between organisms and their environments
Economy of Nature
The investigation of the total relationships of the animal both to its inorganic and organic environment
Including its friendly & inimical relations with those animals & plants with which it comes directly or indirectly into contact
Evolution and Ecology
Natural Systems are formed through Evolution
Charles Darwin
- On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection
- Derived from Observation
- Species change to better fit their environment
Stephen A. Forbes
look at entire environment instead of one fish species to understand all of fish species
Aldo Leopold
PROPER WAY TO MANAGE AREAS for healthy POPULATION
Eugene Odum
Look at Energy and nutrients it is the currency of ecosystem function
John Muir
prevent damn, fight for conservation of natural reservation
Theodore Roosevelt
parks preserved
Henry David Thoreau
waldo pond experiences
value nature
Rachel Carson
one of the first people to realize the global dangers of pesticide abuse (DDT). Wrote Silent Spring. Scientiest responsible
Environment
made up of what
is the stuff around every level that influences its properties and dynamics.
made up of two things
abiotic biotic environment
Ecosystem is a collection
of parts that function as a unit
biotic
living components
abiotic
nonliving (physical & chemical) components
Nutrient Cycling
Dynamic System & REPLENISHMENT helps maintain Nutrients as well Replenished Nutrients More Deaths More Nutrients returned to Soil
Multiple levels of organization: populations communities ecosystems landscape biomes biosphere
Organisms
Populations- group of individuals of the same species that occupy a given area
Communities-populations of diff. species living and interacting with an ecosystems
Ecosystems-collected of related parts that function as a unit
Landscape-area of land composed of communities and ecosystems
Biomes- broad-scale regions
Biosphere-thin layer around earth
order of scientific method
Observation question Hypothesis prediction hypothesis testing & Repeat Theory Law
Observation
Form a question based on that observation
questioning
Based on: Observations Natural History Behaviors Plants Animals
- Apparent Patterns -Curiosity
Hypothesis
An educated guess about what the answer to the question might be
this is a statement of cause and effect that can be tested
Experiment
Unlike field study, one factor can be examined at a time
Other factors are Controlled
Held constant so only independent can cause change
Field experiment
Allows investigator to manipulate one condition in a field setting Take a single large field, subdivide it into plots Add nitrogen to some plots and not others controlling the independent variable Measure plant growth on all of the plots (dependent variable). experiment site must vary minimally in other factors
Laboratory experiment
Allows investigator greater control over the experimental conditions
Grow the grasses in a greenhouse temperature, soil moisture, and soil acidity can be kept constant investigate only the effect of nitrogen availability
But . . . Greenhouse conditions are different than those in a field Response may be different than in a field environment
A model is
An abstract, simplified REPRESENTATION OF A REAL SYSTEM
Developed from results of observations and experiments
Can be descriptive (qualitative) or mathematical (quantitative
Natural World
appears to be Chaotic
Physical Constants
What goes up must come down
Energy can neither be created nor destroyed, only transformed
Systems are ever changing
Cells, Individuals, species, populations under constant flux
Rate of Change important
Uncertainty is Inherent in Science
The SCIENTIFIC METHOD IS A CONTINUOUS PROCESS. Testing and correcting explanations Refine our understanding of the world around us Usually simplify the system being studied in order to establish cause and effect As a result, only part of the picture is seen
Natural History
Basis of All Ecological Study
The natural development of organism over a period of time
physiological ecology
physiological- responses to temp, light, other environment conditions
ecosystem ecology
ecosystem ecology-abiotic biotic world
community ecology
community ecology-diversity
population ecology
population ecology-pop growth death birth
evolutionary ecology
evolutionary ecology-natural selection, adaptation
landscape ecology
landscape ecology-land, spatial process
conservation ecology
conservation ecology- maintance of biological diversity
restoration ecology
restoration ecology- restoration manage disturbed lands
applied ecology
applied ecology-all ecology applied to real world
