Scope of Ecology

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4. • Introduction to Ecology
• Organismal Ecology and Population Ecology
• Community Ecology and Ecosystem Ecology
The Scope of Ecology
Ecology and the Biosphere > The Scope of Ecology
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5. • In ecology, ecosystems are composed of organisms, the communities they
comprise, and the non-living aspects of their environment.
• The four main levels of study in ecology are the organism, population, community,
and ecosystem.
• Ecosystem processes are those that sustain and regulate the environment.
• Ecological areas of study include topics ranging from the interactions and
adaptations of organisms within an ecosystem to the abiotic processes that drive
the development of those ecosystems.
Introduction to Ecology
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Levels of ecological study
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Ecology and the Biosphere > The Scope of Ecology

6. • Organismal ecology focuses on the morphological, physiological, and behavioral
adaptations that let an organism survive in a specific habitat.
• Population ecology studies the number of individuals in an area, as well as how
and why their population size changes over time.
• The Karner blue butterfly, an endangered species, makes a good model for both
organismal and population ecology since it is dependent, as a population, on a
specific plant that grows within specific areas, which, thus, influences butterfly
distribution and numbers.
Organismal Ecology and Population Ecology
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Karner blue butterfly
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Ecology and the Biosphere > The Scope of Ecology

7. • Community ecology focuses on the processes driving interactions between
differing species and their overall consequences.
• Ecosystem ecology studies all organismal, population, and community
components of an area, as well as the non-living counterparts.
• The mutualistic relationship between the Karner blue butterfly and ants are of
interest to community ecology studies since both species interact within an area
and affect each other's survival rate; in turn, they are both affected by nutrient-
poor soils, which are part of the ecosystem ecology.
Community Ecology and Ecosystem Ecology
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Karner blue butterfly caterpillar
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Ecology and the Biosphere > The Scope of Ecology

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Appendix

9. Key terms
• community a group of interdependent organisms inhabiting the same region and interacting with each other
• conspecific an organism belonging to the same species as another
• conspecific an organism belonging to the same species as another
• ecology the branch of biology dealing with the relationships of organisms with their environment and with each other
• ecophysiology the study of the relationships between, and adaptation of, the physiology of an organism and its environment
• ecosystem a system formed by an ecological community and its environment that functions as a unit
• heterospecific an organism belonging to a different species to another
• oviposit to lay eggs
• population a collection of organisms of a particular species, sharing a particular characteristic of interest, most often that of
living in a given area
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Ecology and the Biosphere

10. Karner blue butterfly
The Karner blue butterfly (Lycaeides melissa samuelis) is a rare butterfly that lives only in open areas with few trees or shrubs, such as pine barrens and
oak savannas. It can only lay its eggs on lupine plants.
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Ecology and the Biosphere

11. Levels of ecological study
Ecologists study within several biological levels of organization, which include organism, population, community, and ecosystem.
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Ecology and the Biosphere

12. Karner blue butterfly caterpillar
Karner blue butterfly caterpillars form beneficial interactions with ants. This mutualistic relationship is an example of a community ecological study, which
aims to examine the interactions between different species living in an area.
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Ecology and the Biosphere

13. Wild lupine
The wild lupine (Lupinus perennis) is the host plant for the Karner blue butterfly.
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Ecology and the Biosphere

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Ecology and the Biosphere
Ecology is:
A) a biological field of study that focuses solely on the abiotic factors
responsible for biodiversity
B) a biological field of study focused on the interaction of organisms and
their environment
C) a biological field of study that primarily seeks to explain
ecophysiology
D) a biological field of study synonymous with environmentalism and
evolutionary biology

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Ecology and the Biosphere
Ecology is:
A) a biological field of study that focuses solely on the abiotic factors
responsible for biodiversity
B) a biological field of study focused on the interaction of organisms and
their environment
C) a biological field of study that primarily seeks to explain ecophysiology
D) a biological field of study synonymous with environmentalism and
evolutionary biology

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Ecology and the Biosphere
In population ecology,
A) the size of a population and how it grows or diminishes over time is of
importance
B) conspecific populations refer to different species living in the same
population
C) a population is defined only by the natural boundaries that are found
where it lives
D) all of these answers

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Ecology and the Biosphere
In population ecology,
A) the size of a population and how it grows or diminishes over time is of
importance
B) conspecific populations refer to different species living in the same
population
C) a population is defined only by the natural boundaries that are found
where it lives
D) all of these answers

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Ecology and the Biosphere
Organismal ecology:
A) focuses on the morphological, physicological, and behavioral aspects
of an organism
B) focuses on the distribution and population growth of an organism
C) focuses on the relationship of an organism with others of the same
species, in the same area
D) all of these answers

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Ecology and the Biosphere
Organismal ecology:
A) focuses on the morphological, physicological, and behavioral aspects
of an organism
B) focuses on the distribution and population growth of an organism
C) focuses on the relationship of an organism with others of the same
species, in the same area
D) all of these answers

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Ecology and the Biosphere
Air, water, soil, natural disturbances, and other non-living factors
that affect a community structure are aspects of interest in which
ecological level?
A) community ecology
B) population ecology
C) organismal ecology
D) ecosystem ecology

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Ecology and the Biosphere
Air, water, soil, natural disturbances, and other non-living factors
that affect a community structure are aspects of interest in which
ecological level?
A) community ecology
B) population ecology
C) organismal ecology
D) ecosystem ecology

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Ecology and the Biosphere
Studying the interaction between organisms of different species is
an area of interest in which type of ecological level?
A) ecosystem ecology
B) mutualistic ecology
C) community ecology
D) none of these

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Ecology and the Biosphere
Studying the interaction between organisms of different species is
an area of interest in which type of ecological level?
A) ecosystem ecology
B) mutualistic ecology
C) community ecology
D) none of these

24. Attribution
• Connexions. "The Scope of Ecology." CC BY 3.0 http://cnx.org/content/m44856/latest/?collection=col11448/latest
• Wikibooks. "Ecology/Introduction." CC BY-SA 3.0 http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Ecology/Introduction
• Wikipedia. "Ecology." CC BY-SA 3.0 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ecology
• Connexions. "Introduction." CC BY 3.0 http://cnx.org/content/m44853/latest/?collection=col11448/latest
• Wiktionary. "ecophysiology." CC BY-SA 3.0 http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/ecophysiology
• Wiktionary. "ecosystem." CC BY-SA 3.0 http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/ecosystem
• Wiktionary. "ecology." CC BY-SA 3.0 http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/ecology
• Connexions. "The Scope of Ecology." CC BY 3.0 http://cnx.org/content/m44856/latest/?collection=col11448/latest
• Connexions. "The Scope of Ecology." CC BY 3.0 http://cnx.org/content/m44856/latest/?collection=col11448/latest
• Wiktionary. "conspecific." CC BY-SA 3.0 http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/conspecific
• Wiktionary. "population." CC BY-SA 3.0 http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/population
• Wiktionary. "oviposit." CC BY-SA 3.0 http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/oviposit
• Connexions. "The Scope of Ecology." CC BY 3.0 http://cnx.org/content/m44856/latest/?collection=col11448/latest
• Connexions. "The Scope of Ecology." CC BY 3.0 http://cnx.org/content/m44856/latest/?collection=col11448/latest
• Wiktionary. "heterospecific." CC BY-SA 3.0 http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/heterospecific
• Wiktionary. "conspecific." CC BY-SA 3.0 http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/conspecific
• Wiktionary. "community." CC BY-SA 3.0 http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/community
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Ecology and the Biosphere