In this book, ecology is defined as the scientific study of interactions between organisms and their environment.
This definition is meant to include the interactions of organisms with one another because, as we have seen, organisms are an important part of one another's environment. Ecology can also be defined in a variety of other ways, such as the scientific study of interactions that determine the distribution (geographic location) and abundance of organisms.
As will become clear as you read this book, these definitions of ecology can be related to one another, and each emphasizes different aspects of the discipline. A more important point for our purpose here is that the term ecology, as used by ecologists, refers to a scientific endeavor.We emphasize this point because ecology has other meanings in its public usage. People who are not scientists may assume that an “ecologist” is an environmental activist. Some ecologists are activists, but some are not. Furthermore, as a scientific discipline, ecology is related to—yet different from —other disciplines such as environmental science. Ecology is a branch of biology, while environmental science is an interdisciplinary field that incorporates concepts from the natural sciences (including ecology) and the social sciences (e.g., politics, economics, ethics). Compared with ecology, environmental science is focused more specifically on how people affect the environment and how we can address environmental problems. While an ecologist might examine pollution as one of several factors that influence the reproductive success of wetland plants, an environmental scientist might focus on how economic and political systems could be used to reduce pollution.
More on the topic In this book, ecology is defined as the scientific study of interactions between organisms and their environment.:
- CONCEPT 1.2 Ecology is the scientific study of interactions between organisms and their environment.
- Explain how interactions between organisms and their environment can affect other organisms and potentially lead to unexpected consequences.
- Throughout this book, we have emphasized the role that climate plays in ecological processes, including the distributions and physiological performance of organisms, the rates of resource supply, and the outcomes of biological interactions such as competition.
- UNIT 1 ORGANISMS AND THEIR ENVIRONMENT
- Organisms are sensitive to the acidity of their environment
- CONCEPT 21.4 Food webs are conceptual models of the trophic interactions of organisms in an ecosystem.
- The early history of ecology is a study of succession
- A general theme that runs through this book is that ecological interactions can affect the distributions and abundances of species, affecting communities and ecosystems.
- One way to think of what happened is to consider the system of mortgage finance as an ecological environment where organisms look for sources of nutrients to grow larger and more prosperous.
- This book is offered as an aid to the disinterested study of religion.
- The outcome of competition between species can be changed by a broad suite of factors, including features of the physical environment, disturbance, and interactions with other species.
- In Part One of this book, we considered the wider context in which the study of Roman law is set. This included, in Chapter 4, the influence of Roman law on later law, up to the present day.
- Chapter 1 From Metaphysics, book 7, and On the Soul, book 2 Aristotle
- Ecology, Sixth Edition, is available in Oxford Insight. Oxford Insight delivers the trusted content of Ecology within a powerful, data-driven learning experience designed to increase student success.
- Ecology