ecology

• Thermal stratification in a lake is the layering of water based on temperature, with cold, dense water at the bottom and warm, less dense water at the top, influenced by seasonal temperature changes

  
• Ecology is the study of interactions between organisms and their environments, emphasizing energy flow and chemical cycling among biotic and abiotic components
• The environment involves interactions between biotic (living organisms) and abiotic (non-living organisms) factors, with abiotic factors classified as physical (energy, light, temperature) and chemical (gases, nutrients, pH)
• Life's different levels of organization include organisms, species, populations, communities, ecosystems, biomes, and the biosphere
• The Precautionary Principle states that if an action has a suspected risk of causing harm to the environment, the burden of proof that it is not harmful falls on those taking the action
• Barry Commoner's Four Laws of Ecology:

  1. Everything is connected to everything else

  2. Everything must go somewhere

  3. Nature knows best

  4. There is no such thing as a free lunch
• Fields of ecology include organismal ecology, population ecology, community ecology, ecosystem ecology, and landscape ecology
• Climate is determined by factors like sunlight, Earth's movement, air circulation, wind patterns, and local geographic features
• Elements of aquatic ecology involve the study of plants and animals in their physical and chemical environment, emphasizing energy and nutrient flows within ecosystems