Ecosystem Ecology Flashcards

Vocabulary flashcards covering core concepts, research methods, and framework properties of ecosystem ecology based on the lecture notes.

Ecosystem

The biotic community and its abiotic environment with which it interacts.

Interactive (Ecosystem Property)

A characteristic of ecosystems where changes in one component will alter rates of processes that affect other components and the overall system.

Dynamic (Ecosystem Property)

A characteristic of ecosystems where system properties vary constantly due to changes in the environment.

Integrative (Ecosystem Property)

A characteristic of ecosystems where the output from the system is greater than the sum of its parts.

Context (in Ecosystem Ecology)

The physical and social systems (such as earth-system science, climatology, hydrology, and social-ecological stewardship) that provide the overarching environment for ecosystem processes.

Mechanism (in Ecosystem Ecology)

The biological and physical processes operating across various spatial and temporal scales (from physiological and population ecology up to community and soil science) that drive ecosystem processes.

Information (Scientific Method)

Knowledge derived from observations, experiments, modeling, and published studies that forms the basis for generating questions and hypotheses.

Hypothesis

A possible answer to a research question that can be tested to gather supporting or rejecting data.

Feedback (Scientific Method)

The iterative process where research test results are used to change or refine hypotheses.

Observational studies

A research approach that serves as a critical first step for learning about a system, developing conceptual models, and formulating hypotheses, but cannot determine cause and effect because observations are functions of space or time.

Experiments

Research methods that serve as the primary means for testing hypotheses in ecology.

Experiments in Ecology Comparison

A evaluation framework comparing Laboratory, Field, Natural Trajectory, and Natural Snapshot experiments across parameters including variable regulation, site matching, scale, realism, and generality.

Mathematical models

Research tools used for prediction (such as climate change effects and ecosystem management) and exploration (such as manipulating/simplifying complex systems, quantifying interactions, and assessing system sensitivity).

Meta-analyses

Studies that use statistical tools to test hypotheses using data collected from extensive literature reviews.

Effect size

A dimensionless variable into which data published from individual experiments or observations are converted in meta-analyses to calculate average treatment effects with confidence intervals.