Unit 4: Ecology

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Ecology is the study of the interactions of living organisms with their environment. One core goal of ecology is to understand the distribution and abundance of living things in the physical environment. Attainment of this goal requires the integration of scientific disciplines inside and outside of biology, such as biochemistry, physiology, evolution, biodiversity, molecular biology, geology, and climatology.

Unit 4 introduces students to the general concepts of ecology including population ecology, community ecology, and ecosystem ecology, and biogeography. Vignettes on Indigenous Science and the ecology of British Columbia are included.

4.1: Unit 4 Introduction
Ecology is the study of the interactions of living organisms with their environment. One core goal of ecology is to understand the distribution and abundance of living things in the physical environment. Attainment of this goal requires the integration of scientific disciplines inside and outside of biology, such as biochemistry, physiology, evolution, biodiversity, molecular biology, geology, and climatology. Some ecological research also applies aspects of chemistry, physics, and math.
4.2: Population Ecology
Populations consist of all individuals of a species living within a specific area. Their numbers fluctuate based on a number of abiotic and biotic factors. The primary focus of community ecology is on the interactions between populations as determined by specific genotypic and phenotypic characteristics.
4.3: Community Ecology
Ecosystem ecology is the integrated study of living (biotic) and non-living (abiotic) components of ecosystems and their interactions within an ecosystem framework. This science examines how ecosystems work and relates this to their components such as chemicals, bedrock, soil, plants, and animals.
4.4: Ecosystems and the Biosphere
Humans are a part of the ecological landscape. Understanding human interactions with our physical and living environment is the first steps to remedying the ecological issues humanity faces.
4.G: Unit 4 - Glossary
4.S: Unit 4 - Summary

Thumbnail: Bee pollinating Aquilegia vulgaris. (CC BY-SA 3.0 / cropped from original; Roo72 via Wikimedia Commons).