By the end of this section, you will be able to do …
By the end of this section, you will be able to do the following:
Define ecology and the four basic levels of ecological research Describe examples of the ways in which ecology requires the integration of different scientific disciplines Distinguish between abiotic and biotic components of the environment Recognize the relationship between abiotic and biotic components of the environment
By the end of this section, you will be able to do …
By the end of this section, you will be able to do the following:
Discuss the biogeochemical cycles of water, carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, and sulfur Explain how human activities have impacted these cycles and the potential consequences for Earth
By the end of this section, you will be able to do …
By the end of this section, you will be able to do the following:
Describe how organisms acquire energy in a food web and in associated food chains Explain how the efficiency of energy transfers between trophic levels affects ecosystem structure and dynamics Discuss trophic levels and how ecological pyramids are used to model them
By the end of this section, you will be able to do …
By the end of this section, you will be able to do the following:
Compare innate and learned behavior Discuss how movement and migration behaviors are a result of natural selection Discuss the different ways members of a population communicate with each other Give examples of how species use energy for mating displays and other courtship behaviors Differentiate between various mating systems Describe different ways that species learn
By the end of this section, you will be able to do …
By the end of this section, you will be able to do the following:
Discuss the predator-prey cycle Give examples of defenses against predation and herbivory Describe the competitive exclusion principle Give examples of symbiotic relationships between species Describe community structure and succession
By the end of this section, you will be able to do …
By the end of this section, you will be able to do the following:
Explain the characteristics of and differences between exponential and logistic growth patterns Give examples of exponential and logistic growth in natural populations Describe how natural selection and environmental adaptation led to the evolution of particular life history patterns
By the end of this section, you will be able to do …
By the end of this section, you will be able to do the following:
Discuss exponential human population growth Explain how humans have expanded the carrying capacity of their habitat Relate population growth and age structure to the level of economic development in different countries Discuss the long-term implications of unchecked human population growth
By the end of this section, you will be able to do …
By the end of this section, you will be able to do the following:
Describe how life history patterns are influenced by natural selection Explain different life history patterns and how different reproductive strategies affect species’ survival
By the end of this section, you will be able to do …
By the end of this section, you will be able to do the following:
Describe how ecologists measure population size and density Describe three different patterns of population distribution Use life tables to calculate mortality rates Describe the three types of survivorship curves and relate them to specific populations
By the end of this section, you will be able to do …
By the end of this section, you will be able to do the following:
Give examples of how the carrying capacity of a habitat may change Compare and contrast density-dependent growth regulation and density-independent growth regulation, giving examples Give examples of exponential and logistic growth in wild animal populations Describe how natural selection and environmental adaptation leads to the evolution of particular life-history patterns
By the end of this section, you will be able to do …
By the end of this section, you will be able to do the following:
Define species and describe how scientists identify species as different Describe genetic variables that lead to speciation Identify prezygotic and postzygotic reproductive barriers Explain allopatric and sympatric speciation Describe adaptive radiation
By the end of this section, you will be able to do …
By the end of this section, you will be able to do the following:
Describe how scientists developed the present-day theory of evolution Define adaptation Explain convergent and divergent evolution Describe homologous and vestigial structures Discuss misconceptions about the theory of evolution
By the end of this section, you will be able to do …
By the end of this section, you will be able to do the following:
Discuss the need for a comprehensive classification system List the different levels of the taxonomic classification system Describe how systematics and taxonomy relate to phylogeny Discuss a phylogenetic tree's components and purpose
By the end of this section, you will be able to do …
By the end of this section, you will be able to do the following:
Describe horizontal gene transfer Illustrate how prokaryotes and eukaryotes transfer genes horizontally Identify the web and ring models of phylogenetic relationships and describe how they differ from the original phylogenetic tree concept
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