What are Ecology & Evolution?

Question 1

What is ecology?

Answer 1

“The scientific study of the distribution and abundance of organisms and the interactions that determine distribution and abundance” (Begon et al. 2006)

Question 2

How did Haeckl define ecology?

Answer 2

Haeckle 1866: Okologie

• Oikos = home
• Logos = understanding
• “Science of the relation of the organism to its surrounding outside world”

Question 3

What are the environmental interactions?

Answer 3

• Abiotic: physical conditions

- Biotic: other organisms

Question 4

What are examples of abiotic environmental conditions?

Answer 4

• Temperature
• pH
• Wind
• Salinity
• Rainfall
• Humidity
• Nutrients….

Question 5

What are examples of biotic environmental conditions?

Answer 5

• Competition: intra + interspecific

Question 6

What is evolution?

Answer 6

• Change with continuity in successive generations of organisms (i.e. ‘descent with modification’ as Darwin called it) (Allaby 2010)

Question 7

What is the process of evolution and its definition?

Answer 7

• Natural selection - A complex process in which the total environment determines which members of a species survive to reproduce and so pass on their genes to the next generation (Allaby 2010)

Question 8

What is the interaction between ecology and evolution?

Answer 8

• Individual doesn’t live in isolation
• Environment = biotic & abiotic
• Provides selection pressure (whose genes contribute to next generation and in what proportion) -> extinction
• Evolutionary biology and ecology share goals of describing variation in natural systems and discovering its functional framework

Question 9

What are the levels at which ecology can be studied? (Hierarchy)

Answer 9

1. Individual
2. Population (same species)
3. Community (populations of different species)
4. Ecosystem (community in its physical environment)

Question 10

What are the 5 ecological techniques?

Answer 10

1. Observations
2. Surveys
3. Correlations
4. Experiments: a) controlled environment b) common garden type c) field manipulation
5. Models

Question 11

What are examples of observations?

Answer 11

• Importance of local micro-environments e.g. vegetation differences on North vs. South-facing slopes in Mediterranean regions (Molles 2005)
• Community interactions e.g. food web of Canadian boreal forest

Question 12

What is an example of surveys?

Answer 12

Phase I habitat survey

Question 13

What are examples of correlations?

Answer 13

• Positive correlation between an environmental factor and individual success e.g. relationship between leaf Nitrogen concentration & photosynthesis
• Negative correlation between an environmental factor and individual success e.g. relationship between bird species and altitude in New Guinea (Smith & Smith 2009)
• Threshold values for environmental effects e.g. relationship between bird diversity and evapotranspiration (Smith & Smith)

Question 14

What are examples of experiments?

Answer 14

a) Controlled Environment e.g. response curve for Loiseleuria in relation to temperature and light intensity (Larcher et al. 1975)
b) Garden Type e.g. Western terrestrial garter snake (Bronikowski 2000)
c) Field Manipulations/Intervention e.g. avian brood size manipulation Golet et al. 1998

Question 15

What are examples of models?

Answer 15

• Verbal e.g. Darwin’s theory of evolution by natural selection
• Mathematical e.g. computer simulations