Introduction to Ecology
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Questions and Answers

What is the primary focus of the study of ecology?

  • The evolution of life.
  • The diversity of organisms on other planets.
  • The diversity of organisms on the planet Earth. (correct)
  • The extinction of species.

    • What is an environment composed of?

  • Abiotic and biotic factors. (correct)
  • Only biotic factors.
  • Only abiotic factors.
  • Neither abiotic nor biotic factors.

    • What is the key difference between an environment and an ecosystem?

  • An ecosystem includes only biotic factors.
  • An ecosystem includes interacting factors, while an environment does not. (correct)
  • An ecosystem is only found in oceans.
  • An ecosystem is smaller than an environment.

    • At what scale is ecology often applied?

    <p>At a specific level or scale.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What can be found in nearly every location on Earth?

    <p>Life.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the main difference between a terrestrial habitat and an ecosystem?

    <p>A terrestrial habitat is composed of multiple ecosystems, while an ecosystem is a self-contained unit.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the primary focus of organismal ecology?

    <p>The life history of individual organisms.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the main difference between population ecology and community ecology?

    <p>Population ecology focuses on a single species, while community ecology focuses on multiple species.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is an example of a research question in population ecology?

    <p>What is the population density of a species of bird in a given area?</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the definition of a population in ecological terms?

    <p>A group of organisms that interbreed with each other.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the primary focus of ecosystem ecology?

    <p>The interactions between organisms and the abiotic components of an area</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the term for the largest scale of ecology, which includes all living organisms and all environments on the planet?

    <p>Biosphere</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which of the following is NOT part of the community described in the scenario?

    <p>Marmot</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the result of the beaver's actions in the stream habitat?

    <p>Flooding in areas upstream and drought in areas downstream</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the purpose of ecosystem ecology at small scales?

    <p>To understand the relationship between biotic components and abiotic factors</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What does biotic potential refer to?

    <p>The rate at which a species reproduces with unlimited resources</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the main reason why species do not reach their full biotic potential?

    <p>Because they do not live in perfect conditions</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which of the following species has the highest biotic potential?

    <p>Ducks</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is a characteristic of insects in terms of biotic potential?

    <p>They have a large biotic potential due to the number of offspring produced</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the biotic potential of humans?

    <p>1-2 offspring per year</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which of the following groups of organisms typically have a low biotic potential?

    <p>Mammals</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What determines the biotic potential of a species?

    <p>The rate of reproduction and the amount of offspring born each cycle</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the primary factor influencing environmental carrying capacity?

    <p>All of the above</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What happens when a population is above its carrying capacity?

    <p>Resources become limited and competition increases</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is an example of a species that has a carrying capacity?

    <p>All of the above</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What happens to the deer population when wolves are hunted?

    <p>The deer population increases exponentially</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the result of overgrazing in a cattle population?

    <p>A decrease in nutrients in the soil</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the role of wolves in regulating the deer population?

    <p>They prey on deer to keep the population in check</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the primary factor that limits the number of barnacle and oyster species?

    <p>Competition for space</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What happens to tree growth when a forest reaches carrying capacity?

    <p>New sprouts have difficulty growing due to competition for resources</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Study Notes

    What is Ecology?

    • Ecology is the study of life on Earth, focusing on the diversity of organisms, their interactions, and how they thrive or die based on their environment.
    • Ecology investigates life at multiple scales, from individual organisms to the entire planet.

    Environment vs. Ecosystem

    • An environment is the place an organism calls home, consisting of abiotic (non-living) and biotic (living) factors.
    • An ecosystem, on the other hand, includes the factors within a habitat that directly interact with each other.

    Levels of Ecology

    • Organismal ecology: studies individual organisms and their interactions with their environment.
    • Population ecology: focuses on a specific type of organism, studying population trends, density, and abundance.
    • Community ecology: expands on population ecology, including multiple species and their interactions within a given area.
    • Ecosystem ecology: considers the interactions between organisms and between organisms and the abiotic components of an area.
    • Biosphere ecology: the largest scale of ecology, focused on the entire planet, studying how human actions affect the planet on a global scale.

    Ecological Scales

    • Organismal ecology: individual organisms and their interactions with their environment.
    • Population ecology: groups of organisms that interbreed with each other, studying population trends, density, and abundance.
    • Community ecology: multiple species and their interactions within a given area.
    • Ecosystem ecology: interactions between organisms and between organisms and the abiotic components of an area.
    • Biosphere ecology: the entire planet, studying how human actions affect the planet on a global scale.

    Examples of Ecological Studies

    • Organismal ecology: studying how different substrate types affect the survival of a species of salamander.
    • Population ecology: investigating population trends, density, and abundance of lowland gorillas.
    • Community ecology: studying the interactions between deer, ticks, wolves, vultures, mushrooms, and grasses in a forest ecosystem.
    • Ecosystem ecology: understanding the relationship between beavers and the abiotic components of a stream habitat.
    • Biosphere ecology: understanding how human actions have resulted in changes to the biosphere, including decreased diversity and increasing temperatures.

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    Learn about the diverse range of life forms found in different ecosystems, from savannahs to oceans, and how ecology studies the relationships between living organisms and their environments.

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