{"id":3338,"date":"2025-05-08T18:11:03","date_gmt":"2025-05-08T18:11:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/esa.org\/4dee\/?page_id=3338"},"modified":"2025-05-15T19:38:28","modified_gmt":"2025-05-15T19:38:28","slug":"4dee-framework-archive","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/esa.org\/4dee\/framework\/4dee-framework-archive\/","title":{"rendered":"4DEE Framework (Archived)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

For the most recent version, please visit https:\/\/esa.org\/4dee\/framework\/<\/a> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

The\u00a0 Four-Dimensional Ecology Education (4DEE) Framework (archived)<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/td>\u00a0I. Core Ecological Concepts<\/strong><\/a><\/td>\"\"<\/td>\u00a0II. Ecology Practices<\/strong><\/a><\/td><\/tr>
\"\"<\/td>III. Human-Environment Interactions<\/strong><\/a><\/td>\"\"<\/td>\u00a0IV. Cross-cutting Themes<\/strong><\/a><\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Updated July 2018 \u2013 Download Summary Paper\u00a0[docx]<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a>I. Core Ecological Concepts<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The list below covers an array of concepts critical to understanding ecology. It is based, in large part, on the material presented in introductory ecology textbooks and thus, represents an inventory of core ecology concepts recognized a large number of authors (historical and current; see for instance almost every edition of Begon et al., Krebs, Molles, Odum, Ricklefs, Smith & Smith, etc).\u00a0 These concepts are used by many of us to construct our syllabi, to test student learning, and to shape our degree programs. This list of concepts is divided into seven groups: individuals, populations, communities, ecosystems, landscapes, biomes, and biosphere. Within each group is a set of related concepts, e.g. trophic levels, predation, food chain\/web, energy flow, nutrient cycling, regulators.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \n
  1. Organisms\n
      \n
    1. Abiotic and biotic features of the environment<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    2. Resources and regulators<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    3. Habitat and niche: fundamental \u2013 realized<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    4. Population dispersion\n
        \n
      1. Exponential and logistic growth \u2013 cycles<\/li>\n\n\n\n
      2. Demography \u2013 life history<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n
      3. Community\n
          \n
        1. Habitat types \u2013 terrestrial \u2013 marine \u2013 aquatic \u2013 wetlands \u2013 soils<\/li>\n\n\n\n
        2. Species diversity \u2013 biodiversity \u2013 dominance<\/li>\n\n\n\n
        3. Competition \u2013 exploitation \u2013 interference \u2013 predation \u2013 mutualism<\/li>\n\n\n\n
        4. Stability \u2013 resistance \u2013 resilience \u2013 disturbance \u2013 steady-state \u2013 fluctuate<\/li>\n\n\n\n
        5. Succession<\/li>\n\n\n\n
        6. Behavioral ecology<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n
        7. Ecosystems\n
            \n
          1. Trophic levels \u2013 Producers \u2013 consumers \u2013 decomposers<\/li>\n\n\n\n
          2. Predation: predator-prey \u2013 herbivore \u2013 carnivores<\/li>\n\n\n\n
          3. Food chain \u2013 food web \u2013 networks \u2013 grazing \u2013 detritus<\/li>\n\n\n\n
          4. Energy flow \u2013 productivity<\/li>\n\n\n\n
          5. Nutrient cycling \u2013 nutrients<\/li>\n\n\n\n
          6. Regulators \u2013 control from below\/above \u2013 trophic cascades<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n
          7. Landscapes\n
              \n
            1. Patches \u2013 corridors \u2013 barriers<\/li>\n\n\n\n
            2. Gradients<\/li>\n\n\n\n
            3. Watersheds<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n
            4. Biomes\n
                \n
              1. Biome types \u2013 tundra, boreal forest, deciduous forest, grassland, shrubland, desert, tropical rainforest<\/li>\n\n\n\n
              2. Ecological consequences of latitude and elevation<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n
              3. Biosphere\n
                  \n
                1. Biogeography at the global level<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                2. Global climate change<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

                  <\/a>II. Ecology Practices<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

                  This list of practices elucidates the basic components associated with the scientific process, e.g. making observations, collecting data, and generating and testing hypotheses (Moore 1993).\u00a0\u00a0 It represents an essential description of approaches and skills used in and necessary for doing science, with particular attention to how ecological science is conducted. Clearly, many of these practices reflect general approaches used in most scientific disciplines (ref Brewer and Smith 2011, Table 2.1; NRC 2013) with some components unique to ecology.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                    \n
                  1. Natural history\n
                      \n
                    1. As an approach<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                    2. Making observations and connections<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                    3. Fieldwork\n
                        \n
                      1. Habitat assessment<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                      2. Field identification and preservation (of at least one large taxon)<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                      3. Spatial analysis (GIS, remote sensing)<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                      4. Quantitative reasoning and computational thinking\n
                          \n
                        1. Statistics<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                        2. Data skills \u2013 inputting and data-mining \/ meta-analysis\/ data visualization<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                        3. Computer skills: spreadsheets, \u201cR\u201d<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                        4. Modeling and simulation<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                        5. Informatics<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                        6. Data analysis and interpretation<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                        7. Designing and critiquing investigations\n
                            \n
                          1. Study design, familiarity with basic modes of ecological inquiry (description, comparison, experimentation, modeling)<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                          2. Evaluating claims<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                          3. Argument from evidence<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                          4. Working collaboratively<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                          5. Communicating and applying ecology<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

