INTRODUCTION AND MAXIMS (ECOLOGY)

Haeckel (German Zoologist)

1870:
“By ecology we mean the body of knowledge concerning the economy of Nature - the investigation of the total relations of the animal to its inorganic and organic environment.”

Burdon- Sanderson

(1890s): Elevated Ecology to one of the three natural divisions of Biology: Physiology - Morphology – Ecology

Andrewartha

(1961): “The scientific study of the distribution and abundance of organisms.”

Odum

(1963): “The structure and function of Nature.”

Krebs

(1972): “Ecology is the scientific study of the processes regulating the distribution and abundance of organisms and the interactions among them, and the study of how these organisms in turn mediate the transport and transformation of energy and matter in the biosphere (i.e., the study of the design of ecosystem structure and function).”

principles

The goal of ecology is to understand the _________ of operation of natural systems and to predict their responses to change.

What Ecology is Not

Ecology is not environmentalism, nor “deep ecology.” Ecology is science, based on biological, physical and chemical principles, and should be value-free.

Environmentalism advocates for certain actions and policy positions.

Curiosity

Why Study Ecology?
How does the world around us work? How are we shaped by our surroundings?

Responsibility

Why Study Ecology?
How do our actions change our environment? How do we minimize the detrimental effects of our actions? Overfishing, habitat destruction, loss of biodiversity, climate change. Nature as a guide – The living world has been around much longer than we have and has solved many problems with creative solutions.

Sustainability

Why Study Ecology?
A property of human society in which ecosystems (including humans) are managed such that the conditions supporting present day life on earth can continue. Ecology helps us understand complex problems.

Observations
Microcosms
Mathematical models

How to study ecology?

Observations

Go into the field and see what’s happening

Microcosms

Isolate a portion, limit factors, manipulate conditions.

Mathematical Models

Describe ecosystems interactions as equations

Genetics
Hydrology
Behavior
Geology
Biochemistry
Physiology
Atmospheric sciences

Connections to other disciplines :

Atmospheric Sciences

focus on understanding how weather patterns, climate, and atmospheric conditions influence the composition, structure, and functioning of ecosystems

Physiology

explores how the physiological characteristics of organisms influence their ability to thrive and adapt to environmental conditions within ecosystems

Behavior

explores how the behaviors of organisms contribute to their adaptation, survival, and reproduction within specific ecological contexts

Hydrology

examines how water availability and quality impact the distribution and dynamics of living organisms in aquatic and terrestrial environments

Genetics

studies how genetic traits influence the interactions and behaviors of organisms within ecosystems

Geology

investigates how geological processes shape landscapes, influencing ecosystems and species distribution

Biochemistry

examining the biochemical processes underlying ecological interactions, such as nutrient cycling and metabolic pathways within ecosystems

individual (1)

Learn ecology:
Energy flows at the ___________ level, how do organisms “make a living”?

ecosystem (2)

Learn ecology:
At the ___________ level, how does energy move around?

nutrients (3)

Learn ecology:
Move on to _________, how does nutrient availability limit organism growth?

ecosystem and global (4)

Learn ecology:
On an __________________________________ scale, how do organisms fit in to global nutrient cycles?

populations (5)

Learn ecology:
Then focus on ____________ and communities, numerical models of the growth of individual populations

6

Learn ecology:
Then apply these to model competition between populations for the same resources metrics of species diversity and responses of communities to changes

Organism (Tissues)
Organelle
Molecule
Atom
Population
Community
Ecosystem
Biosphere
Biome

Where to study ecology?

Population

Group of interacting and interbreeding organisms.

Community

Different populations living together and interacting. Populations can interact as competitors, predator and prey, or symbiotically.

Ecosystem

Organisms and their physical and chemical environments together in a particular area

Biome

Large scale areas of similar vegetation and climatic characteristics.

Biosphere

Thin film on the surface of the Earth in which all life exists, the union of all of the ecosystems. This is a highly ordered system, held together by the energy of the sun. When is an organism not an organism?

You can never do just one thing.

Organisms interact with each other and with their physical environment. As a result, events in nature are connected and what affects one organism or place can affect others as well.

Everything goes somewhere.

There is no “away” into which waste materials disappear.

No population can increase in size forever.

There are limits to the growth and resource use of every population including our own.

There is no free lunch.

An organism’s energy and resources are finite and increasing inputs into one function (such as reproduction) results in a tradeoff in which there is a loss for other functions (such as growth)

Evolution Matters

Organisms evolve or change over time-it is a mistake to view them as static.

Evolution is an ongoing process because organisms continually face new challenges from changes in both the living and nonliving components of their environment

Time Matters

Ecosystems change over time. When we look at the world as we know it, it is easy to forget how past events may have affected our present, and how our present actions may affect the future.

Life would be impossible without species interactions.

Species depend on one another for energy, nutrients, and habitat.

You can never do just one thing.
Everything goes somewhere.
No population can increase in size forever.
There is no free lunch.
Evolution Matters
Time Matters
Life would be impossible without species interactions.

What are the 7 Ecological Maxims?