- Why environmental stimuli are variable.
- Global factors&emdash;earth in space, axis tilts
leading to seasons, ice ages, plate tectonics,
- Why organisms respond to differing and variable
- Adaptation is the key to evolutionary success.
Some examples: life cycles, migration patterns,
seasonal behavior, etc.
- Types of environmental stimuli
- abiotic: temperature, light, gravity, air
pressure, differing soils, etc.
- biotic: symbiosis (various types), predator prey,
pheromones to French
- consider abiotic and biotic factors on several
levels: molecular, organismal, community, and
ecosystem. Ecosystem examples: reefs, tropical
- How organisms respond to environmental signals.
- Use important examples such as eyes in animals and
photomorphogenesis in plants. Consider these at
several levels, for example perception,
photochemistry, signal transduction pathways,
developmental and behavioral responses.
- Humans change environmental stimuli. Examples
include deforestation, algal blooms, air pollution,
thermal pollution, greenhouse effect, genetically
modified crops, drug resistant organisms.