Introduction to Ecology:

Historical Foundations and Developing Frontiers

Chapter 1

1
Copyright © The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. Permission required for reproduction or display.
 Outline
• Overview of Ecology
• Ecology of Forest Birds
• Forest Canopy Research
• Climatic and Ecological Change
• The Scope of Ecology

2
 Overview of Ecology
• Ecology: Study of relationships between
organisms and the environment.
 Simple definition does not convey the

extreme breadth of this discipline.

• Ecosystem: Includes all organisms living in
an area, and the physical environment with
which these organisms interact.
 Biosphere: Highest level of ecological

organization.
3
4
 Ecology of Forest Birds
• Robert MacArthur studied the ecology of five
species of warblers in spruce forests in N.A.
 Theory predicted two species with

identical ecological requirements could not

coexist indefinitely.
 Studies found warblers coexisted by

feeding in different zones of the same

tree.

5
Bay-breasted
Warbler

6
Blackburnian
Warbler

7
Black-throated
Green Warbler

8
Yellow-rumped
Warbler

9
Cape May
Warbler

10
Warbler Feeding Zones

11
 Stable Isotope Analysis
• Chemical elements have different atomic
masses (isotopes)
• Proportions of isotopes vary across the
environment and this is reflected in the body
tissue of organisms
 Recent advances in ecology take

advantage of this variation

 By examining body tissue, ecologists

can determine food sources and habitat

use
12
 Forest Canopy Research
• Due to heavy rainfall, many rainforest soils
are nutrient-poor.
 Nutrient stores in rainforest canopies are

associated with epiphytes.

 Epiphyte mats contain significant

quantities of nutrients.
 Trees send roots up to epiphyte mats

to access nutrients.

13
 Climatic and Ecological Change
• Many environmental changes occur over
large spatial or temporal scales.
• Davis monitored plant pollen deposited in
lake sediments in the Appalachian Mtns.
 Documented large temporal changes to

nearby plant communities.

14
Paleoecology: Vegetation History from Pollen Sediments

15
 The Scope of Ecology
• Ecology: Study of relationships between
organisms and the environment.
 Wide variety of approaches.

 Large temporal and spatial scales.

 Field

 Lab

 Observational

 Manipulative

16