BIO-8 Lecture Notes - Lecture 24: Analytic Continuation, Hydrothermal Vent, Ecosystem Approach
Document Summary
Ecological systems exist in a hierarchy of organization. An individual - a living being the most fundamental unit of ecology. Every individual has a membrane, or other covering, across which it exchanges energy and materials with its environment. Species - a group of organisms that naturally interbreed with each other and produce fertile offspring. Population - consists of individuals of the same species living in a particular area. Example: population of catfish living in a pond, a population of wolves living in. Canada, or a population of tubeworms living near a hydrothermal vent on the ocean floor. Natural boundary (edge of forest) vs political boundary (state line) Populations have five distinct properties that are not exhibited by individuals: Geographic range (aka distribution) - is the extent of land or water within which a population lives. Density - number of individuals per unit of area.
