Introduction to ecological science

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Introduction to ecological science

• Ecological units
• Scale of measurement
• Scientific method

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• Ecological units

A hierarchical system of organization
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Another example of a hierarchical system of
organization (DKPCOFGS)
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What is ecology?
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Biota ? non-living envt ? biota
Example
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2. Scale of measurement
General example 1 --what is the scale of
measurement for variable?
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General example 2 --what is the scale of
measurement for hurricanes?
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General example 3 --what is the scale of
measurement for tuna population?
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Insert map of tuna distribution global and picture
www.fao.org
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Name an ecological process that takes a long
time (start to finish).
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Name an ecological process that occurs over a
large area/volume.
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3. scientific method observation
experimentation re-evaluation i)
observe/describe pattern ii) hypothesize
explanation iii) test hypothesis
(IF...THEN...ELSE) HOW? 1) more observation
AND/OR 2) manipulation experiments AND/OR 3)
computer simulation model iv) BACK TO
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Microcosms aquatic
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Mesocosms aquatic
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and terrestrial
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One of the first whole-lake experiments
fertilized
reference
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How to test hypotheses in very large systems?
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