2. Ch 1 Ecology, Environmental Science and the Big Picture

3. Night shot of earth…

4. What is Ecology? Basic Terminology Ecology = study of organisms and how they interact with each other and their environment (ecologist) Eco from Oikos “Oikos”= Greek for “house” Ecology = study of the “house” we live in

5. What is Ecology? Basic Terminology Relationships/interactions are the key (feeding, competition, symbiosis, etc…) Environmental Science= the study of how the natural world works and how human activity affects it (enviro. scientist) Environment= things that surround and/or affect an organism

6. What do we get from the “house”? Natural Resources vs. Natural Services ResourcesResources = materials and energy found in nature that are useful to humans Ex. – coal, oil, vegetables, meat, water ServicesServices = functions of nature that support life and human society Ex. – purification of water, conversion of CO 2 to O 2, pollination of crops

7. Resources Renewable = those resources that replenish themselves within an observable amount of time (trees, air, water) Non-renewable = those resources that do not replenish themselves within an easily observable amount of time (fossil fuels, minerals)

8. Perpetual Resources Those that are in such great quantity that they appear to never run out Like sunlight (solar energy, solar capital)

9. Who cares about ecology? (Check Yourself) Conservationist = interested in conserving resources, using wisely Preservationist = interested in setting aside land from human influence (some low-impact recreation is OK) Restorationist = interested in restoring natural areas that have been degraded by human activity Environmentalist = concerned about human impact on environment

10. Sustainability The ability of a process or system to continue indefinitely without depleting the energy or resources needed (capital) for its existence Sustainable Yield = the amount of a resource that can be harvested so that it is naturally replenished the following season.

11. Levels of Life Organization Organism = any living thing (characteristics of life) Species = group of organisms that look alike and can breed to produce viable offspring The organism is the fundamental unit of life in ecology Many individuals of the same species living together in the same area = population

12. Levels of Life Organization Community = all the populations living together (interacting) in the same area Community = the biotics Ecosystem = a biotic community plus the abiotic factors in its environment Biome = a category of related ecosystems found around the world (rain forest, coral reef) Biosphere = layer of earth containing all life

14. Landscape = patchwork of ecosystems that cover a given area More ecologists are shifting focus away from ecosystems and into landscape in recent years

15. Biomass = the total mass of living tissue present in an area= the total mass of living tissue present in an area More biomass = more stored energy in systemMore biomass = more stored energy in system More sunlight tends to lead to more biomassMore sunlight tends to lead to more biomass

16. 5 steps of scientific method Observation generates a question Question or problem Hypothesis = possible answer or explanation, must be testable, usually stated as cause & effect (if…then…) Experimentation = test the hypothesis, collect data (evidence) Conclusion/next steps = always 2 items is hypothesis supported by the data or not? What should be investigated next?

17. Variables in experiments - graphing Why is water temp on the y- axis in this graph?

18. Variables in experiments Scientists attempt to keep all conditions in an experiment constant except 2: Independent (manipulated) variable: changes are under the control of the scientist (x-axis on graph) Dependent (responding) variable: changes occur in response to changes in the independent variable (y- axis on graph) Control group – a set of trials are subjects that experience no changes in the independent variable

19. Variables in experiments - graphing

20. Types of Data 1)Categorical (Qualitative) = not involving numbers A. Nominal Data – categories do not exist in any particular order Example: Classifying land-lab plants into families B. Ordinal Data – categories in which order is important Example: Reproductive status categories in deer: Pre-reproductive (fawns) Reproductive Post-reproductive (too old)

21. Types of Data 1)Numerical (Quantitative) = involving numbers A. Discrete – only certain values are possible Example: counting numbers, integers, population size B. Continuous – any value within a range is possible Example: Temperature, Height, etc… Make sure you do quantifying ecology 1.1 correctly. Also answer the questions under figure 1.5 on p. 6

22. Types of Data - Graphing Histogram (Bar Graph) – use when data are categorical allow bars to touch when data are ordinal bars should not touch when data are nominal

23. Types of Data - Graphing Scatter Plot – use when data are completely numerical connect the dots to show continuous changes over time (based on a math function or equation) use best fit line or no line to show general trends or relationships (more common) Be sure to complete Quantifying Ecology 1.2 on pp. 8-9

24. Types of Experiments Lab Experiments Much easier to control all potential variables Uses less space Results may not be true to the way nature actually works Field Experiments More difficult to control all potential variables Requires more space Results are much more true to the way nature really works