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Welcome to IB 203: Ecology
• Dr. Carol Augspurger
[email protected]
155 Morrill
3-1298
office hours 2 Th and by appointment
Course Website
www.life.uiuc.edu
integrative biology
courses
IB 203
Ricklefs Economy of Nature
Some texts have “Data Analysis Update”.
Don’t need this version UNLESS planning
to do a James Scholar project for IB 203
Grading - on Compass
• Exams (50%)
First exam
15
Second exam
15
Final exam
20
• Extra credit adds to exams
(max = 5 points/exam)
• Labs and discussion (50%)
Participation
8
Homeworks 1-12 12
Student project 1 15
Student project 2 15
Course Philosophy
• Learn both products and processes of
science
• Aim for higher levels of thought
• Use active learning
Tell me and I’ll listen
Show me and I’ll understand
Involve me and I’ll learn
Teton Lakota Indian
Responsibilities
• Mine
• Yours
• Any questions?
Assignments
• Read before next lecture:
Chapter 5: The Biome Concept
Expect quiz on location of biomes
• DUE at beginning of first lab next week
Homework 1: Hypotheses…(pg. 169)
2 xerox copies of I-card with photo
• Read before first lab next week:
Lab 1: Small mammals (pg. 71)
Homework 2A: Mammal habitat choice (pg.179)
Chapter 1: Introduction to Ecology
And How Ecologists Study the Natural World
Today’s Outline
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What is ecology?
What types of questions do ecologists ask?
Hierarchical levels of biology/ecology
Questions asked at each level
Homework 1: Hypothesis/Prediction/Exp. Design
Scientific Process
Introduce Labs I-III:
‘Small mammals and seeds in succession habitats’
Ecology = ecos (home) ology (study of)
Plants…
animals…
decomposers…
microorganisms…
and their interactions with the environment both biotic and abiotic factors.
Our activities have complex effects on
ecosystems…
Ecology include humans as a very significant
species by virtue of its impacts.
Ecology provides a scientific context for
evaluating environmental (human-induced)
issues.
The integrity of the kelp forest habitat depends on
the presence of sea otters.
Four biological disciplines closely related
to ecology; interdisciplinary studies
What types of questions do
ecologists ask?
• WHAT? WHO? WHEN? WHERE?
gather descriptive information by observation
natural history = foundation of all ecology
***What’s your background with nature?
• HOW?
mechanisms and biological/physical processes
proximate/functional
• WHY?
What is the adaptive significance of structures,
processes, behaviors?
ultimate/evolutionary
*** Observation: Heliconius butterfly
larvae feed only on passionflower vines.
Develop a “HOW”?
Functional/proximate
Develop a “WHY”?
Ultimate/adaptive
• Observation:
Larvae feed only on passionflower.
• HOW do they local their food source?
(perhaps by smell?)
• WHY do larvae select passion flowers?
(perhaps non-toxic;
aids in growth, survival,
reproduction)?
Patterns in nature are understood in terms of
evolution by natural selection.
Structure/function of organisms (adaptations)
of organisms are a product of their
evolutionary history.
• Hierarchical levels
of biological
organization…
from molecules to
organisms…
• Ecology starts with
individual organism…
and goes to higher
levels of biological
organization.
The hierarchical nature and processes of
different levels of ecological systems:
Ecologists use questions to reveal patterns in
nature.
• Individual organism: How do structure, physiology,
and behavior lead to the individual’s survival and
reproduction?
•
Population: What determines the number of
individuals and their variation in time and space?
• Community: What determines the diversity and
relative abundance of organisms living together?
• Ecosystem: How do energy and matter move in the
biotic and abiotic environment?
• Biosphere: How do air, water, and the energy and
chemicals they contain circulate globally?
***What is the level of ecological organization?
• Corey: How does parental care by birds change as
offspring age (from egg-nestling-post-fledging)?
• Dylan: Does food availability influence the length
of the breeding season of grackles?
• Molly: Can degraded sand prairie be restored
using dormant seeds?
• Nicole: How do predators and prey influence each
others’ life history traits?
• Brad: How does genetic structure of amphibians
vary in forest vs. grasslands?
• Jinelle: Is habitat use by rat snakes due to
variation in prey # or the snake’s thermal ecology?
***What is the level of ecological organization?
• P-Corey: How does parental care by birds change
as offspring age (from egg-nestling-postfledging)? What influences natal dispersal?
• P-Dylan: Does food availability influence the
length of the breeding season of grackles?
• C-Molly: Can degraded sand prairie be restored
using dormant seeds in the soil?
• C-Nicole: How do predators and prey influence
each others’ life history traits?
• P-Brad: How does genetic structure of amphibians
vary in forest vs. grasslands?
• Jinelle: Is habitat use by rat snakes due to
variation in prey # or the snake’s thermal ecology?
• C+I
Vocabulary: Chapter 1 Introduction
ecology*
biosphere*
habitat
adaptations*
natural history
organism*
ecosystem*
population*
community*
scale
evolution*
natural selection* pattern
levels of biol.
temporal scale
organization
spatial scale
proximate/
ultimate/
functional
evolutionary
descriptive
significance
Today’s Outline
• What is ecology?
•
•
•
•
•
•
What types of questions do ecologists ask?
Hierarchical levels of biology/ecology
Questions asked at each level
Homework 1: Hypothesis/Prediction/Exp. Design
Scientific process
Introduce Labs I-III:
‘Small mammals and seeds in succession habitats’
Assignments
• Read before next lecture:
Chapter 5: The Biome Concept
Expect quiz on location of biomes
• DUE at beginning of first lab next week
Homework 1: Hypotheses…(pg. 169)
2 xerox copies of I-card with photo
• Read before first lab next week:
Lab 1: Small mammals (pg. 71)
Homework 2A: Mammal habitat choice (pg.179)