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BACKYARD ECOLOGY

DEFINITIONS:

• What is ecology?
• From niche to biosphere

THE BIG PICTURE:

• Backyard niches
• The naturalist's joy in traveling
• Ecological "rules" to think about
• Energy flow in nature
• The Nitrogen Cycle, for example
• Phosphorus: Example of a bottleneck in nature
• Life needs certain things...
• Your own effect on the biosphere
• Evolution

FIELD ECOLOGY:

• Looking for plants & animals "ecologically"
• Noticing when events happen in nature

SOME QUESTIONS:

• Why do wild organisms live in our backyards?
• Why do robins live in our backyards?
• How do wild plants invade our backyards?
• What eats our wild animals?

MORE INFO:

• Jim's Field Notes on Ecology

THINGS TO DO:

• Backyard composting
• Jim's solar cooking designs