1 ECOLOGY WHAT IS ECOLOGY? Definition Ecology is a scientific discipline which took on importance in the second half of the 20th century. Several well-known 19th century scientists, such as Alexander Humboldt (1769-1859), Charles Darwin (1809-1882), Alfred Russel Wallace (1823-1913) and Karl Möbius (1825-1908), made many significant contributions to environmental studies. The word ‘ecology’ (from Greek oikos, “house” and logos, “study of”) was first coined by the German biologist Ernst Haeckel in 1866. He defined it as . The environment of an organism consists of abiotic factors, such as climate and geology, and biotic factors, such as members of the same species and other species that a habitat . Scientists who study these relationships are called ecologists. “the science of the relationship of the organism to the environment” comprehensive share 1 Objects of ecological studies The main goal of ecologists is to manage and control the living and non-living things in the world because man’s and depend on relationships that exist on a world-wide basis. survival well-being Ecological studies generally include: , such as reproductive behaviour, mortality and migrations; population processes , competition, parasitism and mutualism; interspecific relations such as predation plant and animal ; community structures (water, carbon, oxygen, phosphorus, ). biogeochemical cycles nitrogen Relations with other disciplines Ecological science is often closely related to other disciplines, such as Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics and Computer Science. Ecologists also depend on other sciences such as Climatology, Meteorology, Geology and Oceanography to learn about air, land and water environment. Ecology is an . Natural resource management, such as , management and habitat conservation, is directly related to ecological sciences and many problems in agriculture, urban development and public health are influenced by ecological considerations. The term ‘ecology’ has also been assumed for philosophical ideologies like cultural ecology and it is often used as a synonym for . applied science forestry wildlife 1 environmentalism WARM UP Are you interested in the environment and ecology? Do you think that environmental conservation is essential for the future of our planet? Why? MORE An abiotic factor is a nonliving part of an ecosystem (e.g., temperature, light), while biotic factors are living organisms that are part of an ecosystem. 1 DO Wikipedia defines ‘cultural ecology’ as . It is linked to ....................................... a. mathematics b. anthropology c. literature d. medicine 1 “the study of human adaptations to social and physical environments”