Chap.18 Epilogue

1. Chap.18 Epilogue 鄭先祐 生態主張者 Ayo工作室

2. Epilogue • Natural history and ecological theory • Quality of information • The boundaries of ecological science • Ecology and our environment chap. 18 Epilogue

3. Natural history and ecological theory • 範例：in the tropical forest of Costa Rica. • A brilliant red flower, Hamelia sp. • Its pollinator, hummingbird, Eugenes fulfens • tiny pollen-eating mites, Prectolaelaps sp. Colwell (1995)has spent the last 20 years working on this relationship. chap. 18 Epilogue

4. Hummingbird, red flower, and mites • Co-evolution. Bird and flower • Inter-specific competition. Bird and mites • Mating systems. Mites have polygynous mating systems and defend harems of females. • Dispersal. Birds transfer pollen and mites. • Niche specialization. As many as five species of mites may be transported by the same individual bird. Each mites species has specialized on a particular species of flower. chap. 18 Epilogue

5. Quality of information • The paradigm that competition structures all ecological communities was held as dogma 25 years ago. • Now we understand that that interpretation was not entirely correct. • 過去我們認為大部分的族群理應是at equilibrium most of the time. 因此我們以平衡的觀點研析族群的調控。 • 但是現在我們已經了解到平衡的觀念，不足以解釋所有的族群現象。 chap. 18 Epilogue

6. Science of Ecology • Thomas Kuhn 的 paradigm shift • 現象，假說，驗證，學說，質疑，再驗證，再修正，新學說。 • I hope that you have questioned the validity of some of the studies discussed in this text. • If you have asked about the assumptions underlying a study, you’re on the right track. • If you have considered alternative interpretations of the data presented, you have gone farther still. • A healthy skepticism should be your goal. chap. 18 Epilogue

7. The boundaries of Ecological science • The ecology is a science of interaction, it is most assuredly a science that is connected in important ways to all the rest of biology. • Devoted to the conceptual unification of the biological sciences. • The modern ecologist draws on all areas of the biological hierarchy -- from the molecular level to the ecosystem. chap. 18 Epilogue

8. Ecology and our environment • Anthropogenic environmental problems are complex, and we will need sophisticated ecological insights to address them. • Many of the simpler problems have been solved, or at least we understand the scientific components of the solution.譬如：DDT的生物累積效應。 • But Many of the most pressing current environmental problems are very complex. 譬如說：biodiversity 的保育 chap. 18 Epilogue

9. Conservation biology • Island biogeography theory and habitat fragmentation • Meta-population dynamics • The details of species-specific population regulation • Patterns of genetic variation and gene flow • Dispersal strategies and ability • Behavioral responses to ecological stress. chap. 18 Epilogue

10. Basic and applied ecology • The distinction between basic and applied ecology has become blurred. • The ecology of our planet is now dominated by humans. • As a result, the very nature of scientific inquiry in ecology is forever altered. • 我們已經無法完全的排除人為的影響。 chap. 18 Epilogue

11. Two challenges • This situation poses two challenges for the ecologists of the new century. • 1. We must continue to fine-tune our methods of analysis to account for the confounding effects of our activities and the loss of pristine systems. • 2. Ecologists must contribute to the maintenance and restoration of the environmental health of the planet. • 我們有責任保護生命的棲息地和生態體系，Our well-being and our science depend on it. chap. 18 Epilogue

12. 問題與討論！ ayo@faculty.pccu.edu.tw Ayo 文化站http://faculty.pccu.edu.tw/~ayo chap. 18 Epilogue