BSC 108 Lecture Notes - Lecture 18: Terrestrial Ecosystem, Ecosystem Ecology, Intertidal Zone
9 May 2017
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Document Summary
Humans: by far the most abundant large animal, requires vast amounts of materials and space, has devastated the environment for many other species, have a disproportionately high impact on the environment. Is the scientific study of the interactions between organisms and their environments: the environment. Can be divided into two major components. The abiotic component: the nonliving chemical and physical factors in an environment. The biotic component: the living factors in an environment. Natural history: natural history as a (cid:498)discovery science(cid:499) remains fundamental to ecology. A hierarchy of interactions: ecology can be divided into four increasingly comprehensive levels: Organismal ecology: is concerned with evolutionary adaptations that enable individual organisms to meet the challenges posed by their abiotic environments. Population ecology: is concerned with populations, groups of individuals of the same species living in the same area. Concentrates mainly on factors that affect population density and growth. Community ecology: is concerned with communities, assemblages of populations of different species.
