Introduction: What Is Ecology

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Introduction What Is Ecology ?

• Chapter 1

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Overview of Ecology

• Ecology Study of relationships between organisms
  and the environment.
• Oikios house ology study of
• Ecosystem Includes all organisms living in an
  area, and the physical environment with which
  these organisms interact.
• Biosphere Highest level of ecological
  organization.

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Levels of ecology

• Biosphere
• Region biome
• Ecosystem
• Variation in landscape
• community

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Levels of Ecology
Communities Populations individuals
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History of Ecology

• Scientists
• Malthus
• Darwin
• Lotka Volterra
• Weaver Clements
• Gause
• Odum
• Hutchinson
• Carson
• Erlich

• Individuals
• Populations
• Applied math
• genes
• Communities
• statistics
• Ecosystems
• Energy flow
• productivity
• Biomes / regions
• The biosphere

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Examples of how Ecology is studied.

• 1. MacArthur studied ecology of five species of
  warblers in spruce forests in N.A.
• Theory predicted two species with identical
  ecological requirements could not coexist
  indefinitely.
• State as hypothesis
• Set up study.. How would you investigate this?

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Warbler Feeding Zones
Results.What were the results?
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Explain results

• 1. What types of birds, name them
• 2. How did their feeding behavior vary?
• 3. Did this support the hypothesis?
• Conclusion
• Studies found warblers coexisted by feeding in
  different zones of the same tree.

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How we study ecology Example 2 Ecology of
Bumblebees

• Bumblebees live in many cool regions.
• Heinrich estimated energy budget of individuals
  foraging on different flowers and under different
  temperatures.
• Energy Gain / Loss
• Energy Intake - Energy Expenditure.
• of flower visits vs Time temp fly
• Nectar volume
• Sugar content

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Ecology of Bumblebees

• Field and Laboratory Results
• Amount of energy expended during flight was
  independent of air temperature.
• Bees elevated temperature of thorax to stay warm
  in cool climates.
• What is futile cycling?
• http//jeb.biologists.org/cgi/content/full/207/5/7
  49

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Ecology of Bumblebees
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Nature and Scope of Ecology

• Ecology Study of relationships between organisms
  and the environment.
• Wide variety of approaches.
• Large temporal and spatial scales.
• Field
• Lab
• Observational
• Manipulative

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