1 - Introduction Flashcards
(15 cards)
What are the services provided by natural systems
Food and Water
Health
Natural Hazard Reduction
Natural systems - Food and Water
Through harvesting, pollination, nutrient cycling, water flow, and purity
Natural systems - Health
Via nutrition, natural medicinal products, and mental well-being
Natural Systems - Natural Hazard Reduction
Through climate moderation and flood risk reduction
What does ecology help us understand about human impacts
The cost of impacts in terms of services:
Habitat destruction
Climate change
Introduced species
Emerging diseases
Overexploitation
Challenges to sustainability in a closed biosphere system
What kind of solutions does ecology provide
Sustainable food production and pest control
Conservation of biodiversity and ecosystem function
Management of natural hazards (e.g. disease, pollution, invasive species)
Models of sustainable development (e.g. circular economy)
What are the three overarching goals of ecological science
Understand the world
Feed the world
Mitigate natural hazards (e.g. floods, climate change, emerging diseases)
What does the study of individuals in ecology focus on
Age at reproduction
Reproductive schedules
Menopause
Ageing
Metabolic rate
What defines a population in ecology
An assemblage of individuals of the same species in a specific area
What are the key population-level study topics (5)
Resource competition
Population growth
Size variation
Human population growth
Population conservation
What defines a community in ecological terms
A group of individuals from different species living together in the same area
What are key concepts in community ecology
Consumptive interactions (e.g. predation)
Symbioses
Mimicry
Environmental modification
What is the focus of ecosystem studies
Energy flow
Cycling of matter (e.g. carbon, nitrogen)
What is a biome
A large geographic region defined by climate and dominant vegetation (e.g. tropical rainforest, tundra, savanna, desert)
What threats are identified at the biome/ecosystem level (5)
Biodiversity loss
Ecosystem service disruption
Climate change
Invasive species
Pollution
