1 ECOLOGY WHAT IS ECOLOGY? Are you interested in the environment and ecology? Do you think that environmental conservation is essential for the future of our planet? Why? 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. Wikipedia defines cultural ecology as the study of human adaptations to social and physical environments . It is linked to ....................................... a. mathematics b. anthropology c. literature d. medicine ONLINE RESOURCES The water cycle 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 M bius (1825-1908), made many significant contributions to environmental studies. The word ecology (from Greek o kos, house and logos, study of ) was first coined by the German biologist Ernst Haekel in 1866. He defined it as the comprehensive science of the relationship of the organism to the environment . 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 share a habitat. Scientists who study these relationships are called ecologists. 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 survival and well-being depend on relationships that exist on a world-wide basis. A Hawaian sea turtle comprehensive: globale forestry: silvicoltura nitrogen: azoto to share: condividere well-being: benessere wildlife: flora e fauna selvatiche 14 THE ENVIRONMENT Galapagos sea lions Ecological studies generally include: population processes, such as reproductive behaviour, mortality and migrations; interspecific relations such as predation, competition, parasitism and mutualism; plant and animal community structures; biogeochemical cycles (water, carbon, oxygen, phosphorus, 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 applied science. Natural resource management, such as forestry, wildlife 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 environmentalism.