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18 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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Ecology
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the scientific study of the relationships between organisms and their environment.
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_____ and _____ conditions influence an organisms phisiology
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Physical and Chemical
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Ecosystem
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An environment in which organisms carry out their struggle for existence
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Ecological Hierarchy
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-Individual
-Population -Community -Ecosystem -Landscape -Biome -Biosphere |
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Population
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a group of individuals of the same species that occupy a given area.
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Populations within an ecosystem interact with one another:
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-By competing for resources
-As Predator-Prey -In mutually beneficial relationships |
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community
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includes all populations of different species interacting within an ecosystem
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landscape
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is the area of land (or water) that is composed of different communities and ecosystems
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Biomes
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are geographic regions with similar geological and climatic conditions
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Examples of Biomes
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-Tropical rain forest
-Deserts -Grasslands |
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biosphere
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is the thin layer surrounding the Earth that supports all of life
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The _____is the basic unit of Ecology
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Individual
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Ecologists study pattern and process at many levels
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-Patterns and processes change among organisms at different levels of heirarchy (community vs. Biome)
-Ecologists ask different questions and are interested in different patterns at different ecological levels -Individual: Birth and death events -Population: rates of birth and death, distribution of individuals -Community: factors that influence the relative abundance of a species -Ecosystem: flow of energy and nutrients through the physical and biological systems |
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Ecology has strong ties to other disciplines
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-Interactions within ecological systems involve many different processes
-Ecology in an interdisciplinary science because of the interdependency of these processes |
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Ecological Issues: The human factor
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-Ecologists distinguish between the basic science of ecology and the application of ecology to understand human interactions with the environment
-This traditional distinction is difficult to maintain -Ecology can contribute to, and provide solutions for, many issues related to agriculture, public health and medicine. |
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field study
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an ecologist examines natural patterns across the landscape
-The relationship between two or more variables is studied -The results suggest a relationship but do not prove cause and effect |
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experiment
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an ecologist will test under controlled conditions and controls the independent variable in a predetermined way
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field experiment
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the test is applied in a natural setting
-In this type of experiment, it is difficult to control other influencing factors -Results are realistic because they are collected from a natural setting. |
