Ecology: ___________________________________________. 

The environment can be divided into two major components:

____________________

____________________

The Abiotic component: consists of _______________________________________________

The biotic component consists of _________________________________________________

I. Ecology as Scientific Study

Natural history as "_____________________" remains fundamental to ecology.

II. A Hierarchy of Interactions

Ecology can be divided into four increasingly comprehensive levels:

1. _____________________________

2. _____________________________

3. _____________________________

4. _____________________________

Organismal ecology is concerned with the evolutionary adaptations that enable individual organisms to meet the challenges posed by _____________________________________

Population ecology concentrates mainly on factors ________________________________________________________

Community ecology focuses on how ___________________________________________________________________

Ecosystem ecology focuses on _______________________________________________________________________

Biosphere is ____________________________________

III. Ecology and Environmentalism

Current awareness of the biosphere stems from _________________________ with environmental practices of the 1960's

The Evolutionary Adaptations of Organisms

The field of ______________ and __________________ are tightly linked

Evolutionary adaptation via natural selection results from the the interaction of _____________________ with their ___________________

Three types of adaptations that enable organisms to adjust to changes in their environments:

1. _______________________

2. _______________________

3. _______________________

I. Abiotic Factors of the Biosphere

Global distribution patterns reflect regional differences in __________________ and other _______________ factors

Habitats are __________________________________________________

A. Sunlight

_________________ powers nearly all ecosystems

B. Water

For terrestrial organisms, the main water problems is ________________________

C. Temperature

Environmental temperature is an important abiotic factor because of its effect on _________________________

Some extraordinary ________________________ enable some species to live in extreme temperatures

D. Wind

Some organisms depend on ______________ blown to them on wind.  Organisms such as plants depend on wind to disperse ___________ and __________________

Wind can also affect the pattern of a plant's ____________________

E. Rocks and Soil

________________________________ contributes to the patchiness we see in terrestrial landscapes.  In streams and rivers, the composition of the soil can affect the _______________________________

II.  Physiological Responses

In mechanisms of ______________________ responses by organisms occur quickly.

Acclimation: a physiological response that is ___________________________.  The ability to acclimate is related to the _______________________________ a species naturally experiences.

Among vertebrates, birds and mammals can tolerate the greatest range of temperatures because they are _____________________.  Reptiles are more limited in the climates that they can tolerate because they are _____________________.

III. Anatomical Responses

Many organisms respond to environmental challenge with some type of change in __________________________________

IV. Behavioral Responses

In contrast to plants, most animals can respond to unfavorable change in the environment by ___________________________________

What is Population Ecology?

Population ecology is ______________________________________________________________

Population ecology focuses on _______________________________________________________

I. Population Density

Population density is the number of individuals of a __________________________________

How do we measure population density?

Often impossible or impractical.  However, in some cases, population densities are estimated by ______________________, such as _____________________________

II. Patterns of Dispersion

The dispersion pattern of a population is the _____________________________________________________________

In ____________________ pattern of dispersion, individuals aggregate in patches

A ____________________ pattern of dispersion results from interactions among the individuals of a population

In a ___________________ pattern of dispersion, individuals are spaced in a patternless, unpredictable way

Some populations exhibit both _____________________ and __________________________ patterns of dispersion, but on different scales.

III. Population Growth Models

Two models:  ___________________________ and ______________________________

Growth rate is the _________________________________

A. The Exponential Growth Model: The Ideal of an Unlimited Environment

The exponential growth models describes __________________________________________________

A key feature of the exponential growth model is ____________________________________________________________

B. The Logistic Growth Model: The Reality of a Limited Environment

In nature, populations may grow exponentially for awhile, but eventually _________________________________________________

______________________________ restrict population growth.

The logistic growth models describes ________________________________________________________

Carrying capacity is the ____________________________________________________________________________________

IV. Regulation of Population Growth

A. Density-Dependent Factors

The logistic model is actually a description of ________________________________.  It describes population growth as _____________________________

Density-dependent factors are _______________________________________________________________________

They increase ___________________________ and decrease_____________________________________

Natural populations do not often show clear-cut cases of ______________________________________. 

B. Density-Independent Factors

Density-independent factors are _____________________________________________________________________.   Include events such as ___________________________________

Over the long term, most populations are probably regulated by a _________________________________________________________

C. Population Cycles

Some populations have regular ______________________________ cycles

V. Human Population Growth

A. The History of Global Population Growth

Human population is based on the _______________________________________________________________

B. Age Structure and Population Growth

The age structure of a population is the ______________________________________________

The age structure of a population can help us predict _________________________________________________

C. The Sociology, Economics, and Politics of Population Growth

Age structure diagrams: _______________________________________________________________________

Computer models of population growth predict ______________________________________________________

Voluntary control???  Government support????

Technology _________________________________________________________________________________

Life Histories and Their Evolution

The life history of an organism includes ____________________________________________________________

I. Life Tables and Survivorship Curves

A life table ________________________________________________

Survivorship curves ___________________________________________________.  They are classified based on _____________________________________________________

II. Life History Traits as Evolutionary Adaptations

Life history traits are _____________________________________________________

Two types of life histories:

1. _______________________________

2. _______________________________

In opportunistic life histories:

1. ________________________________

2. ________________________________

3. ________________________________

In equilibrial life histories:

1. ________________________________

2. ________________________________

3. ________________________________