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Questions and Answers
What is the fundamental principle that governs the movement of energy and matter in ecological systems?
What is the fundamental principle that governs the movement of energy and matter in ecological systems?
Which of the following is an example of a mutualistic relationship?
Which of the following is an example of a mutualistic relationship?
What is the primary goal of the scientific method in ecology?
What is the primary goal of the scientific method in ecology?
Which level of ecological organization is the smallest unit of study?
Which level of ecological organization is the smallest unit of study?
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What is the term for the process of organisms consuming dead organic matter?
What is the term for the process of organisms consuming dead organic matter?
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What is the term for the study of the interactions among organisms and their environment?
What is the term for the study of the interactions among organisms and their environment?
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Which of the following is an example of a neutralistic relationship?
Which of the following is an example of a neutralistic relationship?
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What is the primary driver of the 6th mass extinction event?
What is the primary driver of the 6th mass extinction event?
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What is the primary characteristic that defines a species?
What is the primary characteristic that defines a species?
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What is the term for a type of predator that feeds on its host from the inside?
What is the term for a type of predator that feeds on its host from the inside?
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What is the term for the study of the global distributions of species driven by land, water, and climate?
What is the term for the study of the global distributions of species driven by land, water, and climate?
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What is the term for the study of the distribution of species on a global scale?
What is the term for the study of the distribution of species on a global scale?
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What is the fundamental principle that governs the movement of matter and energy in ecological systems?
What is the fundamental principle that governs the movement of matter and energy in ecological systems?
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What is the term for the process by which organisms evolve and adapt to their environment?
What is the term for the process by which organisms evolve and adapt to their environment?
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What is the term for the relationship between two organisms where one organism benefits and the other is unaffected?
What is the term for the relationship between two organisms where one organism benefits and the other is unaffected?
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What is the term for the study of the interactions between organisms and their environment?
What is the term for the study of the interactions between organisms and their environment?
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What is the term for the approach to studying ecology that involves proposing a hypothesis and testing it with data?
What is the term for the approach to studying ecology that involves proposing a hypothesis and testing it with data?
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What is the term for the type of experiment where the factor of interest is not manipulated?
What is the term for the type of experiment where the factor of interest is not manipulated?
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What is the term for the current period of high species extinction rates caused by human activity?
What is the term for the current period of high species extinction rates caused by human activity?
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What is the term for the hierarchical organization of ecological systems that goes beyond the level of ecosystems?
What is the term for the hierarchical organization of ecological systems that goes beyond the level of ecosystems?
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What is the primary focus of ecology as a scientific study?
What is the primary focus of ecology as a scientific study?
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Which level of ecological organisation is the smallest unit of study?
Which level of ecological organisation is the smallest unit of study?
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What is the main challenge in defining individuals in ecology?
What is the main challenge in defining individuals in ecology?
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What is the most relevant level to study adaptations in ecology?
What is the most relevant level to study adaptations in ecology?
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What defines a species in ecology?
What defines a species in ecology?
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What is the primary focus of population processes in ecology?
What is the primary focus of population processes in ecology?
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What is the primary focus of community processes in ecology?
What is the primary focus of community processes in ecology?
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How are the boundaries of a community often defined?
How are the boundaries of a community often defined?
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What is the largest level of ecological organisation?
What is the largest level of ecological organisation?
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What is the hierarchical organisation of ecological systems?
What is the hierarchical organisation of ecological systems?
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What is the primary unit of study in ecology?
What is the primary unit of study in ecology?
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What is the main challenge in defining individuals in ecology?
What is the main challenge in defining individuals in ecology?
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What is the term for a group of organisms that naturally interbreed and produce fertile offspring?
What is the term for a group of organisms that naturally interbreed and produce fertile offspring?
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What is the primary focus of population processes in ecology?
What is the primary focus of population processes in ecology?
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What level of ecological organisation is characterised by a group of populations of different species living together in a particular area?
What level of ecological organisation is characterised by a group of populations of different species living together in a particular area?
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What is the primary focus of community processes in ecology?
What is the primary focus of community processes in ecology?
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How are the boundaries of a community often defined?
How are the boundaries of a community often defined?
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What is the largest level of ecological organisation?
What is the largest level of ecological organisation?
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What influences individual processes in ecology?
What influences individual processes in ecology?
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What is the main level at which adaptations are studied in ecology?
What is the main level at which adaptations are studied in ecology?
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What is the primary difference between a population and a community?
What is the primary difference between a population and a community?
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What is the primary driver of evolution in ecological systems?
What is the primary driver of evolution in ecological systems?
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What is the term for the approach to studying ecology that involves using data to develop a hypothesis?
What is the term for the approach to studying ecology that involves using data to develop a hypothesis?
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What is the primary focus of ecosystem processes in ecology?
What is the primary focus of ecosystem processes in ecology?
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What is the term for the relationship between two organisms where one organism benefits and the other is harmed?
What is the term for the relationship between two organisms where one organism benefits and the other is harmed?
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What is the primary goal of experiments in ecological research?
What is the primary goal of experiments in ecological research?
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Which of the following is a fundamental principle governing ecological systems?
Which of the following is a fundamental principle governing ecological systems?
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What is the term for the study of the global distributions of species driven by land, water, and climate?
What is the term for the study of the global distributions of species driven by land, water, and climate?
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What is the primary focus of population processes in ecology?
What is the primary focus of population processes in ecology?
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What is the primary goal of the indicative approach in ecology?
What is the primary goal of the indicative approach in ecology?
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What is the term for the hierarchical organization of ecological systems that includes populations, communities, and ecosystems?
What is the term for the hierarchical organization of ecological systems that includes populations, communities, and ecosystems?
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What is the primary focus of ecosystem processes in ecology?
