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Interpreting Nature: a Primer for Understanding Natural History

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Interpreting Nature: a Primer for Understanding Natural History INTERPRETING NATURE: A PRIMER FOR UNDERSTANDING NATURAL HISTORY VOLUME 1 – Ecology, Taxonomy, and Kingdoms Archaebacteria, Eubacteria, Protista, Plantae and Fungi Principal Author: Valentin Schaefer, PhD, RPBio Academic Administrator, Restoration Programs, University of Victoria 1 INTERPRETING NATURE: A PRIMER FOR UNDERSTANDING NATURAL HISTORY VOLUME 1 Preface Interpreting Nature: A Primer for Understanding Natural History 2nd ed. is the course text for University of Victoria Continuing Studies course.ER 099 Introduction to Biology and Natural History. The first edition of Interpreting Nature was originally created to train naturalists to offer nature interpretation programs in regional parks. People hired to run these programs are often knowledgeable in certain aspects of natural history, usually birds or plants, but not well versed in other areas. The purpose of Interpreting Nature 1st ed. was to offer naturalists a collection of primers in different main subject areas of natural history that would enable them to become reasonably informed about topics in a short period of time so they could offer a more well-rounded program to the public in the park. Interpreting Nature 2nd ed. Is intended to support the course: ER099 Introduction to Biology and Natural History. To that end the second edition does not include the sections on Geology and Astronomy, and it contains considerable more Biology content. Each module is a blend of theory and species identification. It is a distillation of material from a variety of sources of natural history and field identification that familiarizes you with different kinds of organisms, demonstrates how they relate to each other and their natural environment, and explains certain characteristics of these organisms to help you understand their living styles. In the case of birds, for example, we discuss what it means to be a bird, its basic biology and basic ecological relationships. Then we discuss basic bird taxonomy, the main Orders and Families with examples. In essence, Interpreting Nature 2nd ed is a blend of a text in Introductory Biology and field guides to develop a more practical, working knowledge of nature. It is a comprehensive synthesis of science and nature. The way we look at the living world in Interpreting Nature is through the individual and through the ecosystem. The general guiding principal of what comprises an individual is homeostasis, the condition of maintaining a constant internal environment that is separate from the environment in which the individual occurs. Through the range of organisms from a single-celled Amoeba to a blue whale, an individual maintains an internal state separate from environment in which it occurs. That is the definition of life. The ability to do this is very limited in the case of an Amoeba. Homeostasis in a blue whale is much more elaborate involving trillions of cells and a variety of organ systems to main the body’s metabolism. In the case of the blue whale the individual even maintains its own body temperature. The individual, this constant internal environment, exists in the broader context of the world where it interacts with other organisms and the nonliving world. These interactions occur at a wide range of scales from molecules in nutrient cycles to other organisms such as predators or prey to broad impacts such as climate change. Identifying, defining, exploring and describing these interactions is the field of ecology and in Interpreting Nature 2nd ed we provide material for you to develop a basic knowledge of this field. An understanding of ecology helps to understand biodiversity since form follows function. The diversity we see is a product of organisms adapting to their environment. Biodiversity reflects the diversity of habitats and ecosystems in the real world. 2 Notes on the course: ER099 Introduction to Biology and Natural History Biology and natural history are vast topics. Many botanists and ornithologists, for example, spend their entire lives improving their knowledge of species identification and their ecology. In ER 099 Introduction to Biology and Natural History we can only provide a starting point from which to build expertise. Because it is a course that surveys a wide range of topics we can only offer introductory material in each. This self-study course will provide you with a foundational knowledge in basic biology and natural history. It is organized into eleven study units focusing on different aspects of the natural world. This course outlines the general principles by which plants and animals interact with each other and their surroundings and how they are described. The course will also enable you to understand how organisms are classified and named and develop some literacy to enable you to work with the material in other contexts. NOTE: We do not expect you to memorize all of this material. Most is included by way of explanation and offering context. We only expect you to remember basic concepts, basic vocabulary and representative taxonomy. We are looking for you to be able to demonstrate a comprehension of basic concepts and a general literacy of the subject matter. 3 Acknowledgements Interpreting Nature Second Edition is a revised, updated and expanded version of the First Edition. The production of Interpreting Nature: Second Edition, was funded by a grant from the Technology and Integrated Learning, Mearns Learning Centre at the University of Victoria. The project was supervised by Tusa Shea, Arts and Science Program Coordinator, Arts & Science Programs Division of Continuing Studies, University of Victoria. She was supported by her assistant, Gina Anderson. Andrew Elves of the School of Environmental Studies at the University of Victoria assisted locating and including illustrations from Wikimedia Commons and other copyright free sources that did not require attribution. Tusa Shea and Laura Biggs, Instructor at Pacific Horticulture College, reviewed the manuscript and provided helpful advice. Note on Interpreting Nature: First Edition: Preliminary work on the first edition of Interpreting Nature with Valentin Schaefer and Jude Grass as the principal writers was done on a Job Development Grant of the Employment and Immigration Commission to the Greater Vancouver Regional District (now Metro Vancouver) in 1986 to train naturalists in a one-year program. Several participants of the training program contributed early versions of some of the material used here, including Jill Deuling who did preliminary work on the sections Ecology, Invertebrate Biology, Birds and Mammals, and Claudia Sing who wrote introductory notes to Fish and part of Plants. Terry Taylor reviewed the Plants and Fungi sections and Russ Haycock reviewed Amphibians and Reptiles. Illustrations and artwork were drawn by Jill Deuling, Debbie Duncan, Lorraine Jolin and Sherida Levy. Michele Choma reviewed the entire manuscript and provided helpful advice. A few illustrations were obtained from the BC Provincial Museum Natural History Handbook series. Joley Switzer of the GVRD assisted in the logistics of completing the First Edition and supervised the production of some material. 4 Table of Contents PREFACE .................................................................................................................................................................... 2 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ........................................................................................................................................ 4 CHAPTER 1 ECOLOGY ........................................................................................................................................... 7 LEARNING OUTCOMES ........................................................................................................................................ 7 INTRODUCTION .......................................................................................................................................................... 8 Two Major Themes ............................................................................................................................................... 8 Macromolecules of Life....................................................................................................................................... 14 Symbiosis ............................................................................................................................................................ 20 Population Growth and Regulation .................................................................................................................... 21 Ecosystems .......................................................................................................................................................... 23 Biomes ................................................................................................................................................................. 23 Succession on Land ............................................................................................................................................. 28 Lake Succession .................................................................................................................................................. 29 Freshwater Ecosystems ....................................................................................................................................... 30 Marine Ecosystems ............................................................................................................................................
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