Biology › Section R · The biosphere, populations, and communities › Topic R.1
The scope of ecology and biogeography
Why does a cactus grow in Arizona but not in Alaska, and why are lemurs native only to Madagascar? Ecology asks why organisms live where they do and in the numbers they do, and biogeography maps the answers across the planet.
In this topic
- What ecologists study
- Four levels of study, and the biosphere
- Worked example: one kelp forest, four questions
- Living and non-living parts
- Biogeography: who lives where
- Light and energy
- Temperature and water
- Nutrients, oxygen, wind and fire
- Worked example: a year in a temperate lake
- Productivity: how much food a place makes
- Common mistakes to avoid
- Key takeaways
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