General Ecology Exam 1

Ernest Haeckel ecology definition

the body of knowledge concerning the economy of nature, investigation of the total relationships of the animal to its organic and inorganic environment

Franz ecology definition

study of interactions among living organisms and how they’re affected by their environment

ecology is not

non-living components of natural systems, sub-organismal biology, evolutionary processes affecting biodiversity

what are the earliest forms of ecology

hunters and gathers who needed to know when and where to go to find food, then establishment of agriculture

what is another term for the early forms of ecology used by hunters, gatherers, and farmers

natural history

ancient greeks and romans were

the earliest people writing down ecological information

what did aristotle write

history of animals based on behavior and adaptations of marine life on the isle of lesbos

what did theophrastus write

on the causes of plants, based on factors affecting growth and fecundity

when was ecology recognized as a scientific discipline

1800s

how has the field of ecology expanded since its establishment

exponential growth, slow in early 1900’s, rapid expansion starting in 1950s

why did the field of ecology start rapidly expanding in the mid 1900s

human population was increasing, leading to an increased need to understand ecological systems as human impacts increased

what is an example of human impacts on natural systems

light pollution, 23% of earths surface is affected

what percentage of the worlds population is unable to see the milkway clearly

80%

how can light pollution impact the natural environment

30% of vertebrates and over 60% of invertebrates are nocturnal

what do ecologists study

systems of multiple parts which can be broken down into subsystems

what are ecological systems

ecosystems, machines with numerous interacting organisms

what are open systems

systems that can interact with other systems

what is an example of an open system

stream floodplain forests interacting with upland terrestrial habitats

what does more complextiy mean within a system

more vulnerability, more things can be altered making it more challenging to understand

what are the different levels of systems within ecology

organismal, population, community, ecosystem, biosphere

what is the organismal level of ecology

how individual organisms survive, focuses on individual questions

what is the population level of ecology

focuses on a single species, what affects a species in an ecosystem

what is the community level of ecology

multiple species

what is the biosphere level of ecology

focuses on all interconnected ecosystems

research questions for organismal ecology

how do individual organisms survive in their environment, different behavioral and morphological adaptations

research questions for population ecology

focus on factors limiting abundance and distribution of a species, range and population change, how can the population be protected

research questions for ecosystem ecology

processes driven by the combined impact of all organisms in an ecosystem, chemical changes and energy flow, not individual species effects

research questions for biosphere ecology

impacts of ecological ecosystems on global factors, climate, ocean currents, light levels

the levels of ecology range from

reductionist (organism) to holistic (biosphere)

what is the range of scientific knowledge within the levels of ecology

increases towards reductionist, decreases towards holistic

ecological research involves

studying the causes and effects of temporal and spatial variation among organisms and ecological processes

what are some causes and effects of variation within organismal to community levels

spatial, within and between habitats, temporal, daily, monthly, or annual

what is an ecosystem process

the effects of organisms on the amount of flow of chemicals and energy

what cycles do ecosystem processes study

chemical and energetic

when lindemann was studying cedar creek bog what did he discover

the entire community was connected energetically, ecosystems are interconnected through energy transfer

what is the currency in an ecological system

energy

ecological systems are usually at what dynamic state

equilibrium, all systems follow physical laws of bioenergetics, chemical kinetics, and biomechanics

how to ecosystems stay stable

total amount of energy = energy input - (work+entropy)

what are energy outputs

function of entropy, things at work, need inputs to counteract

what is entropy

random dissipation of energy

what are examples of the constant energy loss within systems

heat loss, disease, aging, predation, and migration

what defines work within a system

growth and reporduction

what do systems gain energy from

the sun, or the deep sea chemo-autotroph system

what do ecosystems ecologists study

energy flow, chemical cycles

what are producers

autotrophs, get energy from the sun

what are consumers

heterotrophs, use energy

who is Ibn al-haytham

studied optics during the golden age, pointed out the need for critical thinking among scientists

what are the aspects of critical thinking

absorbing info and exploring

scientific method of ecology

studying the causes and effects of temporal and spatial variation on living orgs and ecological processes

what did ibn al-haytham develop

scientific method

aspects of research that contribute to critical thinking

reproducibility, being able to to it under the same conditions and getting the same results

using the scientific method means

using experiments that gather data to test a hypothesis, testing the causes and effects

what is empirical data

measurable data

what is a hypotheses

statement or prediction that can be tested with empirical data, explains a phenomenon

what is an experiment

designed to gather empirical data directly related to the prediction

what are the 5 steps to conducting the scientific method

observe a pattern, create a question, formulate questions into a hypothesis, design the experiment, collect and analyze data

what does a reject hypotheses mean

learned there is no support for the hypothesis, modify the hypothesis based on new information

what does a support hypothesis mean

data supports hypothesis, retest with slightly different conditions

what’s the purpose of disseminating information

to make research reproduceable

what does it mean to disseminate knowledge

publish papers or present talks

how do scientific hoaxes come about

with a misunderstanding of the scientific method, house of cards

what are the characteristics of a red spotted newt during its juvenile stage

lives on land, bright orange

how do the red spotted newts characteristics change when it matures

once it is ready to reproduce it migrates back to an aquatic ecosystem, drab green, larger broader tail

what aer the most abundant gasses in the atmosphere

nitrogen, oxygen, carbon

what kind of structure and bonds does water have

polar, positive and negative ends strong polar bonds

what’s a key characteristic of an aquatic environment not present in a terrestrial environment

being exposed to different state changes of media

water is considered a

universal solvent

what determines the pH of water

the amount of hydrogen ions present in the area measured

what are two things water can do to other molecules

break them down, create a shell around them to hold and move them within

is water denser than the atmosphere

yes by 800x

what is something aquatic plants/animals don’t have to spend energy on

staying up, keeping their posture beucase water is more buoyant

does it take more energy to move through water or air

water because it has more viscosity

are ice and water the same density

no water is more dense

what happens to water when it freezes

molecules form a lattice which pushes them apart

what chemicals can water transport and why is it important

nitrate, phosphate, calcium, not naturally found in the atmosphere, plants can take these up through pore water

what are the key abiotic factors

sunlight, temperature, oxygen, nutrients, and water

what are fossil fuels

energy through captured sunlight

why is sunlight important

earths primary energy source

what is the solar constant

342 W/m2/sec

how is solar energy distributed

unevenly, most energy received where the sun is directly overhead