What is the primary focus of ecosystem processes in ecology?
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What is the primary difference between a manipulative experiment and an observational study?
What is the primary difference between a manipulative experiment and an observational study?
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What is the primary driver of the diversity of life on Earth?
What is the primary driver of the diversity of life on Earth?
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What is the primary characteristic of a parasitoid?
What is the primary characteristic of a parasitoid?
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What is the primary goal of a manipulative experiment in ecology?
What is the primary goal of a manipulative experiment in ecology?
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What is the primary focus of community processes in ecology?
What is the primary focus of community processes in ecology?
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What is the primary characteristic of neutralism?
What is the primary characteristic of neutralism?
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What is the primary goal of the scientific method in ecology?
What is the primary goal of the scientific method in ecology?
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What is the primary characteristic of an ecosystem?
What is the primary characteristic of an ecosystem?
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Study Notes
Ecological Systems
- Ecological systems exist in a hierarchical organization, comprising individuals, populations, communities, ecosystems, and the biosphere.
- Individuals are living beings separated from their environment by a membrane or other boundary.
- Individual processes (morphology, physiology, behavior) can be influenced by the environment, mediating how the individual responds to abiotic and biotic components of its environment.
Populations
- A population is a group of individuals of one species living in a particular area.
- A species is a group of organisms that naturally interbreed and produce fertile offspring.
- Population processes involve spatio-temporal changes in abundance, density, geographic range distribution, composition, and genetic makeup.
Communities
- A community is composed of all populations of species living together in a particular area.
- Community processes involve diversity and composition of species, as well as interactions among species (coexistence or exclusion).
Ecosystems
- An ecosystem consists of one or more communities interacting with their abiotic environment.
- Ecosystem processes involve the movement of energy and matter (not only looking at living organisms).
Biosphere
- The biosphere is all ecosystems on Earth.
- Biosphere approaches involve global distributions of species driven by land, water, and climate.
Ecological Principles
- Ecological systems are governed by physical and biological principles.
- Matter and energy cannot be created or destroyed, but can only change form (law of conservation of matter, first law of thermodynamics).
- Ecological systems can be in a dynamic steady state when gains and losses of mass and energy are in balance.
Evolution
- Evolution is key to understanding the diversity of life and how organisms interact with each other and their abiotic environment.
- Evolution requires individual organisms to vary in their phenotype, phenotypic traits to be heritable, and trait variation associated with variation in fitness.
Interactions among Organisms
- Predation: organisms that kill and consume individual animals.
- Parasitoidism: special types of predators that feed on the host from the inside.
- Herbivory: organisms that consume producers.
- Parasitism: organisms that live in or on another organism, causing damage.
- Commensalism: organisms that live in or on another organism without causing damage or providing benefit.
- Mutualism: organisms that interact with each other, providing benefits.
- Neutralism: organisms that coexist but do not affect each other.
- Amensalism: organisms that interact, damaging another without damage or benefit.
Scientific Method in Ecology
- The scientific method involves observations leading to questions, hypotheses, predictions, and experiments.
- Approaches to studying ecology include the deductive approach, inductive approach, and experimental methods.
Human Impact on Ecological Systems
- Humans influence ecological systems, leading to the 6th mass extinction event.
- Hierarchical scales go beyond ecology.
Ecological Systems
- Ecological systems exist in a hierarchical organization, comprising individuals, populations, communities, ecosystems, and the biosphere.
- Individuals are living beings separated from their environment by a membrane or other boundary.
- Individual processes (morphology, physiology, behavior) can be influenced by the environment, mediating how the individual responds to abiotic and biotic components of its environment.
Populations
- A population is a group of individuals of one species living in a particular area.
- A species is a group of organisms that naturally interbreed and produce fertile offspring.
- Population processes involve spatio-temporal changes in abundance, density, geographic range distribution, composition, and genetic makeup.
Communities
- A community is composed of all populations of species living together in a particular area.
- Community processes involve diversity and composition of species, as well as interactions among species (coexistence or exclusion).
Ecosystems
- An ecosystem consists of one or more communities interacting with their abiotic environment.
- Ecosystem processes involve the movement of energy and matter (not only looking at living organisms).
Biosphere
- The biosphere is all ecosystems on Earth.
- Biosphere approaches involve global distributions of species driven by land, water, and climate.
Ecological Principles
- Ecological systems are governed by physical and biological principles.
- Matter and energy cannot be created or destroyed, but can only change form (law of conservation of matter, first law of thermodynamics).
- Ecological systems can be in a dynamic steady state when gains and losses of mass and energy are in balance.
Evolution
- Evolution is key to understanding the diversity of life and how organisms interact with each other and their abiotic environment.
- Evolution requires individual organisms to vary in their phenotype, phenotypic traits to be heritable, and trait variation associated with variation in fitness.
Interactions among Organisms
- Predation: organisms that kill and consume individual animals.
- Parasitoidism: special types of predators that feed on the host from the inside.
- Herbivory: organisms that consume producers.
- Parasitism: organisms that live in or on another organism, causing damage.
- Commensalism: organisms that live in or on another organism without causing damage or providing benefit.
- Mutualism: organisms that interact with each other, providing benefits.
- Neutralism: organisms that coexist but do not affect each other.
- Amensalism: organisms that interact, damaging another without damage or benefit.
Scientific Method in Ecology
- The scientific method involves observations leading to questions, hypotheses, predictions, and experiments.
- Approaches to studying ecology include the deductive approach, inductive approach, and experimental methods.
Human Impact on Ecological Systems
- Humans influence ecological systems, leading to the 6th mass extinction event.
- Hierarchical scales go beyond ecology.
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Description
Learn about the fundamentals of ecology, including the hierarchical organization of ecological systems, individuals, populations, and their interactions with the environment.
