Notes

Outline

Introduction to Ecology Session 1 – Introduction to the Study of Ecology

The Science of Ecology Differentiate Between Ecology and Environmentalism and Conservation Biology Trace History of Ecological Thought Define Ecology Scientifically Learn the Scientific Method Organization of Ecology

The Science of Ecology Differentiate Between Ecology and Environmentalism and Conservation Biology Trace History of Ecological Thought Define Ecology Scientifically Learn the Scientific Method Organization of Ecology

Ecology vs Environmentalism Scientific societies and activist groups – often in conflict with each other Earth First, Greenpeace, and WWF Industry – e.g.,  GMO’s: Pandora’s box or chicken little? Individuals vs populations Hawaii: PETA vs Nature Conservancy

Hawaii: PETA vs Nature Conservancy Feral pigs (Sus scrofa) Integral part of native Hawaiian Luau culture Introduced by both Polynesians and Europeans (2 spp) Rooting destroys many plants Create wallows, water collects, and encourages mosquitoes to breed

Hawaii: PETA vs Nature Conservancy Nature Conservancy Attempting to eradicate the pig from their lands Uses ecological impact of pigs as justification for their removal Capture through noose snare-trapping,  as this is the easiest way to capture the animals

Hawaii: PETA vs Nature Conservancy PETA Recognizes the impact that these pigs have on the ecology Snare-trapping is protracted, inhumane, and a painful way to kill them Advocates for humane trapping and then quick kills Ignores financial cost

Hawaii: PETA vs Nature Conservancy Resolution? Still to be found Nature Conservancy continues to trap A few write-ups of the controversy are available from the Honolulu Advertiser A more general discussion of invasives in Hawaii is availble from USGS

Key Distinctions Ecology is a science Our focus in this course Environmentalism is a cause With our without scientific backing Conservation Biology is the integration of these two Using science to support a political cause

The Science of Ecology Differentiate Between Ecology and Environmentalism and Conservation Biology Trace History of Ecological Thought Define Ecology Scientifically Learn the Scientific Method Organization of Ecology

History of Ecological Thought From Thoreau to modern times Historically has been literature-based appreciation of nature Subsequently became more of a descriptive science

Darwinian References “…how infinitely complex and close-fitting are the mutual relations of all organic beings to each other and to their physical conditions of life.” Origin of Species

The Science of Ecology Differentiate Between Ecology and Environmentalism and Conservation Biology Trace History of Ecological Thought Define Ecology Scientifically Learn the Scientific Method Organization of Ecology

Definition of Ecology “To determine the factors that have produced the present distribution and abundance of organisms” (Jonathan Krebs, 1972)

Factors Influencing Organismal Distribution and Abundance Abiotic Climate Topography Latitude Altitude Biotic Intraspecific Interactions Interspecific Interactions

The Science of Ecology Differentiate Between Ecology and Environmentalism and Conservation Biology Trace History of Ecological Thought Define Ecology Scientifically Learn the Scientific Method Organization of Ecology

Scientific Method and Hypothesis Testing Goals: Judge good science Hudson River PCB dredging Electromagnetic radiation and cancer Sea otters, killer whales and overfishing Do good science

Goals of science Describe the patterns that are found in the natural world Purely descriptive in nature Historically this was “ecology”, a.k.a. naturalism Make up explanations and then stop there Test Explanation of Patterns This is the major emphasis of most of what we usually call “science” Key component: TEST these explanations! How to test these explanations? The Scientific Method

Methods of Explanation Include those of descriptive science Approximately 11 Steps Process is repeated many times Can NEVER prove a hypothesis Can only reject many, leaving one as best supported by the data “Proof” is a common fallacy Centerpiece of this method are Hypotheses

Types of Hypotheses Null hypothesis The hypothesis of no change Often abbreviated as Ho Alternative hypotheses Often abbreviated as Ha, Hb, etc. All must be mutually exclusive (including the null) We accept an Ha if Ho is first statistically rejected Which Ha to accept is determined by trends in data

Scientific Method - Steps 1-5 Observe or suspect pattern Posit cause or significance of observed difference Create answerable question to explain pattern Create testable hypotheses Null (Ho ) and alternate hypotheses (Ha) Design experiment

Scientific Method - Steps 6-11 Collect data (descriptive stage) Analyze data, primarily using statistics Evaluate hypotheses, reject Ho? Make conclusions based on data Note problems in current work Predict future directions for research

An Exercise… Come up with an observation that you’ve seen recently and work through how you would implement the above 11 steps

Parts of a scientific report Title Abstract  - an overall summary Introduction - background, question, Has Methods - what we did Results - what we found, analyses results Discussion - interpretations, predictions Acknowledgements - who helped us References - who we cited

Transmission Methods in Science Written report (articles, chapters, books) Traditional Oral presentation Commonly used for preliminary presentation of work to get feedback before writing it up Poster Visual summary of work - used at conferences Web page Can use a written report & make it interactive

How to Evaluate Science? Do the data address the question? Is there enough data to support the claim? Has the study been replicated elsewhere? Are alternative interpretations considered? Is it peer-reviewed? Is it presented objectively? Are there real controls?

The Science of Ecology Differentiate Between Ecology and Environmentalism and Conservation Biology Trace History of Ecological Thought Define Ecology Scientifically Learn the Scientific Method Organization of Ecology

What is the Organization of Ecology? Ranges widely from individual to biosphere studies Most of ecology happens in the current time Proximate Explanations Only a few fields (e.g., evolutionary ecology and paleoecology) are concerned with past environments and historical time Ultimate Explanations

Proximate Fields Emphasis of this course Examples, by scale Population Growth rates, PVA, Population genetics, Metapopulation analyses, etc. Community Interspecific interactions, Environmental impact statements, etc. Ecosystem Energy, Matter, Nutrient flow, Pollution,

Ultimate Fields Evolutionary Ecology Using trees of relationship (phylogenies) to address ecological questions E.g., evolution of swordtail length and preference in platys Behavioral Ecology Comparing a few closely related species to address ecological questions Paleoecology Attempting to recreate the ecology of ancient times One of the goals is to recreate the ancient environment in which the lineages may have evolved

Proximate Fields Revisited Trends down pyramid: Increase in geographic scale From single species to multiple species Increasing number of ecological factors that may  be influential Decreasing certainty in results

Assignment for Next week: Establish your Ecological Footprint How much of an impact you have on the planet Instructions are all online, and available here Turn in at beginning of class We will discuss it then

Next Week: The Tour of the Basic Fields of Ecology Begins Population ecology Next week’s emphasis Community ecology Ecosystem ecology Conservation Issues Application of above to real world problems