Environmental // 122694449 / Datacraft Co Ltd / Ecology

Ecology (from Greek : οἶκος , "house"; -λογία, "study of") is the scientific study of the relations that living organisms have with respect to each other and their natural environment . Variables of interest to ecologists include the composition, distribution, amount (biomass ), number, and changing states of organisms within and among ecosystems . Ecosystems are hierarchical systems that are organized into a graded series of regularly interacting and semi-independent parts (e.g., species ) that aggregate into higher orders of complex integrated wholes (e.g., communities ). Ecosystems are sustained by the biodiversity within them. Biodiversity is the full-scale of life and its processes, including genes, species and ecosystems forming lineages that integrate into a complex and regenerative spatial arrangement of types, forms, and interactions. Ecosystems create biophysical feedback mechanisms between living (biotic ) and nonliving (abiotic ) components of the planet. These feedback loops regulate and sustain local communities, continental climate systems, and global biogeochemical cycles .
Ecology is a sub-discipline of biology , the study of life . The word "ecology" ("Ökologie") was coined in 1866 by the German scientist Ernst Haeckel (1834–1919). Ancient philosophers of Greece, including Hippocrates and Aristotle , were among the earliest to record observations and notes on the natural history of plants and animals. Modern ecology branched out of natural history and matured into a more rigourous science in the late 19th century. Charles Darwin's evolutionary treatise including the concept of adaptation, as it was introduced in 1859, is a pivotal cornerstone in modern ecological theory . Ecology is not synonymous with environment, environmentalism , natural history or environmental science . It is closely related to physiology , evolutionary biology, genetics and ethology . An understanding of how biodiversity affects ecological function is an important focus area in ecological studies. Ecologists seek to explain:
Ecology is a human science as well. There are many practical applications of ecology in conservation biology , wetland management, natural resource management (agriculture , forestry , fisheries ), city planning (urban ecology ), community health , economics , basic and applied science and human social interaction (human ecology ). Ecosystems sustain every life-supporting function on the planet, including climate regulation, water filtration, soil formation (pedogenesis ), food, fibres, medicines, erosion control, and many other natural features of scientific, historical or spiritual value.

<div id="index_ignore">Description above from the Wikipedia article Ecology, licensed under CC-BY-SA full list of contributors here. This page is not affiliated with, or endorsed by, anyone associated with the topic.</div>