Introduction to Ecology and Evolution

WELCOME TO BIOLOGY 251!

• Course Title: Introduction to Ecology and Evolution

• Career Pathways:

  • Ecology

  • Evolution

  • Wildlife and Plant Science

  • Wildlife Management

  • Conservation Biology

  • Environmental Management

  • Additional related fields.

INTRODUCTION TO ECOLOGY

• Relevant Reading:

  • Sher and Molles Chapter 1

10-Minute Writing Assignment

• Tasks:

  1. Define the field of ecology.

  2. Describe what is meant by the word environment.

  3. Discuss personal thoughts on sustainability.

  4. Write a brief job description for an ecologist, detailing their duties and responsibilities:

  • Prompt: "What if I were an ecologist?"

SOME RELEVANT TERMINOLOGY RELATED TO THE STUDY OF ECOLOGY

• Definition of Ecologist:

  • An ecologist is a scientist who studies relationships among organisms and their environments.

COMPARING ECOLOGISTS TO OTHER PROFESSIONALS

Environmental Scientist

• Definition:

  • A person who uses interdisciplinary knowledge of natural and social sciences to analyze environmental problems and develop solutions.

Environmentalist

• Definition:

  • Someone concerned about the impacts of humans on environmental quality, especially regarding air and water.

  • Engages with issues such as human overpopulation, waste generation, and resource misuse.

Conservation Biologist

• Definition:

  • An applied scientist focused on the maintenance of the earth's biological diversity.

Conservationist

• Definition:

  • Advocates for the sensible and careful use of natural resources, placing emphasis on sustainability.

Preservationist

• Definition:

  • Advocates for allowing some land and creatures to exist without significant human interference.

Wildlife Manager

• Definition:

  • Professionals who manage local, state, and federal lands using ecological data to manage species.

  • Related disciplines include forestry, range management, and fisheries biology.

CLASSIFICATION OF PROFESSIONALS

• Which of the following are scientists?

  • Environmental Scientist

  • Environmentalist

  • Conservation Biologist

  • Conservationist

  • Preservationist

  • Wildlife Manager

• Which of the following are ecologists?

  • An ecologist is a scientist studying inter-relationships among organisms and their environments, without necessarily being engaged in conservation or environmental causes.

RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN ECOLOGY AND ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE

• Definition of Environmental Science:

  • The study of the impact of humans on the environment.

  • An applied science, akin to conservation biology, focused on finding solutions to human-caused impacts on ecological systems.

FIELD OF ECOLOGY

• Definition:

  • Ecology is the science by which we study how organisms (animals, plants, fungi, microbes) interact in and with the natural world.

• Etymology:

  • The word "ecology" originates from the Greek "oikos," meaning "house."

HISTORICAL CONTEXT OF ECOLOGY

• Ernst Haeckel (1870):

  • Defined ecology as:

  • The economy of nature.

  • Interactions of animals with both organic and inorganic environments, notably their interactions with plants.

• Darwin’s Influence:

  • Haeckel further describes ecology as encompassing the complex interrelationships noted by Darwin as conditions for the struggle for existence.

DIVERSITY IN ECOLOGICAL STUDIES

• Areas of Ecology:

  • Microbial Ecology

  • Soil Ecology

  • Prairie Ecology

  • Arctic Ecology

  • Genomic Ecology

  • Marine Mammal Ecology

  • Ocean Vent Ecology

  • Avian Ecology

ECOLOGICAL APPROACHES

• Major Approaches in Ecology:

  1. Organism Approach

  • Focuses on individual form, physiology, and behavior; includes adaptations to environments.

  • Investigates factors that limit species range distributions.

  1. Population Approach

  • Studies changes in population sizes over time, encompassing aspects like birth, death, immigration, and emigration rates.

  1. Community Approach

  • Examines groups of organisms that inhabit the same area and their interactions with one another.

  1. Ecosystem Approach

  • Investigates organisms and their interactions within the environment using quantifiable metrics (e.g., nitrogen, phosphorus).

  • Examples include studying how forest age affects nitrogen uptake rates.

  1. Biosphere Approach

  • Quantifies movements of life’s critical elements (air, water, energy) through the biosphere.

  • Investigates the impacts of global temperature changes on ocean currents.

SUMMARY OF ECOLOGICAL APPROACHES