BIO205H5 Study Guide - Fall 2018, Comprehensive Midterm Notes - Fish, Ecology, Abiotic Component
BIO205H5
MIDTERM EXAM
STUDY GUIDE
Fall 2018
BIO205 Lecture 2
How do we define and study ecology?
●We define ecology as; the scientific study of the abundance and distribution of
organisms in relation to other organisms and environmental
● We can study ecology at different hierarchical levels
○ Individual species
○ Population
○ Community
○ Ecosystem
○ Biosphere
● At which level do we study ecology?
○ All levels
○ The scale goes from individual to general
● We use the scientific method to study ecology
○ Observation
○ Hypothesis/predictions
○ Test the hypothesis - experiments, observations, etc.
■ Test can go 2 ways;
● Either support hypothesis ad make additional predictions to test
further
● Does not support hypothesis - then reverse original hypothesis or
pose a new one
○ How can we use the scientific method in the orca story?
● There are other models of the scientific method - a little bit
different than the original one which we are used to seeing in
science
○ Exploration and discovery
○ Gathering data
○ Interpreting data
○ Testing ideas
○ Community analysis and feedback
○ Benefits and outcomes
● Main differences between 2 methods;
○ One has many different processes whereas the other is
more open ended
○ One has a more strict pathway and is linear whereas the other is more lenient in
the pathway
● Important similar characteristic;
○ They always go back to the beginning and repeat
Fresh Ecology
● Invasive earthworms as seed predators of temperate forest plants
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
● Earthworms remove substantial numbers of seeds from the forest floor, compared to
vertebrate seed predators
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find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
Document Summary
We define ecology as; the scientific study of the abundance and distribution of. We can study ecology at different hierarchical levels organisms in relation to other organisms and environmental. The scale goes from individual to general. We use the scientific method to study ecology. Test the hypothesis - experiments, observations, etc. Either support hypothesis ad make additional predictions to test further. Does not support hypothesis - then reverse original hypothesis or pose a new one. There are other models of the scientific method - a little bit different than the original one which we are used to seeing in science. One has many different processes whereas the other is more open ended. One has a more strict pathway and is linear whereas the other is more lenient in the pathway. They always go back to the beginning and repeat. Invasive earthworms as seed predators of temperate forest plants.
