Class Notes
Ecological domains:
Individuals – how are individuals influenced by other individuals / the environment Populations – presence / absence of species, abundances, fluctuations in abundances Communities – composition and organization of assemblages of species Ecosystems – communities together with the physical and chemical environment
Ecological studies
Seek to explain or understand patterns Observational studies used to describe patterns and establish hypotheses Experimental studies used to test hypotheses Use evidence to predict consequences of altered conditions
Pure (or fundamental) ecology – ‘ecology for its own sake’
Applied ecology – testing or applying ecological theories and concepts in managed or human impacted environments