Welcome to IB 203: Ecology

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Welcome to IB 203 Ecology

• Dr. Carol Augspurger carolaug_at_uiuc.edu
• 155 Morrill 3-1298
• office hours 2 Th and by appointment

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(No Transcript)
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Course Website

• www.life.uiuc.edu
• integrative biology
• courses
• IB 203

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Ricklefs Economy of Nature

• Some texts have Data Analysis Update.
• Dont need this version UNLESS planning to do a
  James Scholar project for IB 203

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Grading - on Compass

• Exams (50)
• First exam 15
• Second exam 15
• Final exam 20
• Extra credit adds to exams
• (max 5 points/exam)
• Labs and discussion (50)
• Participation 8
• Homeworks 1-12 12
• Student project 1 15
• Student project 2 15

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Course Philosophy

• Learn both products and processes of science
• Aim for higher levels of thought
• Use active learning
• Tell me and Ill listen
• Show me and Ill understand
• Involve me and Ill learn
• Teton Lakota Indian

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Responsibilities

• Mine
• Yours
• Any questions?

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Assignments

• Read before next lecture
• Chapter 5 The Biome Concept
• Expect quiz on location of biomes
• DUE at beginning of first lab next week
• Homework 1 Hypotheses(pg. 169)
• 2 xerox copies of I-card with photo
• Read before first lab next week
• Lab 1 Small mammals (pg. 71)
• Homework 2A Mammal habitat choice
  (pg.179)

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Chapter 1 Introduction to EcologyAnd How
Ecologists Study the Natural World
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Todays Outline

• What is ecology?
• What types of questions do ecologists ask?
• Hierarchical levels of biology/ecology
• Questions asked at each level
• Homework 1 Hypothesis/Prediction/Exp. Design
• Scientific Process
• Introduce Labs I-III
• Small mammals and seeds in succession
  habitats

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Ecology ecos (home) ology (study of)Plants
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animals
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decomposers
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microorganismsand their interactions with the
environment - both biotic and abiotic factors.
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Our activities have complex effects on
ecosystemsEcology include humans as a very
significant species by virtue of its impacts.
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Ecology provides a scientific context for
evaluating environmental (human-induced) issues.
The integrity of the kelp forest habitat depends
on the presence of sea otters.
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Four biological disciplines closely related to
ecology interdisciplinary studies
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What types of questions do ecologists ask?

• WHAT? WHO? WHEN? WHERE?
• gather descriptive information by observation
• natural history foundation of all ecology
• Whats your background with nature?
• HOW?
• mechanisms and biological/physical processes
• proximate/functional
• WHY?
• What is the adaptive significance of
  structures,
• processes, behaviors?
• ultimate/evolutionary

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Observation Heliconius butterfly larvae feed
only on passionflower vines.
Develop a HOW? Functional/proximate
Develop a WHY? Ultimate/adaptive
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Observation Larvae feed only on
passionflower.

• HOW do they local their food source?
• (perhaps by smell?)
• WHY do larvae select passion flowers?
• (perhaps non-toxic
• aids in growth, survival,
• reproduction)?

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Patterns in nature are understood in terms of
evolution by natural selection.Structure/function
of organisms (adaptations) of organisms are a
product of their evolutionary history.
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• Hierarchical levels of biological
  organizationfrom molecules toorganisms
• Ecology starts with individual organismand
  goes to higher levels of biological
  organization.

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The hierarchical nature and processes of
different levels of ecological systems
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Ecologists use questions to reveal patterns in
nature.
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• Individual organism How do structure,
  physiology, and behavior lead to the individuals
  survival and reproduction?
• Population What determines the number of
  individuals and their variation in time and
  space?
• Community What determines the diversity and
  relative abundance of organisms living together?
• Ecosystem How do energy and matter move in the
  biotic and abiotic environment?
• Biosphere How do air, water, and the energy and
  chemicals they contain circulate globally?

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What is the level of ecological organization?

• Corey How does parental care by birds change as
  offspring age (from egg-nestling-post-fledging)?
• Dylan Does food availability influence the
  length of the breeding season of grackles?
• Molly Can degraded sand prairie be restored
  using dormant seeds?
• Nicole How do predators and prey influence each
  others life history traits?
• Brad How does genetic structure of amphibians
• vary in forest vs. grasslands?
• Jinelle Is habitat use by rat snakes due to
  variation in prey or the snakes thermal
  ecology?

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What is the level of ecological organization?

• P-Corey How does parental care by birds change
  as offspring age (from egg-nestling-post-fledging)
  ? What influences natal dispersal?
• P-Dylan Does food availability influence the
  length of the breeding season of grackles?
• C-Molly Can degraded sand prairie be restored
  using dormant seeds in the soil?
• C-Nicole How do predators and prey influence
  each others life history traits?
• P-Brad How does genetic structure of amphibians
• vary in forest vs. grasslands?
• Jinelle Is habitat use by rat snakes due to
  variation in prey or the snakes thermal
  ecology?
• C I

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Vocabulary Chapter 1 Introduction
ecology organism
ecosystem biosphere population
community habitat scale
evolution adaptations natural
selection pattern natural history
levels of biol. temporal scale
organization spatial
scale proximate/ ultimate/
functional evolutionary adaptive
descriptive significance
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Todays Outline

• What is ecology?
• What types of questions do ecologists ask?
• Hierarchical levels of biology/ecology
• Questions asked at each level
• Homework 1 Hypothesis/Prediction/Exp. Design
• Scientific process
• Introduce Labs I-III
• Small mammals and seeds in succession
  habitats

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Assignments

• Read before next lecture
• Chapter 5 The Biome Concept
• Expect quiz on location of biomes
• DUE at beginning of first lab next week
• Homework 1 Hypotheses(pg. 169)
• 2 xerox copies of I-card with photo
• Read before first lab next week
• Lab 1 Small mammals (pg. 71)
• Homework 2A Mammal habitat choice
  (pg.179)