Bio Textbook Outline (Not mine)
Mader/Biology, 10/e – Chapter Outline
Chapter 44
44.1 Scope of Ecology
1. Ecology is the study of the interactions of organisms with other organisms and with the physical environment.
2. Ecology studies how environmental factors determine the distribution and abundance of populations.
3. Ecology and evolution are related because ecological interactions are natural selection pressures that have long‑term effects.
4. A habitat is the place where an organism exists.
5. A population is a group of the same species occupying a certain area.
6. A community consists of all populations at one locale (e.g., a coral reef population).
7. An ecosystem contains the community organisms and abiotic factors (e.g., energy flow, chemical cycling).
8. The biosphere is the layer on the earth where living organisms can live.
9. Modern ecology is both descriptive and predictive, with applications to wildlife management, agriculture, and many other problems.
44.2 Demographics of Populations
Demography is the statistical study of a population, e.g., its density, distribution, rate of growth.
A. Density and Distribution
1. The population density is the number of individuals per unit area.
2. The population distribution is the pattern of dispersal of individuals across an area.
3. Resources are nonliving and living components of an environment that support living organisms.
4. Limiting factors are those environmental aspects that particularly determine where an organism lives.
a. Such factors include oxygen supply, light availability, space, temperature, and precipitation amounts.
5. Distribution can be due to biotic (living) factors.
a. Biotic factors can be illustrated by red kangaroos that are limited to inland Australia by the grasses that grow there.
6. Clumped, random, and uniform are terms used to describe patterns of distribution.
a. In certain cases, the pattern of distribution can change as the organisms under consideration mature; thus,
Chapter 44
44.1 Scope of Ecology
1. Ecology is the study of the interactions of organisms with other organisms and with the physical environment.
2. Ecology studies how environmental factors determine the distribution and abundance of populations.
3. Ecology and evolution are related because ecological interactions are natural selection pressures that have long‑term effects.
4. A habitat is the place where an organism exists.
5. A population is a group of the same species occupying a certain area.
6. A community consists of all populations at one locale (e.g., a coral reef population).
7. An ecosystem contains the community organisms and abiotic factors (e.g., energy flow, chemical cycling).
8. The biosphere is the layer on the earth where living organisms can live.
9. Modern ecology is both descriptive and predictive, with applications to wildlife management, agriculture, and many other problems.
44.2 Demographics of Populations
Demography is the statistical study of a population, e.g., its density, distribution, rate of growth.
A. Density and Distribution
1. The population density is the number of individuals per unit area.
2. The population distribution is the pattern of dispersal of individuals across an area.
3. Resources are nonliving and living components of an environment that support living organisms.
4. Limiting factors are those environmental aspects that particularly determine where an organism lives.
a. Such factors include oxygen supply, light availability, space, temperature, and precipitation amounts.
5. Distribution can be due to biotic (living) factors.
a. Biotic factors can be illustrated by red kangaroos that are limited to inland Australia by the grasses that grow there.
6. Clumped, random, and uniform are terms used to describe patterns of distribution.
a. In certain cases, the pattern of distribution can change as the organisms under consideration mature; thus,