Ch.1
Ecology: means house; refers to our immediate surroundings or environment; the science by which we study how organisms interact in and with the natural world; according to Darwin it’s the study of all the complex interrelationships.
Each ecological system embodies different kinds of processes, they’re 5 ecological systems:
Biosphere: (Global processes) all ecosystems are linked together in a single biosphere that includes all the environments and organisms on Earth
Ecosystem: (Energy flux and cycling of nutrients) assemblages of organisms together with their physical and chemical environments make up an ecosystem; i.e. the flow of carbon from grass to rabbits (ppt example)
Community: (Interactions among the populations; the unit of biodiversity) many populations of different species living in the same place makes up an ecological community
Population: (Population dynamics) many organisms of the same species living together
Organism: (Exchange of energy and materials with environment; survival and reproduction; the unit of natural selection; behavior) the most fundamental unit of ecology, the elemental ecological system
The population approach is concerned with variation in the numbers of individuals, the sex ratio, the relative size of age classes, and the genetic makeup of a population through time. Together these constitute the study of population dynamics.
Niche: Each species has a distinct niche; the niche is the fundamental role of that species in an ecological system, it represents the range of conditions it can tolerate and the ways of life it pursues, that is, and its role in the ecological system.
Climate refers to average atmospheric conditions over long periods of time, whereas weather refers to atmospheric phenomena that vary over periods of days or hours.
Different kinds of organisms play different roles in the functioning of ecosystems. Plants, algae, and some bacteria transform the energy of sunlight into stored chemical energy. Animals and protozoan’s consume these biological forms of energy. Fungi play an important role in decomposing biological materials and replenishing nutrients in the ecosystem. Bacteria are biochemical specialists, able to accomplish such transformations as the assimilation of nitrogen and the use of hydrogen sulfide as an energy source.
Different functional roles: Plants use energy of sunlight to produce organic matter. Fungi are highly effective decomposers. Animals feed on other organisms or their remains. Bacteria have a wide variety of biochemical mechanisms for energy transformations.
A close relationship between two different types of organisms is referred to as symbiosis; when each partner provides something that the other lacks the relationship is called mutualism.
The scientific method for ecology consists of:
(1) Observation and description (2) development of hypothesis or explanations and (3) testing of these hypotheses, often with experiments
A hypothesis is an “if & than” statement, while a prediction is a statement that follows logically from a hypothesis.
Proximate Factors: the physiological processes that stimulate the behavior; this is the “how”
Ultimate Factors: this is the “why” and it addresses the costs and benefits of the behavior to the individual; it is what guides evolution
A natural experiment relies on natural variation in the environment to create reasonably controlled experimental treatments. A microcosm experiment attempts to replicate the essential features of an ecological system in a simplified lab or field setting
Temporal variation: as our environment changes over time, for example, with the alternation of day and night and with the seasonal progression of temperature and precipitation.
Spatial variation: how the environment differs from place to place. Variations in climate, topography, and soil type cause large scale heterogeneity.
When gains and losses are balanced, ecological systems remain unchanged. This balance is the essence of a dynamic steady state.
Tradeoffs/ Energy Budget: The price of maintaining a living system in a dynamic state is energy. An organism must procure energy or materials to replace its losses. To do this it must expend energy, thus it must replace the energy lost as heat and motion by metabolizing food or stored reserves, which it must expend energy to capture and assimilate.
Attributes of organisms have changed and diversified through the process of evolution. Such attributes and function that suit an organism to the conditions of its environment are called adaptations.
Humans play a dominant role in the functioning of the biosphere, and human activities have created an environmental crisis of global proportions. Solving our acute environmental problems will require an understanding of the principles of ecology and their application within the framework of political, economic, and social action.
*****SPECIAL THANKS TO K.A. :)
Ecology: means house; refers to our immediate surroundings or environment; the science by which we study how organisms interact in and with the natural world; according to Darwin it’s the study of all the complex interrelationships.
Each ecological system embodies different kinds of processes, they’re 5 ecological systems:
Biosphere: (Global processes) all ecosystems are linked together in a single biosphere that includes all the environments and organisms on Earth
Ecosystem: (Energy flux and cycling of nutrients) assemblages of organisms together with their physical and chemical environments make up an ecosystem; i.e. the flow of carbon from grass to rabbits (ppt example)
Community: (Interactions among the populations; the unit of biodiversity) many populations of different species living in the same place makes up an ecological community
Population: (Population dynamics) many organisms of the same species living together
Organism: (Exchange of energy and materials with environment; survival and reproduction; the unit of natural selection; behavior) the most fundamental unit of ecology, the elemental ecological system
The population approach is concerned with variation in the numbers of individuals, the sex ratio, the relative size of age classes, and the genetic makeup of a population through time. Together these constitute the study of population dynamics.
Niche: Each species has a distinct niche; the niche is the fundamental role of that species in an ecological system, it represents the range of conditions it can tolerate and the ways of life it pursues, that is, and its role in the ecological system.
Climate refers to average atmospheric conditions over long periods of time, whereas weather refers to atmospheric phenomena that vary over periods of days or hours.
Different kinds of organisms play different roles in the functioning of ecosystems. Plants, algae, and some bacteria transform the energy of sunlight into stored chemical energy. Animals and protozoan’s consume these biological forms of energy. Fungi play an important role in decomposing biological materials and replenishing nutrients in the ecosystem. Bacteria are biochemical specialists, able to accomplish such transformations as the assimilation of nitrogen and the use of hydrogen sulfide as an energy source.
Different functional roles: Plants use energy of sunlight to produce organic matter. Fungi are highly effective decomposers. Animals feed on other organisms or their remains. Bacteria have a wide variety of biochemical mechanisms for energy transformations.
A close relationship between two different types of organisms is referred to as symbiosis; when each partner provides something that the other lacks the relationship is called mutualism.
The scientific method for ecology consists of:
(1) Observation and description (2) development of hypothesis or explanations and (3) testing of these hypotheses, often with experiments
A hypothesis is an “if & than” statement, while a prediction is a statement that follows logically from a hypothesis.
Proximate Factors: the physiological processes that stimulate the behavior; this is the “how”
Ultimate Factors: this is the “why” and it addresses the costs and benefits of the behavior to the individual; it is what guides evolution
A natural experiment relies on natural variation in the environment to create reasonably controlled experimental treatments. A microcosm experiment attempts to replicate the essential features of an ecological system in a simplified lab or field setting
Temporal variation: as our environment changes over time, for example, with the alternation of day and night and with the seasonal progression of temperature and precipitation.
Spatial variation: how the environment differs from place to place. Variations in climate, topography, and soil type cause large scale heterogeneity.
When gains and losses are balanced, ecological systems remain unchanged. This balance is the essence of a dynamic steady state.
Tradeoffs/ Energy Budget: The price of maintaining a living system in a dynamic state is energy. An organism must procure energy or materials to replace its losses. To do this it must expend energy, thus it must replace the energy lost as heat and motion by metabolizing food or stored reserves, which it must expend energy to capture and assimilate.
Attributes of organisms have changed and diversified through the process of evolution. Such attributes and function that suit an organism to the conditions of its environment are called adaptations.
Humans play a dominant role in the functioning of the biosphere, and human activities have created an environmental crisis of global proportions. Solving our acute environmental problems will require an understanding of the principles of ecology and their application within the framework of political, economic, and social action.
*****SPECIAL THANKS TO K.A. :)