Ecological Sub-fields

define Ecology
identify major sub-fields of ecology, and how they are related

Constraints on Ecological Systems

· SCIENCE & OBSERVATION:

importance of observation
use & definitions of hypotheses
conceptual models as organizing tools, e.g. hierarchical models/concept maps

· HIERARCHIES & CONSTRAINTS IN ECOLOGY:

o larger scale processes set limits (constraints) for smaller scale systems below them

o be able to give an example of a hierarchical system that is often used in biology

o what are the largest scale global processes that constrain ecological systems?

o regional scale processes? (e.g. microclimates and things we discussed in lab)

what do the data from the Konza Prairie Long-Term ecological site tell us about how ecological constraints work?

What other experiments or data sets might you need to further explore the relationships between the variables studied here and the productivity of different veg. types (grass vs. forb)?

Climates on a Rotating Earth (Powerpoint in Dr. Dott's O: drive)

abiotic factors associated with climate (what are the main/most important ones? - temperature & precipitation)
GLOBAL CLIMATE PATTERNS:
- Solar Insolation – variation over globe
- causes of seasonality: be able to draw or label a diagram indicating 4 temperate zone seasons
- Global Air Circulation - main Air Cells (what are their names?):
  - where does air rise & fall relative to Earth’s surface?
  - where is it wet, where dry? high vs. low atmospheric pressure?
  - be able to draw a diagram showing global air circulation
- Global Circ. – Wind Currents:
  - where does the earth rotate fastest? where slowest?
  - Coriolis force - what it is, how it works, how it's relevant to wind circulation on Earth
  - what effect does this have on air movement in the N vs. S hemispheres?
  - on a figure of the globe, show where the Trade Winds, the Westerlies & the Polar Easterlies are found, & which way the winds blow in those areas
  - it will help if you relate these patterns to the air cells described above!
REGIONAL/CONTINENTAL CLIMATE PATTERNS
- role of oceans; mountain ranges... in influencing regional climate

Global Ecology I. - Biomes

define biome
climate-driven vegetation types – growth forms
plant adaptations & convergent evolution: what is it, how does it occur, what are some examples?
what features of climate = most important (climograph figure - be able to interpret)
“Potential Evaporation” – significance to biomes
describe potential evaporation in dry vs. wet areas
explain patterns of climate & vegetation in Earth’s major biomes
- relate various major climate diagrams to the biomes those climates house
- see Powerpoint figures for additional reference/figures
describe major biomes based on abundance of 4 main growth forms of plants: trees, shrubs, grasses, succulents (e.g. cacti) &/or low-stature plants (forbs)
relationship between: biome changes with latitude and changes in climatic variables: precip, temp, potential evap. (see figure in Powerpoint for Biomes). How to recognize the major biomes (tropical forest, savanna, desert, temperate and boreal forest/taiga, tundra)

Climate Change (Powerpoint in Dr. Dott's O: drive)

Short Term:
- short-term fluctuations, e.g. the El Nino/La Nina "southern oscillation" (ENSO)
- other short-ish term fluctuations: PDO & AMO - what are they, what changes do they reflect (all = sea surface temps: SSTAs), and where; on what time scales
  - Also, how do interactions among these three climatic fluctuations impact drought in western N. America? what conditions lead to maximum drought?
Long Term:
- evidence for:
- greenhouse effect
- increased CO2 - main data source?
- increased temperature - what are the data derived from?
  - be able to interpret figures
  - be able to explain
- human vs. natural causes for climate change & warming - evidence
  - be able to interpret data output from various model runs
- mechanisms that drive fluctuations in global climate over geologic time
  - sources of data?
  - patterns shown?
  - causes of climatic variation in the past - higher vs lower level constraints?
  - how is past climate change relevant/helpful (or not) to modern conditions?
Evidence:
- usefulness of short-term vs. long-term data sets in detecting environmental change
- what are some ecological implications of climatic changes? Examples from video - Hot Times in AK
- positive vs. negative feedback cycles/systems: what are they, how do they work, what are some examples related to climate chng?
- other lines of evidence for human-induced climatic change
Role of Science in helping to develop public policy; issues of uncertainty

· explain how ecological issues are really at the heart of evolution by natural selection (not covered in '08)

· relate the idea of adaptations to our next topic - physiological ecology

· adaptation - define what they are & how they arise; relate to plant distributions in biomes, convergent evol.

Evolution by natural selection – necessary factors for it to occur

· Heritable Variation in Fitness

· define evolution, natural selection, and adaptation

describe (& be able to draw) 2 main types of selection; be able to give a viable scenario where occurs in nature

· explain how ecological issues are really at the heart of evolution by natural selection

· what is biological fitness? (see above)

· How do the 2 examples we went over in class illustrate principles of evolution by natural selection

o Galapagos Island finch population

o Trinidad guppies - male coloration

· at what levels do natural selection & evolution occur?

· see class meeting outline for more details & questions