BIOB50H3 Lecture 1: What is Ecology
Document Summary
The scientific method: make observations, ask questions, do research, develop a hypothesis using previous knowledge and/or intuition, test hypothesis (aka. Experiment or observational study: analyze data, draw conclusion, concept: ecologists evaluate competing hypotheses about natural systems with observations, experiments, and models. Experimental design: replicate perform each treatment more than once, assign treatments at random, when possible, include a control group that is not subject to any alterations, use statistical analysis to determine significant effects. Ecology: is the scientific study of interactions between organisms and their environment. Is a branch of biology and has many sub fields: ex. Early ecological views: there is a "balance of nature", in which natural systems are stable and tend to return to an original state after disturbance, each species has a distinct role to play in maintaining that balance. These views are simplistic and inaccurate!! scientists now recognize that ecological interactions are more complex.
