🌾
BIOL 1218 Lectures
Property Lecture
INTRODUCTION AND SCIENTIFIC METHODOLOGY
DATE: January 10, 2022 + January 12, 2022
INTRODUCTION
Vancouver Island Marmot
critically endangered in BC
endangered globally
Spotted Owl
impacted by logging
competing with Barred Owl
can mate with Spotted Owl
BIOL 1218 Lectures 1
, Rare habitats
prevent habitat loss
Oil Sands
oil mixed in with sand
use energy/heat to seperate
higher CO2 footprint
source of income
Environmental Stories 2021
record setting weather events in BC
COVID — environmental impact positive and negative
Pipelines
BC Wolf cull
save caribou population
critically endangered in Southern BC
wildfires
interference with natural events to clear forest floor
controlled burns — possible solution
Good News?
whale species numbers are doing better in 70 years due to hunting policies
📌 SUMMARY:
Habitat loss is the greatest threat to species
Things that are bad for the environment, such as oil sands, stick around because they’re a source of income
Canada tends to sign many environmental agreements, but doesn’t make any actions
SCIENTIFIC METHODOLOGY
What is Science?
Knowledge about the physical world obtained by using the scientific method to test possible explanations (hypothesis) against
experimental data
What is Ecology?
BIOL 1218 Lectures 2
, the scientific study of interactions between organisms and the environment
these interactions determine the distribution of organisms and their abundance
What components are included in the environment of any organism?
Abiotic = Non-living
Biotic = Living
What are the abiotic factors that affect the distribution of organisms?
1. Temperature
2. Precipitation
3. Sunlight — except thermal vents on ocean floor
4. Wind
5. Soil Chemistry
What are the biotic factors that affect the distribution of organisms?
1. Prey availability
2. Predation
3. Competition
4. Disease
What biotic and abiotic factors affect the polar bear?
abiotic — temperature warming and ice melting
biotic — hunting by humans, predation of killer whale
What are the level of Biological Organization? Which ones are the Domain of the Ecologists?
1. Atom
2. Molecule
3. Cell
4. Tissue
5. Organ
6. Organ Systems
The Domain of the Ecologists:
7. Organism
8. Population
9. Community
10. Ecosystem
11. Biome
12. Biosphere
What are the different biomes?
1. Boreal Forest
2. Desert
3. Grassland
4. Permanent Ice
5. Temperate deciduous forest
6. Temperate rainforest*
7. Tropical rainforest
8. Tundra
BIOL 1218 Lectures 3
, What are two fundamental ecological questions?
What determines abundance?
What limits a species’ range?
What are species?
A group of organisms with similar anatomical characteristics and the ability to interbreed and produce fertile offspring.
Variations hints at speciation
Hybrids may be common such as the coywolf
domestic dogs = selective breeding
infertile offspring = mule = horse + donkey
due to separation in ecological branch over time
the food chain is not linear, so a food web is more specific
What is a population?
A localized group of organisms belonging to the same species.
What is a community?
An assemblage of populations living close enough for potential interaction.
Includes many different species.
What is an ecosystem?
A community and its abiotic factors (physical)
BIOL 1218 Lectures 4
BIOL 1218 Lectures
Property Lecture
INTRODUCTION AND SCIENTIFIC METHODOLOGY
DATE: January 10, 2022 + January 12, 2022
INTRODUCTION
Vancouver Island Marmot
critically endangered in BC
endangered globally
Spotted Owl
impacted by logging
competing with Barred Owl
can mate with Spotted Owl
BIOL 1218 Lectures 1
, Rare habitats
prevent habitat loss
Oil Sands
oil mixed in with sand
use energy/heat to seperate
higher CO2 footprint
source of income
Environmental Stories 2021
record setting weather events in BC
COVID — environmental impact positive and negative
Pipelines
BC Wolf cull
save caribou population
critically endangered in Southern BC
wildfires
interference with natural events to clear forest floor
controlled burns — possible solution
Good News?
whale species numbers are doing better in 70 years due to hunting policies
📌 SUMMARY:
Habitat loss is the greatest threat to species
Things that are bad for the environment, such as oil sands, stick around because they’re a source of income
Canada tends to sign many environmental agreements, but doesn’t make any actions
SCIENTIFIC METHODOLOGY
What is Science?
Knowledge about the physical world obtained by using the scientific method to test possible explanations (hypothesis) against
experimental data
What is Ecology?
BIOL 1218 Lectures 2
, the scientific study of interactions between organisms and the environment
these interactions determine the distribution of organisms and their abundance
What components are included in the environment of any organism?
Abiotic = Non-living
Biotic = Living
What are the abiotic factors that affect the distribution of organisms?
1. Temperature
2. Precipitation
3. Sunlight — except thermal vents on ocean floor
4. Wind
5. Soil Chemistry
What are the biotic factors that affect the distribution of organisms?
1. Prey availability
2. Predation
3. Competition
4. Disease
What biotic and abiotic factors affect the polar bear?
abiotic — temperature warming and ice melting
biotic — hunting by humans, predation of killer whale
What are the level of Biological Organization? Which ones are the Domain of the Ecologists?
1. Atom
2. Molecule
3. Cell
4. Tissue
5. Organ
6. Organ Systems
The Domain of the Ecologists:
7. Organism
8. Population
9. Community
10. Ecosystem
11. Biome
12. Biosphere
What are the different biomes?
1. Boreal Forest
2. Desert
3. Grassland
4. Permanent Ice
5. Temperate deciduous forest
6. Temperate rainforest*
7. Tropical rainforest
8. Tundra
BIOL 1218 Lectures 3
, What are two fundamental ecological questions?
What determines abundance?
What limits a species’ range?
What are species?
A group of organisms with similar anatomical characteristics and the ability to interbreed and produce fertile offspring.
Variations hints at speciation
Hybrids may be common such as the coywolf
domestic dogs = selective breeding
infertile offspring = mule = horse + donkey
due to separation in ecological branch over time
the food chain is not linear, so a food web is more specific
What is a population?
A localized group of organisms belonging to the same species.
What is a community?
An assemblage of populations living close enough for potential interaction.
Includes many different species.
What is an ecosystem?
A community and its abiotic factors (physical)
BIOL 1218 Lectures 4
