Ecology and Evolutionary Ecology Notes

Introduction to Ecology and Evolutionary Ecology

What is Ecology?

  • Ecology is derived from the Greek word "oikos" (meaning the place in which we live).

  • It involves studying the place in which we live – both biotic (living) and abiotic (non-living) components.

  • Ecology studies life within the context of the environment.

  • Ecology is the context in which evolution happens, driving the struggle for existence.

  • Ecology represents the day-to-day aspects of life and death, while evolution occurs over longer periods.

Ecosystem Services

  • Ecosystem services are the utilities derived from natural systems.

Types of Services

  • Food and Water:

    • Historically, humans relied on nature for food via hunting and gathering.

    • Even today, much of our food comes from fisheries (natural systems).

    • Water flow and purity are essential services.

    • Living organisms purify and maintain water quality.

  • Flood Risk Reduction:

    • Natural environments reduce flood risk by slowing down water flow.

    • The removal of natural environments (e.g., front lawns replaced by driveways) increases flood risk.

  • Health:

    • Health is supported by food, water, and mental well-being.

    • Natural environments improve mental health through recreation.

  • Natural Hazard Reduction:

    • Includes flood risk reduction and climatic stability.

    • The Amazon rainforest generates internal climate and contributes to climatic stability.

Human Impacts on Ecosystem Services

  • Habitat disruption.

  • Climate change.

  • Introducing species.

  • Emerging diseases.

  • Overexploitation.

Emerging Diseases

  • SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) emerged from bats, likely through live animal markets.

  • Ebola outbreaks are often linked to hunting and consuming bushmeat.

  • Avian influenza spills over from bird populations.

Sustainability

  • The biosphere is essentially a closed system for matter, with elements circulating.

  • It is an open system for energy, relying on solar energy.

  • Sustainability balances with economics, requiring solutions that provide long-term benefits.

Levels of Ecological Study

  • Individuals: Focus on individual traits and variations (e.g., reproduction, life history, metabolic rate).

  • Populations: Study of population growth, interactions for resources, and population size.

  • Communities: How do individuals of different species interact. Includes consumptive (predation, parasitism, competition) and non-consumptive interactions (symbiosis, mimicry, keystone species).

  • Ecosystems: The interaction between the biological community and the physical environment involving nutrient and energy flows (e.g., carbon cycle).

  • Biomes: Large geographical regions with specific climatic properties.

Individual Ecology

  • Age of reproduction.

  • Reproductive schedules.

  • Menopause (rare in nature, but found in humans and killer whales).

  • Biology of aging.

  • Metabolic rate.

Population Ecology

  • How do populations interact with each other for resources?

  • Population growth.

  • Population size.

Community Ecology

  • Consumptive interactions (predation, parasitism and competition).

  • Non-consumptive interactions, more important than the consumptive: symbiosis and mimicry.

Ecosystem Ecology

  • Biotic and abiotic factors.

  • Movement of energy of resources around ecosystems.

  • Ecosystem services, the backbone.

Biomes Ecology

  • Large geographical regions with climatic properties.