Ecology

What I do

• Study interactions between organisms and their environment
• Analyze population dynamics and species interactions
• Investigate ecosystem structure and function
• Research biodiversity and conservation
• Model ecological systems
• Assess environmental impacts

When to use me

• When studying species interactions
• When analyzing population dynamics
• When investigating ecosystem processes
• When assessing environmental impact
• When modeling ecological systems
• When developing conservation strategies

Key Concepts

Population Ecology

Population Growth Models

• Exponential growth: dN/dt = rN
• Logistic growth: dN/dt = rN(1-N/K)
• Logistic with harvest

# Example: Logistic growth model
def logistic_growth(N, r, K):
    """
    Calculate population growth rate.
    N: Population size
    r: Intrinsic growth rate
    K: Carrying capacity
    """
    return r * N * (1 - N / K)

Species Interactions

• Predation: One benefits, one loses
• Competition: Both lose (resource limitation)
• Mutualism: Both benefit
• Commensalism: One benefits, neutral
• Parasitism: One benefits, one loses

Ecosystem Components

Abiotic Factors

• Temperature, light, water
• Soil, nutrients, pH
• Climate, elevation

Biotic Factors

• Producers (autotrophs)
• Consumers (heterotrophs)
• Decomposers (saprotrophs)

Ecological Levels

• Organism → Population → Community → Ecosystem → Biome → Biosphere