BIOB50H3 Chapter Notes - Chapter 1: Organism, Scientific Method, Cellular Respiration
Document Summary
Ecology is the scientific study of how organisms affect and are affected by other organisms and their environment. Events in the natural world can be linked or connected to each other. These connections occur as organisms intercat with one another and their environments. Two species that do not directly interact with each other can be connected indirectly by shared features of their environment. Early observations suggest that parasites cause amphibian deformities: A controlled experiment is one where an experimental group is compared against a control group to identify the cause or relationship between 2 different factors. A field experiment suggests that multiple factors influence frog deformities: Pesticides were known to contaminate the ponds in which deformed frogs were found. Exposure to ribeiroia was necessary for deformities to occur, and when exposed, deformities were more common in ponds with detectable levels of pesticides. This led to the hypothesis that pesticides may decrease the ability of frogs to resist infection by parasites.
