Flow of Energy and Matter in an Ecosystem
Flow of Energy and Matter in an Ecosystem Conservation of energy and mass Energy is the capacity to cause change, or to do work (to move matter against an opposite force). In ecology, we focus principally on solar radiation, which is used by autotrophs (primary producers such as plants and algae) to build organic compounds. These compounds […]
Communities and the interaction between species
Communities and the Interaction Between Species Introduction to Community Composition Communities are assemblages of populations of different species that inhabit the same place at the same time. Many factors affect the composition of a given community, and no single factor explains its patterns. We’ll use the recolonization of an area after a disturbance to consider […]
The Anthropocene
The Anthropocene Anthropogenic threats to biodiversity and ecosystems Human activities are the leading threat to Earth’s biodiversity. Subsumed for agriculture, tropical dry forests and grasslands have almost completely disappeared. Many species are barely surviving on a fraction of their former ranges, in increasingly fragmented landscapes. Dams disrupt freshwater ecosystems, while overfishing, pollution, and habitat destruction […]
Gorongosa: What Does the Future Look Like?
Gorongosa: What Does the Future Look Like? At the population level Population ecologists study how and why the numbers of individuals of a species change over time. In Gorongosa, their questions include: How many zebras, hippos, and elephants need to be reintroduced to ensure genetic diversity? Which populations are rebounding and which are not? Why? […]
Community Structure and Dynamics
Community Structure and Dynamics Trophic structure:The structure and dynamics of a community depend to a large extent on what eats what. The trophic structure of a community can be described by the number of different trophic levels it has: primary producers, primary consumers, secondary consumers, and so forth. Another way to describe a community is […]
