[Campbell Biology P.1214] A research project investigates how large-scale oceanic current shi... | Practice Question

A research project investigates how large-scale oceanic current shifts, influenced by melting polar ice caps, impact the dispersal patterns and overall distribution of microscopic marine algae phytoplankton across vast ocean regions, potentially affecting global carbon cycles. This study most closely aligns with which level of ecological research described in the text?

  • A: Ecosystem Ecology
  • B: Landscape Ecology
  • C: Global Ecology
  • D: Population Ecology

Explanation

Global ecology examines how regional exchanges of energy and materials influence the functioning and distribution of organisms across the biosphere the global ecosystem . The scale described in the question large-scale oceanic current shifts, global distribution of plankton, global carbon cycles across vast ocean regions fits perfectly with global ecology, which considers the sum of all the planet's ecosystems and landscapes.