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Dr. Thomas M. Gehring Room 181 Brooks Hall 774-2484 tom.gehring@cmich

Welcome! BIO 340 – General Ecology. Dr. Thomas M. Gehring Room 181 Brooks Hall 774-2484 tom.gehring@cmich.edu http://www.cst.cmich.edu/users/gehri1tm Office Hours: MW 2 to 4 pm or by appointment. Wildlife Ecology Research at CMU.

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Dr. Thomas M. Gehring Room 181 Brooks Hall 774-2484 tom.gehring@cmich

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  1. Welcome! BIO 340 – General Ecology Dr. Thomas M. Gehring Room 181 Brooks Hall 774-2484 tom.gehring@cmich.edu http://www.cst.cmich.edu/users/gehri1tm Office Hours: MW 2 to 4 pm or by appointment

  2. Wildlife Ecology Research at CMU • Develop & test tools that might lead to a successful coexistence of humans & wildlife

  3. Wildlife Ecology Research at CMU • Current studies examining population & spatial ecology of carnivores • Current tests of various non-lethal management tools on wolves

  4. Ecology BIO 340 • What is Ecology • The scientific study of the interactions that determine the distribution and abundance of organisms

  5. Introduction • What is not ecology?

  6. Biological Disciplines Relating To Ecological Study PHYSIOLOGY BEHAVIOR GENETICS EVOLUTION

  7. 18th Century Thomas Malthus Exponential Growth

  8. 19th Century Natural History Human Demography

  9. Ernst Haeckel • Defined “ecology,” “phylum” • Coined phrase “ontogeny recapitulates phylogeny” • Studied Foraminiferans • Controversial ideas

  10. 20th Century • Lotka & Volterra (1920’s) • Model population growth • Gause (1920’s) • Manipulative Experiments

  11. 20th Century • Leopold (1930’s) • Natural Resources • MacArthur (1960’s) • Mathematical Ecology • Geographical Ecology

  12. 20th Century • Lindeman (1942) • Trophic Dynamics • Hutchinson (1950’s) • Niche Concept

  13. 21st Century ? • Turner • Landscape Ecology • BIO 340 Student

  14. Introduction • Major Questions • Where are organisms found? • Where aren’t organisms found?

  15. Introduction • Major questions • How many are found there?

  16. Introduction • Major questions • Why are organisms found here and not there? alvar

  17. Introduction • Levels to ask questions • Individuals • Behavior • Physiology

  18. Introduction • Levels to ask questions • Populations • Change in size • Temporal & Spatial

  19. Introduction • Levels to ask questions • Communities • Biotic interactions

  20. Introduction • Levels to ask questions • Ecosystems • Community & Physical Environment

  21. Introduction • Levels to ask questions • Landscapes • Spatial patterns

  22. Introduction • Levels to ask questions • Biosphere

  23. Organization of Biological World INCREASED KNOWLEDGE Biosphere Landscape Ecosystem Community Population Individual Organ Tissue Cell Organelle Atom INCREASED COMPLEXITY

  24. Figure 1.1 “…the community is an abstraction representing a level of organization rather than a discrete unit of structure in ecology.”

  25. Types of Ecological Study • AUTECOLOGY • Study of individuals • Physiology /Environment

  26. Types of Ecological Study • SYNECOLOGY • Study of groups of organisms • Community level and above

  27. Introduction • How to look at a question • Proximate explanation

  28. Introduction • How to look at a question • Ultimate explanation “Nothing in biology makes sense except in the light of evolution” Theodosius Dobzhansky

  29. Introduction • Major Advances • Mathematical Models

  30. Introduction • Major Advances • Evolution

  31. Introduction • Major Advances • Hypothesis Testing • Testing ideas about how the natural world works • A hypothesis is developed to explain an observed phenomenon. • Example: giraffes have long necks because the long necks enable them to reach food that is unavailable to others.

  32. Testing Ideas about How the Natural World Works • Null Hypothesis • Hypothesis of no difference • Example: The length of a giraffe’s neck does not influence the height at which it forages. • Alternative Hypothesis • Example: The length of a giraffe’s neck does influence the height at which it forages.

  33. Most feeding is done below neck height. Males Females 7 7 6 6 5 5 4 4 Feeding height (meters) 3 3 2 2 1 1 0 0 0 20 40 0 20 40 Percentage of feeding bites

  34. Testing Ideas about How the Natural World Works • Null Hypothesis • Hypothesis of no difference • Example: The length of a giraffe’s neck does not influence the height at which it forages. ACCEPT • Alternative Hypothesis • Example: The length of a giraffe’s neck does influence the height at which it forages. REJECT

  35. Testing Ideas about How the Natural World Works • Null Hypothesis • Hypothesis of no difference • Example: The length of a giraffe’s neck does not influence the height at which it forages. ACCEPT • So why do they have such long necks? • Alternative hypotheses • suggest a different explanation • Example: giraffes have long necks because long necks are effective weapons for one male against another during mating (Simmons and Scheepers).

  36. Hypothesis Testing and Experimentation • Testing Ideas about How the Natural World Works • The predictions made by each hypothesis are determined. • Observations are made and/or an experiment is designed, to obtain data regarding the predictions. • Conclusion: the observational data support the Sexual Selection hypothesis.

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