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The document discusses ecology, which is the study of the relationships between living organisms and their environment. It considers organisms at different levels and overlaps with related sciences. Ecology has applications in conservation, natural resource management, urban planning, economics, and human social interaction.

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37 views1 page

New OpenDocument 1 Text

The document discusses ecology, which is the study of the relationships between living organisms and their environment. It considers organisms at different levels and overlaps with related sciences. Ecology has applications in conservation, natural resource management, urban planning, economics, and human social interaction.

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licusea
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Ecology 

(from Greek: οἶκος, "house" and -λογία, "study of")[A] is the study of


the relationships between living organisms, including humans, and their physical
environment [1], [2]. Ecology considers organisms at the
individual, population, community, ecosystems, and biosphere level. Ecology
overlaps with the closely related sciences of biogeography, evolutionary
biology, genetics, ethology and natural history. Ecology is a branch of
knowledge, and it is not synonymous with environmentalism.
Among other things, ecology is the study of:
•Life processes, interactions, and adaptations
•The movement of materials and energy through living communities
•The successional development of ecosystems
•Cooperation, competition and predation within and between species.
•The abundance, biomass, and distribution of organisms in the context of
the environment.
•Patterns of biodiversity and its effect on ecosystem processes
Ecology has practical applications in conservation
biology, wetland management, natural resource
management (agroecology, agriculture, forestry, agroforestry, fisheries), city
planning (urban ecology), community health, economics, basic and applied
science, and human social interaction (human ecology).
The word "ecology" ("Ökologie") was coined in 1866 by the German
scientist Ernst Haeckel, and it became a rigorous science in the late 19th
century. Evolutionary concepts relating to adaptation and natural selection are
cornerstones of modern ecological theory.
Ecosystems are dynamically interacting systems of organisms,
the communities they make up, and the non-living components of their
environment. Ecosystem processes, such as primary production, nutrient
cycling, and niche construction, regulate the flux of energy and matter through
an environment. Ecosystems have biophysical feedback mechanisms that
moderate processes acting on living (biotic) and non-living (abiotic) components
of the planet. Ecosystems sustain life-supporting functions and
provide ecosystem services like biomass production (food, fuel, fiber, and
medicine), the regulation of climate, global biogeochemical cycles, water
filtration, soil formation, erosion control, flood protection, and many other
natural features of scientific, historical, economic, or intrinsic value.

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