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Session 1 Introduction To Ecology

This document introduces the field of ecology by defining it as the study of relationships between organisms and their environment. It explains that ecology can be studied at different levels, from individuals to entire biospheres, and through various approaches including field work, lab experiments, observation, and manipulation. Examples are given of ecological studies on forest bird populations, stable isotope analysis of habitat use, nutrient budgets in forests, and using pollen records to document long-term vegetation changes.

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Ma Carmela Dangan
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66 views20 pages

Session 1 Introduction To Ecology

This document introduces the field of ecology by defining it as the study of relationships between organisms and their environment. It explains that ecology can be studied at different levels, from individuals to entire biospheres, and through various approaches including field work, lab experiments, observation, and manipulation. Examples are given of ecological studies on forest bird populations, stable isotope analysis of habitat use, nutrient budgets in forests, and using pollen records to document long-term vegetation changes.

Uploaded by

Ma Carmela Dangan
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Welcome to Ecology!

1
Introduction: What Is Ecology
?
Outline

➢Overview of Ecology
➢Ecology of Forest Birds
➢Forest Nutrient Budgets
➢Vegetation Change: Pollen Records
➢Nature and Scope of Ecology

3
Overview of Ecology

 Ecology - Study of relationships between


organisms and the environment.
 Simple definition does not convey the extreme
breadth of this discipline.

4
Ecology Can Be Studied On Many
Levels

➢Individual:
⚫ Behavioral ecology, physiological ecology

5
Ecology Can Be Studied On Many
Levels

➢Population: Groups of individuals from a


single species which can potentially
interbreed.

6
Ecology Can Be Studied On Many
Levels

➢Community: All of the populations of all of the


species in an area.

7
Ecology Can Be Studied On Many
Levels

➢Ecosystem: Includes all organisms living in


an area, and the physical environment with
which these organisms interact.

8
Ecology Can Be Studied On Many
Levels

➢Landscape: Includes exchange of materials &


organisms between ecosystems.

9
Ecology Can Be Studied On Many
Levels

➢Biosphere: Highest level of ecological


organization.

10
Ecology of Forest Birds

 MacArthur studied ecology of five species


of warblers in spruce forests in North
America.
 Theory predicted two species with identical
ecological requirements could not coexist
indefinitely.
 Studies found warblers coexisted by feeding in
different zones of the same tree.

11
Warbler Feeding Zones

12
Stable Isotope Analysis

 Chemical elements have different atomic


masses (isotopes).
 Proportions of isotopes vary across the
environment and this is reflected in the body
tissue of organisms.
 Recent advances in ecology take advantage of this
variation.
 By examining body tissue, ecologists can
determine food sources and habitat use.

13
Stable Isotope Analysis

 Ecologists using stable isotope analysis can


track habitat use by American redstarts on
their wintering grounds.
 Older males & some females spend winter in
higher productivity mangrove forests in Jamaica,
pushing younger males & most females to poorer
quality, dry scrub.

14
Stable Isotope Analysis
 Dominant plants &
insects that eat them
contain different
proportions of the
carbon isotopes 12C
and 13C.
 Tissues of the birds are
chemically tagged.

15
Forest Nutrient Budgets
 Ecology can also be
studied on a much
broader scale.
 Nutrient budgets in a
forest are important
to understand how
this ecosystem
functions.

16
Forest Nutrient Budgets

Due to heavy rainfall, many


rainforest soils are nutrient-
poor.
Nutrient stores in rainforest
canopies are associated with
epiphytes.
Epiphyte mats contain
significant quantities of
nutrients.
Trees send roots up to
epiphyte mats to access
nutrients. 17
Vegetation Change: Pollen
Records

 Many environmental changes occur over


large spatial or temporal scales.
 Davis monitored plant pollen deposited in
lake sediments in the Appalachian
Mountains.
 Documented large temporal changes to nearby
plant communities.

18
Vegetation History from Pollen
Sediments

19
Nature and Scope of Ecology

 Ecology: Study of relationships between


organisms and the environment.
 Wide variety of approaches.
 Large range of temporal and spatial scales.
 Field
 Lab
 Observational
 Manipulative

20

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