Lecture 6 - Introduction to Ecology and Taxonomy

what is ecology

the study of interacting organisms and their environment, which can be studied at various levels of interactions

we study ecology because

it is a major source of natural resources, life is complex, conservation, and mitigation of human impacts

without knowledge of ecological requirements, management actions

often fail

a cell is the

smallest functional unit that can perform all of life’s tasks

a living organism may consist of

a single cell or a huge number of cells

in multicellular organisms, cells are specialized and depend on other cells to

maintain life

the specialization and interdependence of cells contribute to a characteristic hierarchy of life, with each level

defined by its structure and function

a cell is a

basic unit of life

a tissue is a

group of specialized cells that work together for a particular funcion

an organ is a

distinct structure made up of different tissues that have a specific function

an organ system is a

collection of organs that carry out specific functions within an organism

an organism is a

living thing that carries out all of life’s function

a biosphere is a

collection of global processes

an ecosystem is an

energy flux and cycling of nutrients

a community is an

interaction among populations

a population is a

population dynamics, the unit of evolution

an organism is main goal is

survival and reproduction, the unit of natural selection

a habitat is the place where an organism

lives, which has all the biotic and abiotic factors that the organism needs to survive and thrive

a habitat consists of

food, water, and cover

what factors into the range of tolerance

availability of food and nutrients, water, cover, temperature, salinity, pH, oxygen, environmental toxins, predator presence, disease presence

naming and classifying life has been the goal of

many scientists throughout time (aristotle, theophrastus)

Carolus Linnaeus created our modern classification system for

life on earth - the species pantarum and the system naturae

binomial nomenclature, also known as the two term naming system, is a way of naming organisms by giving each a two part latin name:

genus and species

the ordered system to keep track of the relationships between different organisms is

domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, family, genus, species

a species is a basic unit of

classification, and the lowest taxonomic rank, of an organism

subspecies occur when minor morphological differences are

found at the population level

species concepts are different systems for

defining what a species is

currently there are 26 different accepted

species concepts

the biological species concept focuses on

reproduction

the phylogenetic species concept focuses on

molecular relationships

the ecospecies concept focuses on

niche similarity

the morphospecies focuses on

appearance