Week 1.1 Ecology Course Notes PDF

Week 1.1 Tuesday, 5 November 2024 2:03 pm Introduction to the Course Lecturer: Steve Delene, covering population ecology and sampling methods for the firs Course structure: population ecology, community ecology, ecosystem ecology, landsca Main topics: Population samp...

Week 1.1 Tuesday, 5 November 2024 2:03 pm Introduction to the Course Lecturer: Steve Delene, covering population ecology and sampling methods for the firs Course structure: population ecology, community ecology, ecosystem ecology, landsca Main topics: Population sampling, ecosystem and spatial ecology, and practical applica Housekeeping Details Practical sessions: Held in specific weeks; wet labs require closed shoes and have safet on benches). Field trips: Held in weeks 2, 4, and 10, crucial for practical data collection used in subse Assessment: 40% practical assessments, 20% field report, and 40% final exam. Attenda for completing course objectives. Field Trips & Preparation Sign-up required for groups and bus travel. Mandatory pre-field trip registration quiz for insurance purposes. Off-campus code of conduct: outlines behavioral expectations during field trips. Key Concepts in Ecology Ecology: Scientific study of interactions determining the distribution and abundance of are and how many Ecologist want to find what leads to that outcome Levels of organization: Organisms → Populations → Species -> Communities → Ecosys Core questions in ecology: ○ What limits species' distribution? ○ Why are some species more abundant in specific locations or times? Historical figures (e.g., Malthus, Darwin, Humboldt) contributed foundational ideas like biogeography. Sampling and Fieldwork Importance of sampling: Accurate ecological sampling methods are key for collecting d abundance and distribution. Field trips provide hands-on experience with sampling techniques and data collection. Rules for Ecological Thinking (Charlie Krebs) Learn from ecological history to avoid past mistakes. Develop hypotheses with clear predictions, allowing for multiple explanations. Adopting a scientific, model-based approach helps predict and explain ecological patte st three weeks. ape ecology. ations in fieldwork. ty protocols (no food/drink equent assessments. ance at field trips is critical f organisms. - where things stems → Landscapes. e population dynamics and data on population erns.