By the end of this section, you will be able to:Describe the effects of abiotic factors on the composition of plant and animal communities in aquatic biomesCompare and contrast the characteristics of the ocean zonesSummarize the characteristics of standing water and flowing water freshwater biomes
By the end of this section, you will be able to:Define biogeographyList and describe abiotic factors that affect the global distribution of plant and animal speciesCompare the impact of abiotic forces on aquatic and terrestrial environmentsSummarize the affect of abiotic factors on net primary productivity
By the end of this section, you will be able to:Define global climate changeSummarize the effects of the Industrial Revolution on global atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrationDescribe three natural factors affecting long-term global climateList two or more greenhouse gases and describe their role in the greenhouse effect
By the end of this section, you will be able to:Identify the two major abiotic factors that determine terrestrial biomesRecognize distinguishing characteristics of each of the eight major terrestrial biomes
By the end of this section, you will be able to:Define ecology and the four levels of ecological researchDescribe examples of the ways in which ecology requires the integration of different scientific disciplinesDistinguish between abiotic and biotic components of the environmentRecognize the relationship between abiotic and biotic components of the environment
By the end of this section, you will be able to:Discuss the biogeochemical cycles of water, carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, and sulfurExplain how human activities have impacted these cycles and the potential consequences for Earth
By the end of this section, you will be able to:Describe the basic types of ecosystems on EarthExplain the methods that ecologists use to study ecosystem structure and dynamicsIdentify the different methods of ecosystem modelingDifferentiate between food chains and food webs and recognize the importance of each
By the end of this section, you will be able to:Describe how organisms acquire energy in a food web and in associated food chainsExplain how the efficiency of energy transfers between trophic levels affects ecosystem structure and dynamicsDiscuss trophic levels and how ecological pyramids are used to model them
By the end of this section, you will be able to:Describe the basic types of ecosystems on EarthDifferentiate between food chains and food webs and recognize the importance of each
By the end of this section, you will be able to:Compare innate and learned behaviorDiscuss how movement and migration behaviors are a result of natural selectionDiscuss the different ways members of a population communicate with each otherGive examples of how species use energy for mating displays and other courtship behaviorsDifferentiate between various mating systemsDescribe different ways that species learn
By the end of this section, you will be able to:Discuss the predator-prey cycleGive examples of defenses against predation and herbivoryDescribe the competitive exclusion principleGive examples of symbiotic relationships between speciesDescribe community structure and succession
By the end of this section, you will be able to:Explain the characteristics of and differences between exponential and logistic growth patternsGive examples of exponential and logistic growth in natural populationsDescribe how natural selection and environmental adaptation led to the evolution of particular life history patterns
By the end of this section, you will be able to:Discuss how human population growth can be exponentialExplain how humans have expanded the carrying capacity of their habitatRelate population growth and age structure to the level of economic development in different countriesDiscuss the long-term implications of unchecked human population growth
By the end of this section, you will be able to:Describe how life history patterns are influenced by natural selectionExplain different life history patterns and how different reproductive strategies affect species’ survival
By the end of this section, you will be able to:Describe how ecologists measure population size and densityDescribe three different patterns of population distributionUse life tables to calculate mortality ratesDescribe the three types of survivorship curves and relate them to specific populations
By the end of this section, you will be able to:Give examples of how the carrying capacity of a habitat may changeCompare and contrast density-dependent growth regulation and density-independent growth regulation, giving examplesGive examples of exponential and logistic growth in wild animal populationsDescribe how natural selection and environmental adaptation leads to the evolution of particular life-history patterns
This 17-minute video lesson presents an overview of the Electron Transport Chain. [Biology playlist: Lesson 26 of 71].