04/12/06

From Biol301

  • First lecture by Dr. Leips
    • Bring your calculators to exams
    • Office hours = TTh: 10-11am (11:30am on Th)
  • We are destorying the earth.
  • Ecology is not the same as conservation biology.

Contents

Why study Ecology

  • We stress the world and we should know what that means and the consequences of it:
  1. Messes up the ecosystem/ species extinctions
  2. Deterioration of our own environment
  • Examples of humans changing ecosystems:
    • Damming the Nile
      • Lead to increase schistosomiasis
      • Droughts which had been controlling the snail population were stopped.
    • Zebra Mussels:
      • Carried by european ship's ballast
      • All throughout midwest
      • Very expensive b/c they are pests.
    • Chesapeake bay oysters
      • MDX and some other parasite are able to attack b/c of the huge resources coming off from farming.
      • They are suggesting we introduce Asian oysters because they are more hardy.
        • We tried introducing some 3N Asian oysters but they all got eaten by some ray.

What is ecology?

  • Study of organism interaction with their environment.
  • Attempts to answer questions:
    • "Why is a given organism in a given location?"
    • "Why is there a given number of organisms?"
    • "Why is there such diversity in one area?"
  • Attempts to provide predictions for public policy.

Ecology is Multidisciplinary

Natural History
  • Description of traits and populations characteristics
  • Example: Spring peepers
    • Nocturnal, use temporary ponds, breed march-oct, 900 eggs/female
Physiology
  • the physiological responses of organisms to environmental influences
  • Example: Spea hammond
    • Also uses temporary ponds.
    • Tadpole speeds up development if water is receeding in the temporary pond
Evolution
  • current and historical ecology processes influence survival, distribution, and abundance.
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