WEEK 12 - ECOLOGY
This week's lectures dealt with population and community ecology as well as
issues in conservation biology.
You should now be able to:
1) Define the different levels of ecological organization.
2) List the different components of ecosystems and their
interconnections
3) Describe how communities are described and explain what the
different parameters tell us.
4 Explain the importance of historical events in regards to community
structure.
5) Explain why realized niches are rarely the same size as
(potential) ones.
fundamental
6) Explain, with an example, what is meant by competitive
exclusion.
7) Explain the difference between direct and indirect effects of
and/or parasites on community structure.
predators
8) Explain how two critical components define R (replacement rate).
9) Define the four fundamental components in Population Dynamics
10) Describe the scenario that is described by the exponential
model:
Nt+x = Nt R
growth
x
11) Explain the logic underlying the logisitc growth model:
dN/dt = N R (K-N/K)
12) Explain why habitat fragmentation is a concern to conservation
biologists
13) Explain why small populations are under demographic risk.
14) Explain why small populations are under genetic risk
15) Explain the logic underlying the extinction vortex.