Biology 2483A : Ecology 2483 Chapter+Lecture Notes 1-7.pdf
12 Oct 2013
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Introduction: humans have effected everything. the atmosphere, the oceans, the earth, and even introduced new species to ecosystems changing the balance of nature. Ecological maxims (guiding principles): organisms interact and are interconnected, everything goes somewhere, no population can increase in size forever, finite energy and resources result in tradeoffs, organisms evolve, communities and ecosystems change over time, spatial scale matters. Population: group of individuals of a species that are living and interacting in a particular area. Community: association of populations of different species in the same area: ecological studies often include both the biotic (living components), and abiotic (physical components) of natural systems. Ecosystem: community of organisms plus the physical environment. (abiotic + biotic) Landscapes: areas with substantial differences, typically including multiple ecosystems: all the world"s ecosystems comprise the biosphere all living organisms on earth plus the environments in which they live. Adaptation: a characteristic that improves survival or reproduction.
