E1: What is Ecology?
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What is Ecology?
The scientific study of the interactions that determine the distrobution and abundance of organisms.
What is distribution?
Where organisms are found.
What is abundance?
How many organsisms in a given area.
What is the theme of Ecology vs Conservation Biology?
Ecology: patterns and process. Conservation: preserve biodiversity.
What is the focus in Ecology vs Conservation Biology?
Ecology: interrelations of all plants and animals. Conservation: analysis of human impact - includes polatics, economics, etc.
What are the three Ecology points of view?
• descriptive • functional • evolutionary
What is the descriptive POV?
-describe natural history and vegetation -foundation of all ecological science, historically important -some areas and organisms are still poorly known
What is the functional POV?
• dynamics and relationships • populations and communities • includes proximate causes (responses to immediate factors of the environment)
What is the evolutionary POV?
• examines ultimate causes • why natural selection has favored a particuar ecological solution
What are the 3 approaches in Ecology?
• theoretical • laboratory • field
Describe the theortical approach.
• Creative thinking and modeling arrive at interesting ideas • Use problems (violated assumptions) to investigate further ideas • Power in application
Describe the laboratory approach.
• take ideas to conteolled conditions of the lab • control as many variables as possible to “iron out” details
Describe the field approach.
• investigate in natural habitats where complexities are operating • all to further the knowledge in the ditrobution and abundance.
Define evolution.
The change in allele frequencies through time in a population.
Define natual selection.
Increase or decrease in the number of individuals with certian geneotypes as a result of differential survival and reproduction.
What are the three types of selection?
• Directional • Stabilizing • Disruptive
Describe directional selection.
Phenotypes at one extreme are selected against.
Describe stabilizing selection.
Phenotypes near mean are selected for.
Describe disruptive selection.
Phenotypes at the extremes are favored over the mean.
What is a determinate layer? (Birds)
Tend to lay a given number of eggs, even after losses. (Does not lay more when some lost)
What is an indeterminate layer? (Birds)
Tend to keep laying until nest is full, even after removals. (Will replace lost eggs)
What is Lack’s Hypothesis?
Egg number are determined by the number of young parents can provide with food.
Describe the coevolutionary arms race.
Selection will favor improvements on one side, then the other will catch up in a continuous cycle.
Give an example of coevolutionary arms race.
• brown-headed Cowbirds and being a bird nest parasite • Garter snake resistance to rough-skinned newt toxins