This is a transcript of an information sheet I have knocking around. No idea where I got it from.
- Ecology
- from the Greek Oikos meaning ‘home’+ology meaning ‘study of’
- Quick definition
the study of the distribution and abundance of organisms in their environment
- Ecology as a science
- employs the scientific method to establish principles and theories about the living world.
- Sources of evididence
- field observations and measurement; field manipulations and experiment; laboratory and microcosm experiments; computer simulations and models;historoc data;genetic data;commercial and official data
Levels of organisation
- AutoEcology
- the ecology of individual species in their environment
- Population Ecology
- processes determining growth, decline, fluctuation of stability in populations (groups of same species individuals)
- Community Ecology
- study of groups of organisms living together.
- Ecosystem Ecology
- study of groups of organisms and the non-biological environment in which they live
- Related disciplines
- evolutionary biology; conservation biology, restoration ecology; economics
Key Concepts
| Individuals | Populations | Communities & Ecosystems |
| Niche | Growth rate Carrying capacity |
Succession zonation |
| Facilitation Cometition |
Density dependence | Community assembly Biodiversity |
| Mutualism | Metapopulation | |
| Predation/herbivory Disturbance |
Species area relationship |
Books
Popular science
- E.O. Wilson The Diversity of Life
- Paul Colinvaux: Why big fierce animals are rare – a little dated now but a good general accessible intro to ecological principles
- David Quamman: Song of the Dodo – highly recommended journalistic account of the biology, biologists and travels associated with conservation science
- Richard Dawkins: The Ancestors Tale
Academic
- M. Begon etal (1996) Ecology: Individals, Populations and Communities
- C.J. Krebs (2001) Ecology: the experimental analysis of distribution and abundance
- ibid (1999) Ecological Methodology
- W.J Sutherland Ecological Census Techniques: a handbook
Web resources
JNCC UK Biodiversity Action Plan [this links seems to be broken]