Fundamentals of Ecology

Password:ecology

Course OrganizationFind everything on 2 websites + ZOOM• Course site: http://jdyeakel.github.io/teaching/ecology/ • Schedule

• Syllabus • Links to readings, etc • Section activities

• Catcourses page • Assignments • Exams • Grades • Communication

• Zoom (links on Catcourses & course website) • Lectures & Discussions • Synchronous!!!

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ecology

Discussion sections with Irina Barros

Dig into natural history, ecological data, and ecological models

- What types of questions do ecologists ask and how does ecological science progress?

- How do ecologists figure things out? - Empirical: Laboratory, Field - Theoretical investigations

- How is a scientific paper written?

- How are data displayed and communicated?

Sections: http://jdyeakel.github.io/teaching/ecology/

Who am I and why am I here?

Evolution of body size Grassland expansion

Understanding how ecosystem engineers impact communities

Ecology : "The study of t h e house"

- How do organisms interactw i t h e a c h o t he r

a n d the i r environment• Di rect interactions

• Intdirect Interactions

" T h e balance o f Nature°

~ requires a "stableecosystem"

~ every species playsa specific r o l e

~ Gaia hypothesis - planet regulates itselfa s a l iving being

Ecosystems a r e examples of complexsystems- Financial system

-Internet

- Electric quid- Metabolic spans

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Ecology across scales: Spatial

Ecology across scales: Spatial + Temporal

Ecology across scales: Spatial + Temporal

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Individual interactions- traits How far do you travel t o find

food?- behaviors wha t typeof food d o you

gather?- physiology specialist?

-energy generalist?

1 - •Me a n s ,standard dev i a t i o n

G a u s s i a n Distribution÷:::%aa.fi?,#.NormaeDisnibuoon large

Intraspecific Variation

] Genotypes/ Beverton-Holt

beaepoole → phenotypes

{Distribution/Density

ofindividuals o v e r space

Losistfooth

added t opopulationAbundanceI:÷÷¥¥§¥¥:DRegulation of populations

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Population interactions I speciesMany interacting

individuals

p o o rmigration

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population}

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what drives chargesi n

population s i z e ?

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Community interactionsMany species in t h e s a m e

habitat-Biodiversity-Charges i n biodiversity

0 $ o v e r spaceove r t i m e

-Colonization-ex t inc t ions

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Biotic/Abiotic interactions

C) Temperature{precipation

Systems-

Abios,

g -living environment

←→

(ecosystemengineer)

Biosphere

M hm a n t

PacificDecadalOscillation

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How do we science?X k C D

Observe the world

Generate theories & make predictions

Observe the world

Update theories... make them better

How do we science?

Models t e l l u s}=¥±÷⇐

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