What is Ecology? (Miller & Levine Chapter 3.1)

Biosphere

All life on earth, and all parts of the earth on which life exists, including land, water, and the atmosphere

Ecosystem

All the organisms that live in a place, together with their physical environment

Biotic may influence Abiotic factors

An abiotic factor may be strongly influenced by living organisms: leafy tree canopies affect wind and sunlight received below, bacteria and fungi live in the mud of a shoreline, etc.

Community

An assemblage of different populations that live together in a defined area

Biotic factor

Any living part of the environment with which an organism might interact, including animals, plants, fungi, and bacteria

Abiotic factor

Any nonliving part of the environment, such as sunlight, heat, precipitation, humidity, wind, water currents, soil type, and so on

Ecological methods of study

Observation: Field work Experimentation: modify environmental conditions Modeling: computer calculations using mathematical formulas from experimental data

Biome

A group of ecosystems that share similar climates and typical organisms

Population

A group of individuals that belong to the same species and live in the same area

Species

A group of similar organisms that can breed and produce fertile offspring

Ecology

The scientific study of interactions among organisms and between organisms and their physical environment

Biology

The scientific study of living organisms and the circumstances in which they live.