Problem 1
Discuss the connotation of the words ecologist and environmentalist. Would you like to be labeled either of these names? Where in a public ranking of preferred professions would these two fall?
Problem 2
Look up the definition of environment in several standard dictionaries and in the Oxford Dictionary of Ecology \((2006),\) and compare them. Is it possible to measure the environment of an individual? Are other individuals part of the environment of an individual?
Problem 4
A plant ecologist proposed the following hypothesis to explain the absence of trees from a grassland area: Periodic fires may prevent tree seedlings from becoming established in grassland. Is this a suitable hypothesis? How could you improve it?
Problem 5
Is it necessary to study the scientific method and the philosophy of science in order to understand how science works? Consider this question before and after reading the essays by Popper (1963) and Platt (1964).
Problem 6
Discuss the application of the distribution and abundance model to microbes and viruses.
Problem 7
Quinn and Dunham (1983) argue that the conventional methods of science cannot be applied to ecological questions because there is not just one cause; one effect and many factors act together to produce ecological changes. Discuss the problem of "multiple causes" and how scientists can deal with complex systems that have multiple causes.
