Biology 2483A Chapter Notes - Chapter 1: Field Experiment, Environmental Science, Nutrient Cycle
3 Jan 2018
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Document Summary
Early observations suggest that parasites cause amphibian deformities. A laboratory experiment tests the role of parasites. A field experiment suggests that multiple factors influence frog deformities. Connections in nature can lead to unanticipated side effects. Ecology is the scientific study of interactions between organisms and their environment. Ecology: the scientific study of interactions between organisms and their environment; branch of biology. Environmental science: interdisciplinary field that incorporates concepts from natural sciences (including ecology) and the social sciences (politics, economics, ethics). Focused more on how people affect the environment and how we can address environmental problems. Ecological maxims: you can never just do one thing, everything goes somewhere, no population can increase in size forever, th ere is no free lunch, evolution matters, time matters, space matters, life would be impossible without species interactions. The scale (time and space) of an ecological study affects what can be learned from it.
