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Environmental Studies 100 Environmental Ecology

Environmental Studies 100 Environmental Ecology. Lecture: M,W,F 9-9:50am, Buch 1930 Sophie Parker Office hours: M 10-12am, Girvetz 2307 Teaching Assistants: Theresa Nogeire & Kevin Pettway For today: Course guidelines, and expectations Course overview and introduction to ecology.

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Environmental Studies 100 Environmental Ecology

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  1. Environmental Studies 100Environmental Ecology Lecture: M,W,F 9-9:50am, Buch 1930 Sophie Parker Office hours: M 10-12am, Girvetz 2307 Teaching Assistants: Theresa Nogeire & Kevin Pettway For today: Course guidelines, and expectations Course overview and introduction to ecology

  2. Announcements, guidelines, and expectations • Add codes • go to your registered section • Overview of syllabus • Grading breakdown • attendance is part of participation in section • questions? ask TA’s first • Writing • assignments • guidelines for good writing • Academic Honesty

  3. What is ecology?oikos: house (or environment)logos: the study of How is it different from environmentalism?

  4. Ecology is a science “Relationships of living things to one another and their environment” Scientific method Ecology vs. Environmentalism

  5. Environmentalism is a human concern Public arena Degradation of the environment Endangered tigers DDT in environment Lead poisoning Nuclear waste Global warming Ecology is a science “Relationships of living things to one another and their environment” Scientific method Ecology vs. Environmentalism

  6. In this course we will focus on the science of ECOLOGY

  7. Observation: inductive approach See patterns in the field Strength: grounded in reality Weakness: mechanistically weak Experimentation: deductive approach Manipulate system by creating experiments Strength: control variables Weakness: not realistic Observation vs. Experimentation

  8. The Scientific Method • Question • Hypothesis formation • Hypothesis testing • Data collection • Data analysis • Conclusions • Theory formation • relative truth- open to revision • ecology has few theories: why?

  9. Roots of Ecology • Carl von Linné (mid 1700’s) • classification of living things Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Mammalia Order: Primata Family: Hominidae Genus: Homo Species: Sapiens

  10. Roots of Ecology • Carl von Linné (mid 1700’s) • classification of living things • Alexander von Humboldt (early 1800’s) • botanical geography

  11. Roots of Ecology • Carl von Linné (mid 1700’s) • classification of living things • Alexander von Humboldt (early 1800’s) • botanical geography • Charles Darwin and Alfred Wallace 1850 • animal geography • theory of evolution by natural selection

  12. Theory of Evolution by Natural Selection • Natural selection is the mechanism that explains evolution

  13. Theory of Evolution by Natural Selection • Natural selection is the mechanism that explains evolution • natural selection works at the scale of the individual • evolution works at the scale of many generations

  14. Theory of Evolution by Natural Selection • Natural selection is the mechanism that explains evolution • natural selection works at the scale of the individual • evolution works at the scale of many generations • Observable: • all organisms can produce more young than necessary to replace themselves • all young are different from one another, and some are better suited to survival than others • many of these differences are inherited from parents • some lineages are more successful than others

  15. Theory of Evolution by Natural Selection • Natural selection is the mechanism that explains evolution • natural selection works at the scale of the individual • evolution works at the scale of many generations • Observable: • all organisms can produce more young than necessary to replace themselves • all young are different from one another, and some are better suited to survival than others • many of these differences are inherited from parents • some lineages are more successful than others • Theory: lineages with most appropriate biological programming (genes) for current conditions will leave the most descendants

  16. Roots of Ecology • Carl von Linné (mid 1700’s) • classification of living things • Alexander von Humboldt (early 1800’s) • botanical geography • Charles Darwin and Alfred Wallace 1850 • animal geography • theory of evolution by natural selection • Ernst Haeckel 1866 • coined the term “ecology” • Edward Suess 1875 • “biosphere” as the condition that promotes life: it includes plants, animals, and non-living things • Arthur Tansley 1935 • “ecosystem” concept: interaction between living and non-living entities in the biosphere

  17. Summary so far… • What is ecology? • Ecology vs. Environmentalism • Observation and Experimentation • The Scientific Method • Roots of Ecology • Theory of Evolution by Natural Selection

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