Fundamentals of Ecology Class Meetings
April 2013 (wk.12-13)

Community Ecology

Announcements:

• Old final exam posted on O: drive as example in preparing for Final

Homework:

• For Tuesday 4/2 (today!), read Ellison et al. article (in O: drive); see details of assignment on Homework page

Outline of Major Topics:
Powerpoint slides for Community Ecology on Dr. Dott's O: drive

1. Definitions
2. Community Structure
   1. Biological Structure: dominance, diversity, interactions
   2. Physical Structure: zonation, stratification
   3. Impacts of species removal on community structure:
      1. "Rivet" model vs. "Redundancy" model
      2. Ellison et al. article on removal of foundation species; descriptive models of forest community structure and function
      3. apply methods of descriptive model building to other communities, e.g. sagebrush grasslands
3. Dynamics: Spatial Change
   1.  Causes of & nature of zonation
   2. 2 contrasting views of community change along gradients:
      1. Clements - "superorganism"
      2. Gleason - "individualistic hypothesis"
      3. abrupt vs. gradual change along environmental gradients
      4. perspective & scale-dependence of how we view communities: environmental determinism (Clements); biotic determinism (Gleason)
   3. New model for spatial change along gradients - fold diagram; example: Baobab, African savanna
4. Dynamics: Temporal Change
   1. Fold diagram can also represent change over time (unexpected/sudden changes in community composition)
   2. Disturbance
      1. Definitions
      2. Disturbance regimes vs. "External" disturbance (inside vs. outside the ecological system); "natural disasters"
      3. which types of disturbance are modeled with the fold diagram?
      4. examples of disturbance regimes
      5. Yellowstone fires of 1988 - natural disaster or natural disturbance?
         1. fire suppression history in the US
      6. Major forest types & disturbance regimes of the S. Rocky Mountains & SW
   3. Succession
      1. Primary - examples
      2. Secondary - examples
   4. Exotic Species
   5.  - to go with Ellison paper: NY Times (Science Times) article on whitebark pine beetle kill & link to grizzly bear - major food source: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/30/science/30bear.html?pagewanted=1&ei=5070&en=353ca979d993a37d&ex=1170824400&emc=eta1