BIOLOGY 1M03 Lecture 50: Chapter 50
22 Jun 2016
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Document Summary
Ecology focuses on how organisms interact with their environment. Because its goal is to understand the distribution and abundance of organisms, ecology provides a scientific foundation for the conservation of species and natural areas. Physical structure particularly water depth is the primary factor that limits the distribution and abundance of aquatic species. Climate specifically, both the average value and annual variation in temperature and in moisture is the primary factor that limits the distribution and abundance of terrestrial species. Climate varies with latitude, elevation, and other factors. In addition to abiotic aspects of the environment such as physical structure and climate, species distribution is constrained by historical and biotic factors. In ecology, researchers work at four main levels: organisms, populations, communities, and ecosystems. Organismal ecologists explore the morphological, physiological, and behavioral adaptations that allow individual organisms to live successfully in a particular area.
