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Ecology and Scientific Method - Coggle Diagram
Ecology and Scientific Method
Methodology
A system of techniques of investigation
method of applying the techniques
General principles for how the methods should
be used in scientific inquiry
Data is useless when:
unreliable or unpredictable
perfectly reliable and accurate, BUT irrelevant to the problem
reliable, accurate & very relevant, BUT not collected at the right season of the year
Experimental design (statistical design) is not possible and helpless
Rules in ecological methodology
not everything that can be measure should be measured
find a problem & state your obj clearly
collect data that will achieve the obj
some ecological questions are impossible to answer at the present time
Ecological methods
Observation
Field observation: locusts no decrease, bird no increase
Hypothesis Formation
Idea: Locusts no are influenced by predation
Hypothesis Testing
Experimentation: protect some group of locusts from predation using chicken wire
Data Analysis
Statistical test: Compare mean no of locusts in both groups
Acceptance or rejection of hypothesis
Accept or reject hypothesis. If reject, formulate new hypothesis.
Types of experiments
Laboratory experiment
allow the most exact regulation of factors such as light, temperature while only the factor of interest is varied
ex: increasing nitrogen availability to plants in pots by adding fertilizers
conclusion based on laboratory results are limited
Field experiment
conducted outdoors, advantage operating on natural setting
density of target sp can be monitored to see got increase or not
manipulate species by using tools such as cages, fences to an organism out or in
Natural experiment
natural events, like severe droughts, floods provide best opportunity to study effects of environment
sole technique follow the the time path change over decades
not true experiments, not replicated cannot be controlled: Weather
Scales of measurement
Nominal
Identity
each value has unique meaning
weakest level measurement
No numerical value, ex: gender, religion
Ordinal
Identity
Magnitude
each value has unique meaning, ordered relationship to every other value
likert scale
Interval
identity, magnitude, equal intervals
have unit measurement: cm, kg, degree, interval scale Fahrenheit scale
Ratio
identity, magnitude, equal interval, and min value of zero
satisfy all 4 properties of measurement: IMEZ
EX: WEIGHT OF AN OBJ
each scale unique meaning, min value zero, scale equally one to another, rank scales orderly
The highest form of measurement
Properties of measurement scales
Identity
each value has unique meaning
Magnitude
values have ordered relationship, some smaller some larger value
Equal interval
scales equal to one another
Min value of zero
true zero point
Controls on eco structure and function
function
energy is transferred from one trophic level to the other in the form of food chain
important source of energy : sun
high temp, rainfall accelerate weathering, decomposition
these factors affect production, consumption, other imp function
ecosystem structure
biotic
autotrophs
heterotrophs
saprothrophs
abiotic
climatic
rain, light, wind, temp
edaphic
soil, ph, mineral, topography