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• Interactions and Interdependence • Ecology - the study of interactions among organisms and
between organisms and their environment (surroundings).
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– Biosphere • portions of the planet in which all of life exists
– land – water – Air (atmosphere)
• extends from about 8 kilometers above Earth's surface • 11 kilometers below the surface of the ocean.
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– Interactions within the biosphere • between organisms and the environment in which they
live. • contributes to an ever-changing (dynamic) biosphere.
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• Levels of Organization
– range in complexity from a single individual to the entire biosphere.
– levels of organization include:
• individuals
• Populations
• Communities
• Ecosystems
• biomes.
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– Species • a group of organisms so similar to one another that they
can breed and produce fertile offspring.
– Populations • groups of individuals that belong to the same species and
live in the same area.
– Communities • groups of different populations that live together in a
defined area.
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– ecosystem • collection of all the organisms that live in a particular place • Living and nonliving, or physical, environment.
– Biome • A group of ecosystems that have the same climate and
similar dominant communities.
– Biosphere • The highest level of organization
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• Ecological Methods – three basic approaches:
• observing • experimenting • modeling
– rely on the scientific method
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– Observing • often the first step • Some are simple • Some are complex • may form the first step in designing experiments and
models.
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– Experimenting • can be used to test hypotheses. • may set up an artificial environment
– to imitate and manipulate conditions
• May be conducted within natural ecosystems.
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– Modeling • To gain insight into complex phenomena. • May consist of mathematical formulas
– based on data collected through observation and experimentation.
• predictions made by models – tested by further observations and experiments.