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Biology library
Course: biology library > unit 28.
- Ecology introduction
What is ecology?
- Ecological levels: from individuals to ecosystems
- Intro to ecology
- Ecology is the study of how organisms interact with one another and with their physical environment.
- The distribution and abundance of organisms on Earth is shaped by both biotic , living-organism-related, and abiotic , nonliving or physical, factors.
- Ecology is studied at many levels, including organism, population, community, ecosystem, and biosphere.
Welcome to ecology!
Biotic and abiotic factors.
- Maybe the mold needs a certain amount of water to grow, and this amount of water is found only in the shower. Water availability is an example of an abiotic , or nonliving, factor that can affect distribution of organisms.
- Maybe mold feeds off of dead skin cells found in the shower, but not in the dresser. Availability of nutrients provided by other organisms is an example of a biotic , living-organism-related, factor that can influence distribution.
Case study: the red panda
How do ecologists ask questions, ecology at many scales.
- Organism: Organismal ecologists study adaptations , beneficial features arising by natural selection, that allow organisms to live in specific habitats. These adaptations can be morphological, physiological, or behavioral.
- Population: A population is a group of organisms of the same species that live in the same area at the same time. Population ecologists study the size, density, and structure of populations and how they change over time.
- Community: A biological community consists of all the populations of different species that live in a given area. Community ecologists focus on interactions between populations and how these interactions shape the community.
- Ecosystem: An ecosystem consists of all the organisms in an area, the community, and the abiotic factors that influence that community. Ecosystem ecologists often focus on flow of energy and recycling of nutrients.
- Biosphere: The biosphere is planet Earth, viewed as an ecological system. Ecologists working at the biosphere level may study global patterns—for example, climate or species distribution—interactions among ecosystems, and phenomena that affect the entire globe, such as climate change.
Attribution
Works cited.
- "Red panda." World Wildlife Fund. Accessed June 7, 2016. http://www.worldwildlife.org/species/red-panda .
- A. Glatston, F. Wei, Than Zaw, and A. Sherpa, " Ailurus fulgens ." In The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (2015): e.T714A45195924. http://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2015-4.RLTS.T714A45195924.en .
- Sean Breslin. "The Red Panda Could Become the Cutest Victim of Climate Change." The Weather Channel. August 19, 2015. https://weather.com/science/environment/news/red-panda-climate-change-fears .
Additional references
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Ecology is the study of how organisms interact with one another and with their physical environment. The distribution and abundance of organisms on Earth is shaped by both biotic, living-organism-related, and abiotic, nonliving or physical, factors. Ecology is studied at many levels, including organism, population, community, ecosystem, and ...