Question

1. There are two basic methods, autecology and synecology, of studying how the environment impacts the distribution and behavior of an organism. You are an ecologist and wish to study the ecology of an organism. Which aspect would you select, autecology or synecology? What advantages or disadvantages are associated with your selection? Defend your answer.

We studied two basic abiotic factors, light and temperature, that influence the distribution and abundance of insects. Select either light or temperature as the most critical abiotic factor that contributes to the success of insects.

2. Insects exhibit four types of metamorphosis: ametabolus, paurometabolous, hemimetabolous, and holometabolous. Select one of the four metamorphosis that you believe has the greatest benefit to the insect group that exhibit the metamorphosis you select. Defend your answer.

Answer 1

Q1.Ecology is the study of how organisms interact with one another and with their physical environment.Autecology & Synecology are two main branches of ecology.

Autecology is the study of individual organism or individual species. It is also known as population ecology.

Synecology is the study of group of organisms of different species which are associated together as a unit in form of a community.

For studying the ecology of an organism, autecology is. Because,  autecology is the study of interrelationships between organisms and their environments at the level of an individual, a population, or an entire species.

Autecology is an approach in ecology that seeks to explain the distribution and abundance of species by studying interactions of individual organisms with their environments. It is the study of the interactions of an individual organism or a single species with the living and nonliving factors of its environment. Autecology is primarily experimental and deals with easily measured variables such as light, humidity, and available nutrients in an effort to understand the needs, life history, and behaviour of the organism or species.

Autecology and synecology, in which the former considers the ecology of individual organisms and populations, mostly concerned with the biological organisms themselves; and the latter, the ecology of relationships among the organisms and populations, which is mostly concerned with communication of material, energy, and information of the entire system of components. In order to study an ecosystem, one must have knowledge of the individual parts; thus, it is dependent on fieldwork and experiments grounded in autecology. However, the focus is much more on how these parts interact, relate to, and influence one another including the physical environmental resources on which life depends. Ecosystem ecology, therefore, is the implementation of synecology. In this manner, the dimensional units used in ecosystem studies are usually the amount of energy or matter moving through the system. This differs from population and community.

Q1. Among abiotic factors, temperature and humidity stand out as the most important ones constraining abundance and distribution of insect.

Insect abundance and distribution are regulated by several biotic and abiotic factors and their interactions. Survival and thriving at extreme physical conditions require peculiar adaptations and plastic responses. Among abiotic factors, temperature and humidity stand out as the most important ones constraining abundance and distribution of insect. Furthermore, it is well documented that abiotic factors, especially temperature, regulate the ecology of insect communities.