Gen Ecology: Chapter One

What is Ecology?

-Scientific study of the abundance and distribution of organisms in relation to other organisms and environmental conditions

-Studying organisms in their natural habitat, both abiotic and biotic conditions

Abiotic vs Biotic

Abiotic: -Temperature and nutrient levels

-Nonliving

Biotic: -Species interactions

-Living

Name the different approaches to studying ecology

1) Individual Approach

2) Population Approach

3) Community Approach

4) Ecosystem Approach

5) Landscape Approach

6) Biosphere Approach

Explain Individual Approach

-Focuses on an individual’s morphology, physiology, and behavior, enabling it to survive

-Focuses on adaptations

Explain Population Approach

-Examines variation over time and space in the number, density, and composition of individuals

-Abundance

Explain Community Approach

-Looks at species interactions and diversity

-How do these organisms live together, interact, and is one species more abundant than another????

Explain Ecosystem Approach

-Storage and transfers of energy and matter, including chemical elements essential to life

-Such as nitrogen, phosphorus, and carbon

Explain Landscape Approach

-Looks at movements of energy, matter, and individuals between ecosystems

-Newer

-A subgenre of Ecosystem Approach

Explain Biosphere Approach

-Focuses on movements of air and water, energy of chemical elements over the Earth’s surface

Name the different types of experiments ecologists carry out to study ecology?

-Manipulative Experiment

-Natural Experiment

-Mathematical Models

Explain Manipulative Experiments

-Going out and physically manipulating the environment

-Seeing what effects happen from the change

Explain Natural Experiments

-Comparing variations of the same environment

-Relies on natural/environmental variation in the environment

Explain Mathematical Models

-Uses data and equations to help predict a sort of relationship or components of the system

Explain how humans influence ecological systems

-Pollution

-Climate Change (Greenhouse gas)

-Habitat Destruction

-Urbanization

-Overharvesting plants and animals

Explain the roles ecologists have?

-Conserving biodiversity

-Understanding environmental impacts we have on ecosystems and how that affects organisms

-Management roles (Managing ecosystems, populations, working with government officials)

Scientists studying climate change are likely addressing the issues at the……

-Biosphere level

(Looking at overall things, not specific)

All of the wood frogs in a 2 hectare square area of hardwood forest would be considered…..

-Population

Which method of hypothesis testing uses environmental variance to test an otherwise difficult problem?

-Natural Experiment

(Environmental variance = natural experiment)