Define invasive species and discuss the problems associated with invasions. Use the Internet to access your state department of agriculture or fish and game department to find examples of exotic species (plant or animal) that have been introduced into your area that are having negative effects on the native plants and animals. Often these will be listed under the state fish and game department, or your state’s agricultural extension service. Pick a specific invasive species that has invaded your area. Describe where it came from, how it got to your area, the damage that it is causing, and what is being done to remove it. Also, offer suggestions for what might have been done to prevent its invasion in the first place. Be prepared to discuss the general problem of invasive species and the harm that they cause economically and relative to loss of native biodiversity.
Reading Materials To this assignments
Defining Ecology as a Science
Let’s open this lecture with a decent definition of the term “ecology.” This is a textbook definition:
“The scientific study of how organisms interact with their environments.” Source: Essential Biology with Physiology
Does this really tell us anything? What do they mean by “scientific study” or “environments”? A scientific study is simply a study that is repeatable because the scientific method is utilized. A series of documented steps are taken to either support, or refute, a given hypothesis. The term “environments” may be more problematic!
Now, consider this definition:
Ecology is the scientific study of interaction between or among organisms and their environment. Two distinct things are going on here: interactions between or among living entities, and interactions between living entities and the environment.
We often use the terms “biotic” and “abiotic.” Biotic refers to biology. Anytime you see an “a” placed in front of a term, it means “without.” Therefore, ecological studies are two-fold, including both the living and non-living factors in the environment. Examples of abiotic factors are sunlight, water, temperature, wind, rocks, soils, and periodic disturbances. You can easily see how each would affect organisms and that none of these are living entities!
Experimental Ecology
Back to the science of ecology! Much of ecological studies are just that: studying some aspect of the environment. “Study” usually means to observe, monitor, and record what happens over a prescribed period of time. As we will see in this and next week’s lecture, much of ecology is trying to figure out how to “fix” things once we have messed them up.
A more modern and scientific approach has been dubbed “experimental ecology.” Experimental ecology is a process of asking “what if” in an ecological setting. It takes place in the environment, where a “test” area is set up.
One example is the Hubbard Brook experiment, in which a portion of timber was removed to see what the effects on water runoff would be. Part of the ecosystem was left untouched, the experiment allowing for comparison between the test area and the untouched area.
This approach does away with the old “it’s different times, so you can’t extrapolate those data” arguments, against the “observation only” ecological studies.
Levels of Interaction—From Organisms to the Biosphere
When discussing ecology, we must consider the level of interaction that is taking place. For example, if we want to look at the way a particular organism copes with its environment, we would be studying ecology at the organismal level. If we are more concerned with how a population (a population being a group of individuals of the same species) deals with the environment, we turn to the science of population ecology.

An example would be factors that affect the number of individuals within a population. What if we want to see how a group of populations (populations of different species) interacts? We turn to the science of community ecology. A community is a group of different populations within a given area. A particular area will have a specific community based on the abiotic factors, the critters that get there first, and how they deal with one another.
Considering the abiotic factors, along with the community they live in, we have the science of ecosystem ecology. An ecosystem consists of the community and the world around it. If we examine the ecosystem on a global scale, we are looking at the biosphere.
Adaptation
Now that we’ve looked at the various levels of interactions, let’s examine how organisms respond to their environment. These responses are called adaptations. Anything that helps an organism to better cope with its surroundings or adapt to the situation is an adaptation. Adaptations to the environment fall into one of three categories:
Physiological responses
Anatomical responses
Behavioral responses

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Posted on May 20, 2016Author TutorCategories Question, Questions