BIOL 1412 Lecture 37: Introduction to Ecology
20 Apr 2016
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Document Summary
Ecology-how organisms interact with each other and environment in order to survive. Distinguish this from environmentalism: environmentalists are concerned with state of environment, usually as altered by human activity, not all ecologists are environmentalists, environmental views are informed by ecological considerations. Species of organisms live in specific places, things that determine where they live: no species is found everywhere on earth, evolved wit traits that produce advantages in particular environments, climate. The most important thing that affects where animal lives. Availability of water (amount of precipitation, seasonality of precipitation) Biomes: some organisms can spend some time in temperature extremes, but not long, animals that do live in these extremes have adaptations that allow an organism to survive. Food, habitat (shelter, protection against predators, nesting sites: main biomes: Tropical rain forests-warm wet, high productivity, high diversity. Deserts- hot or cold, productivity limited by water. Temperate hardwood woodlands-seasonal variation in temp, wet, high productivity. Chaparral hot dry summers, cool wet winters.
