Chap.18 Epilogue

1
Chap.18 Epilogue

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2
Epilogue

• Natural history and ecological theory
• Quality of information
• The boundaries of ecological science
• Ecology and our environment

3
Natural history and ecological theory

• ??in the tropical forest of Costa Rica.
• A brilliant red flower, Hamelia sp.
• Its pollinator, hummingbird, Eugenes fulfens
• tiny pollen-eating mites, Prectolaelaps sp.

Colwell (1995)has spent the last 20 years working
on this relationship.
4
Hummingbird, red flower, and mites

• Co-evolution. Bird and flower
• Inter-specific competition. Bird and mites
• Mating systems. Mites have polygynous mating
  systems and defend harems of females.
• Dispersal. Birds transfer pollen and mites.
• Niche specialization. As many as five species of
  mites may be transported by the same individual
  bird. Each mites species has specialized on a
  particular species of flower.

5
Quality of information

• The paradigm that competition structures all
  ecological communities was held as dogma 25 years
  ago.
• Now we understand that that interpretation was
  not entirely correct.
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6
Science of Ecology

• Thomas Kuhn ? paradigm shift
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• I hope that you have questioned the validity of
  some of the studies discussed in this text.
• If you have asked about the assumptions
  underlying a study, youre on the right track.
• If you have considered alternative
  interpretations of the data presented, you have
  gone farther still.
• A healthy skepticism should be your goal.

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The boundaries of Ecological science

• The ecology is a science of interaction, it is
  most assuredly a science that is connected in
  important ways to all the rest of biology.
• Devoted to the conceptual unification of the
  biological sciences.
• The modern ecologist draws on all areas of the
  biological hierarchy -- from the molecular level
  to the ecosystem.

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Ecology and our environment

• Anthropogenic environmental problems are complex,
  and we will need sophisticated ecological
  insights to address them.
• Many of the simpler problems have been solved, or
  at least we understand the scientific components
  of the solution.??DDT????????
• But Many of the most pressing current
  environmental problems are very complex.
  ???biodiversity ???

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Conservation biology

• Island biogeography theory and habitat
  fragmentation
• Meta-population dynamics
• The details of species-specific population
  regulation
• Patterns of genetic variation and gene flow
• Dispersal strategies and ability
• Behavioral responses to ecological stress.

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Basic and applied ecology

• The distinction between basic and applied ecology
  has become blurred.
• The ecology of our planet is now dominated by
  humans.
• As a result, the very nature of scientific
  inquiry in ecology is forever altered.
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Two challenges

• This situation poses two challenges for the
  ecologists of the new century.
• 1. We must continue to fine-tune our methods of
  analysis to account for the confounding effects
  of our activities and the loss of pristine
  systems.
• 2. Ecologists must contribute to the maintenance
  and restoration of the environmental health of
  the planet.
• ??????????????????,Our well-being and our science
  depend on it.

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ayo_at_faculty.pccu.edu.tw Ayo
??? http//faculty.pccu.edu.tw/ayo