WMAN 213 Wildlife Ecosystem Ecology

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WMAN 213Wildlife Ecosystem Ecology

• Dr. Kyle Hartman
• 310A Percival Hall
• 293-2941 (ext. 2494)
• hartman_at_wvu.edu

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What is Ecology?

• Ecology is the study of the structure and
  function of nature.
• Structure is the environmental distribution and
  abundance.
• Function is the growth and population
  interactions.

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Levels of Ecology

• 1. Individual
• - plant - physiological - animal
• 2. Population
• 3. Community
• 4. Ecosystem

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A history lesson of ecosystem ecology .most of
the early ecosystem ecologists were
actually limnologists and aquatic biologists A.
Thienemann (1931) and F.A. Forel (1901) were
prominent F.W. biologists. Thieneman noted
for ecological approach and coining
terms producers and consumers. Forel more
interested in physical parameters of
lakes described thermal stratification
internal seiches introduced the term
limnology for the study of F.W.
Essentially limnology was the forerunner of
ecosystem ecology!
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S.A. Forbes (Nat. Hist. Survey) wrote a classical
ecology book, the lake as a microcosm about
interrelations of life in a lakethe food
chains, role of natural selection, and
regulation of predator prey numbers. R.A.
Lindeman (1942 paper) was about a bog lake
in Minnesota, The trophic-dynamic aspect of
ecology that described the energy flow through
a system from photosynthesis through
decompopsers. A.J. Lotka (a physcial chemist) in
the book Elements of physical biology
introduced thermodynamic principles of energy
transformation, considering food webs and cycles
of CO2, Phosphorus, N and water. He
viewed earth as a single energy-transforming
system Sounds Kind of Like an Ecosystem
Approach!.
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More recently.. E. Hutchinson (1957, 1969) and
H.T. and E.P. Odum worked more with energy
budgets, systems ecology, and ecosystem
modeling.
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Rifts Tensions in Ecology
Plant vs. Animal Ecologists. Plant ecologists
feel plants are where its at and that animals
(insect pests, grazers, etc.) have no
effect.there is no limiting effect of animals
upon plants. Obviously, animal ecologists
believe differently (and rightly so) that
herbivory can have an effect in structuring
communities.
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Rifts Tensions in Ecology
Organismal vs. Individualistic Ecology Basic
difference is in the view of a community as a
group of individuals within different species
that interact vs. view that the whole community
acts as a single organism. F.E. Clements
suggested plant communities behaved as an
organism moving through stages of development
from youthful colonization of bare or disturbed
soil to a mature, self-reproducing form in
balance with the environment. C. Lloyd Morgan
felt ant termite colonies also acted as
organisms food gathering, nutrition, defense,
reproduction collectively. He suggested
Emergence theory to ecology.
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Rifts Tensions in Ecology
Emergence theory says natural associations have
certain emergent properties as aggregations of
organisms-- certain predators prey parasites
hoststhat arose from lower levels of
organization. later, E.A. Tansley termed the
phrase ecosystem, viewing plants and animals as
components of a system that also included
physical factors.
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Rifts Tensions in Ecology
Holism vs. Reductionism Ecosystems develop from
youth to maturity with interactions among plants
and animals resulting in hierarchical
organizationthis organisation results in
emergence of new system properties not evident at
the level below. These emergent properties
account for most changes in species and growth
that occur over time. Holistic approach studying
the total behavior or attributes of a complex
system because the system is considered too
complex to study in bits (e.g. Sum of the parts gt
whole). Reductionist approach the sum of the
parts the whole. Consider that an ecosystem
is the sum of its parts. By understanding how
parts (species, numbers, characteristics,
functions) we can learn how the whole system
operates.
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How complex is an ecosystem?(a simple example
of Chesapeake Bay from Baird Ulanowicz (1989)
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Applied vs. Basic Ecology
Applied ecology deals with application of
ecological principles to major environmental and
resource management problems, whereas Basic
ecology studies things purely for their
ecological value without concern for their
applicability to solving human or environmental
problems. Traditional examples of A.E. (1)
Predicting the effect of continued salmonid
stocking upon prey fish communities. (2) effects
of slot-length limits on LMB populations. (3)
Management actions such as increasing doe harvest
to reduce deer herd size and minimize
crop/seedling damage. (4) Waterfowl seasons and
limits baswed upon population models and natural
vs. hunting mortality.
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Recent Applications of Ecology
Conservation ecology deals with the science of
scarcity and diversity. Restoration ecology
research into the restoration of ecosystems in
disturbed areas. Examples wetland banking in
Ohio PSEG salt hay farms in Delaware
Bay. Landscape ecology spatial patterns in the
landscape and how they develop and influence
other systems (e.g. land use patterns influence
water quality and fish production).
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Why do you think ecology is not taken as
seriously as it should be by the public and
decision makers?