Plant Ecology in a Changing World
  • Topics
    • Topic Overview
    • Biomes and Climates in a Changing World >
      • Adaptation, biodiversity, and environment
      • Climate constrains plant distributions
      • Biome and climate relationships
      • Deserts
      • Grassland, savanna, and shrub biomes
      • Forest biomes
      • Alpine and tundra biomes
    • Plant adaptation >
      • Plant microclimate 1
      • Plant microclimate 2
      • Leaf energy budgets
      • Water movement through the soil-plant continuum
      • Principles of photosynthesis
      • Photosynthesis responses to light and temperature
      • Environmental stresses limit resource capture and use
      • Nutrients in the environment
      • Adaptation to environmental stress
    • Resource Allocation Changes with Environment >
      • Architecture and canopy processes
      • Plant phenology and resource allocation enhance performance
      • Leaf economic spectrum
      • Life history and reproduction
      • Defense against herbivory
      • Plant competition
    • Plant Responses to a Changing World >
      • Global changes occurring today
      • Invasive species
      • Atmospheric CO2 impacts plant
      • C3/C4 photosynthesis and climate
      • Climate change and the global carbon cycle
      • Climate warming and its impacts
    • Engineering Plant Communities >
      • Remember Utah's past and envision our future
      • Restoration ecology
      • Managed ecosystems
      • Utah urban ecology
      • Urban ecological futures
  • Assignments
    • Assignment Overview
    • Discussion
    • Problem sets
    • Ecology & Global Changes
    • Plant ecology policy
    • Defense of policy
    • Exam #1
    • Exam #2
  • Campus
    • Campus Overview
    • Grasses
    • Green infrastructure >
      • GI Overview
      • Stormwater >
        • GI 1
        • GI 2
        • GI 3
        • GI 4
        • GI 10
      • Green roof
      • Pollinator >
        • Pollinator species
    • Trees of the Wasatch
    • Shrubs of the Wasatch
    • Invasives
  • Biomes
    • Biome Overview
    • Climate diagrams
    • Vegetation sight-seeing trip
    • Biome images
  • Models
  • Lab
Topic 1 - Adaptation, biodiversity, and the environment

Essential elements from Topic 1:
1.     This course focuses on both the traditional topics of plant ecology 
  • physiological ecology
  • functional and evolutionary ecology
  • ecology of regional landscapes and also on topics central to the future of plant ecology
  • ecology of urban landscapes
  • appreciation of the many global impacts on plants
  • a solution's based approach to sustainability

2.     Plants as integrated systems.

3.     A consideration of the ways in which economic analogies are relevant to understanding adaptive responses by plants.

4.     Acclimation versus adaptation; genetic variation among plant populations of the same species.

5.     Time and space considerations when understanding plant adaptations, acclimation responses, and competitive interactions.

6.     Equilibrium and disturbance impacts on plant performance.

7.     Global changes occurring today that impact plant performance, distribution, and interspecific interactions.

​Terms to be familiar with from this topic

Click here to download PDF of all slides associated with Topic 1
​
Click here to view YOUTUBE video of Topic 1
Jim Ehleringer, University of Utah