How do ecology and environmentalism differ? In what way does environmentalism depend on the science of ecology?

What is the ultimate goal of all living organisms? What role does the ecosystem play in every organism’s life?

How might including the abiotic environment within the framework of the ecosystem help ecologists achieve the basic goal of understanding the interaction of organisms with their environment?

What is the scientific method? Describe the steps involved in it.

An ecologist observes that the diet of a bird species consists primarily of large grass seeds (as opposed to smaller grass seeds or the seeds of other herbaceous plants found in the area). He hypothesizes that the birds are choosing the larger seeds because they have a higher concentration of nitrogen than do other types of seeds at the site. To test the hypothesis, the ecologist compares the large grass seeds with the other types of seeds, and the results clearly show that the large grass seeds do indeed have a much higher concentration of nitrogen.
Did the ecologist prove the hypothesis to be true? Can he conclude that the birds select the larger grass seeds because of their higher concentration of nitrogen? Why or why not?

What is a model? What is the relationship between hypotheses and models?

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How does asexual reproduction make it difficult to define what constitutes an individual within a population?

(a) What is an endemic species? (b) Why are individuals not distributed equally within the geographic range of a population? (c) What are the different types of spatial patterns by which individuals within a population may be distributed? (d) What is ecological density?

The age structure of a population can provide insight into whether the population is growing or declining. The presence of a large number of individuals in the young age classes relative to the older age classes often indicates a growing population. In contrast, a large proportion of individuals in the older age classes relative to the young age classes suggests a population in decline (see Figure 8.18). What factors might invalidate this interpretation? When might a large number of individuals in the young age classes relative to the older age classes not indicate a growing population?

Modern humans are a highly mobile species. Think of three locations in your local community that might be used as areas for estimating the population density. How might the daily movement pattern of people in your community change the estimate of density at these locations during the course of the day?