5: Ecology and Conservation — Read

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crab spider on a flower — Figure 4.1: A skipper caught by a crab spider, camouflaged in a sunflower. Image by Kammy Algiers (CC-BY)

Ecology is the study of the interaction of organisms with their biotic (living) and abiotic (non-living) environment. Plant ecologists study plants across many different biomes, both terrestrial and aqautic. They may be interested in studying plants at different levels of organization, such as the population level, the community level, or the ecosystem level. Many plant ecologists are interested in conservation biology, protecting the diversity of plants from human impacts. Understanding the connections between plants and other organisms helps us solve scientific problems and understand our world better.

5.1: Population Ecology
Community ecology is the study of the interactions between species in communities on many spatial and temporal scales, including the distribution, structure, abundance, demography, and interactions between coexisting populations. The primary focus of community ecology is on the interactions between populations as determined by specific genotypic and phenotypic characteristics.
5.2: Communities and Ecosystems
All populations occupying the same habitat form a community: populations inhabiting a specific area at the same time.
5.3: Conservation
Conservation aims to protect biodiversity, the variety of life on Earth. There are three main levels of biodiversity: ecosystem, species, and genetic diversity. Each has value to humans. Threats to biodiversity include habitat loss, pollution, overexploitation, invasive species, and climate change. A variety of approaches, including legislation and ecosystem restoration, address these threats.
5.4: Terrestrial Biomes
A biome is a large geographical area characterized by climate and vegetation. Biomes may be terrestrial or aquatic, but this chapter will focus only on terrestrial biomes. Terrestrial biomes are characterized by their plant life. The types of plants depend on the amount of precipitation in an area as well as the temperature. Different adaptations evolve based on the abiotic factors.

This page titled 5: Ecology and Conservation was last modified on Tue, 30 Mar 2021 22:26:47 GMT and is shared under a CC BY-NC 4.0 license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by Melissa Ha, Maria Morrow, and Kammy Algiers (ASCCC Open Educational Resources Initiative) .

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