                            <\/a>III. Human-Environment Interactions<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

                            All of us acknowledge that every place on earth is impacted to some degree by humans (see Commoner 1971). The connections between humans and the environment were a unifying theme of ESA\u2019s Sustainable Biosphere report (Lubchenco et al. 1991).\u00a0 In 2000, Crutzen and Stoermer suggested that the human effect on the environment was sufficiently significant as to constitute a new geological epoch, the Anthropocene. Recognizing this, Palmer et al. (2005) noted a \u201cneed to refocus the discipline towards research that ensures a future in which natural systems and the humans they include coexist\u2026\u201d and further, that \u201c\u2026ecologists must play a greatly expanded role in communicating their research and influencing policy and decisions that affect the environment.\u201d Over 1000 ESA members responded to the 2007 Vice Presidents\u2019 Survey on Ecological Literacy, and nearly half of the essential elements of ecological literacy mentioned were related to human\/environment interactions (McBride 2011). More recently, Lubchenco (2017) pointed to the need for greater engagement by scientists in addressing societal problems, e.g. \u201cWe must engage more vigorously with society to address the intertwined environmental and social problems that many have ignored, to find solutions, and to help create a better world.\u201d\u00a0 To that end, educational efforts must ensure that ecology students- and even the discipline itself \u2013 attend to the interaction between humans and the environment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                            The ideas listed here emphasize that bi-directional interrelationship between humans and the Earth\u2019s biota and physical environment, with particular attention to the normative values underlying decision-making and policy (Collins et al. 2011, Jablonski, et al. 2015).\u00a0 Incorporating the human-environment interactions into the 4DEE framework recognizes that every place is shaped by humans and every human need is shaped by the environment. In order to address and solve today\u2019s problems, this understanding is necessary\u2013and critical.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                              \n
                            1. Human dependence on the environment\n
                                \n
                              1. Ecosystem services (Daily 1997)<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                              2. Human accelerated environmental change \u2013 there is no pristine ecosystem nor total equilibrium\n
                                  \n
                                1. Anthropogenic impacts, intentional and unintentional<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                                2. Global climate change<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                                3. Environmental toxicology: biomagnification \u2013 bioconcentration<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                                4. How humans shape and manage resources\/ecosystems\/the environment\n
                                    \n
                                  1. Urban ecosystems, urban ecology, urban-rural gradient<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                                  2. Agricultural ecosystems \u2013 agroecology, fisheries, forestry<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                                  3. Ecological engineering \u2013 biomimicry, ecology of gene drive systems<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                                  4. Natural resource management<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                                  5. Conservation biology<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                                  6. Ecological stewardship<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                                  7. Ethics \u2013 critical thinking about the values underlying how we approach and address environmental problems, challenges, and opportunities in environmental decision-making and policy\n
                                      \n
                                    1. Environmental ethics \u2013 basic types of ethics and their sources\/foundations (includes ecological<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                                    2. Sustainability as a normative, socially constructed, aspirational goal<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                                    3. Environmental justice<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                                    4. Ecological economics (Daly and Cobb 1990)<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

                                      <\/a>IV. Cross-Cutting Themes<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

                                      Many ecologically-related ideas and approaches do not fall neatly along the other three dimensions \u2013 interactions, practices, and especially the hierarchy of core concepts.\u00a0 Some interrelate to other areas of science, while others, although ecologically related, place different demands in how they are studied. Vision and Change in Undergraduate Biology Education (Brewer and Smith 2011) recommended that \u201call undergraduates need to understand\u201d evolution, pathways, and transformations of energy and matter, information flow, exchange, and storage, structure and function, and systems.\u00a0 Here, we focus on four elements that are often thought of as approaches or ways of thinking: pathways and transformations of matter and energy, structure and function, systems, and spatial and temporal. Because evolution is itself change over space and time, it has been placed within spatial and temporal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                                        \n
                                      1. Structure & Function<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                                      2. Pathways & Transformations of Matter and energy<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                                      3. Systems<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                                      4. Spatial & Temporal\n
                                          \n
                                        1. Scales<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                                        2. Stability & change<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                                        3. Evolution\n
                                            \n
                                          1. Mutation<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                                          2. Microevolution<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                                          3. Macroevolution<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                                          4. Biogeography\n
                                              \n
                                            1. Range \u2013 cosmopolitan\/endemic<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                                            2. Native \/ alien \/ invasives<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

                                              <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

                                              For the most recent version, please visit https:\/\/esa.org\/4dee\/framework\/ The\u00a0 Four-Dimensional Ecology Education (4DEE) Framework (archived) \u00a0I. Core Ecological Concepts \u00a0II. Ecology Practices III. Human-Environment Interactions \u00a0IV. Cross-cutting Themes Updated July 2018 \u2013 Download Summary Paper\u00a0[docx] I. Core Ecological Concepts The list below covers an array of concepts critical to understanding ecology. It is based, in large part, on the material…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":11152,"featured_media":0,"parent":31,"menu_order":5,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-3338","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/esa.org\/4dee\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/3338","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/esa.org\/4dee\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/esa.org\/4dee\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/esa.org\/4dee\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/11152"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/esa.org\/4dee\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3338"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/esa.org\/4dee\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/3338\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3534,"href":"https:\/\/esa.org\/4dee\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/3338\/revisions\/3534"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/esa.org\/4dee\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/31"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/esa.org\/4dee\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3338"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}