Introduction to Ecology

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Questions and Answers

What was the environmental movement of the late 1960s and early 1970s concerned with?

Studying the relationships between organisms and their environment

Understanding chemistry and physics

Protecting the natural environment (correct)

Describing organisms and their environment

What is ecology, according to the accepted definition?

The study of the physical and chemical conditions

The study of the natural environment

The study of plants and animals around us

The study of the relationships between organisms and their environment (correct)

What does the term ecology come from?

The Greek words oikos and biology

The Greek words oikos and logy (correct)

The Latin words domus and science

The French words maison and environ

Who originally coined the term ecology in 1866?

Ernst Haeckel Signup and view all the answers

What is the focus of early plant ecologists?

Terrestrial vegetation Signup and view all the answers

What marked the beginning of ecosystem ecology?

The use of the terms producers and consumers Signup and view all the answers

Who wrote about the relations between organisms and the environment?

Theophrastus Signup and view all the answers

What provides a descriptive account of organisms and their environment?

Natural history Signup and view all the answers

What is the foundation of the study of evolution and adaptation?

Both Mendel's work on inheritance and Darwin's work on natural selection Signup and view all the answers

What is the focus of physiological ecology?

Responses of individual organisms to environmental conditions Signup and view all the answers

What is the study of chemical substances in the natural world?

Chemical ecology Signup and view all the answers

What is the study of the effects of radiation on the environment and living organisms?

Radiation ecology Signup and view all the answers

What is the subfield of ecology that deals with the application of ecology to human needs?

Applied ecology Signup and view all the answers

What is the study of the physical and biological structure of communities and community development?

Community ecology Signup and view all the answers

What is the study of the causes behind landscape patterns and the ecological consequences of spatial patterns?

Landscape ecology Signup and view all the answers

What is the study of the interaction of parameters and predicting effects?

Ecological modeling Signup and view all the answers

Study Notes

Introduction to Ecology and Ecosystem

Ecology was not widely known until the environmental movement of the 1960s and 1970s.
Environmentalism is activism aimed at protecting the natural environment.
Environment refers to everything that surrounds us and affects our ability to live on the earth.

Meaning of Ecology

Ecology is a science that studies the relationships between organisms and their environment.
The term "ecology" comes from the Greek words "oikos" (home or place to live) and "logy" (study of).
German zoologist Ernst Haeckel coined the term "ecology" in 1866 to refer to the inter-relationships of living organisms and their environment.

Complexity of Ecology's Roots

Ecology has complex roots, unlike other sciences with direct genealogy.
The roots of ecology can be traced back to ancient Greek scholar Theophrastus, who wrote about the relationships between organisms and the environment.
Ecology as we know it today has roots in natural history, which provides a descriptive account of organisms and their environment.

Branches of Ecology

Ecosystem ecology: the study of whole living systems.
Population ecology: concerned with population growth, intraspecific and interspecific competition, mutualism, and predation.
Physiological ecology: concerned with the responses of individual organisms to temperature, moisture, light, and other environmental conditions.
Community ecology: deals with the physical and biological structure of communities and community development.
Landscape ecology: the study of causes behind landscape patterns and the ecological consequences of spatial patterns on the landscape.
Ethology: the study of animal reactions to their living and nonliving environment.
Chemical ecology: the study of chemical substances in the natural world, including their use in plant and animal defense.
Ecological modeling: the use of mathematical models to relate interaction of parameters and predict effects.
Radiation ecology: deals with the study of the effect of radiation on the environment and living organisms.
Applied ecology: the application of the science of ecology to human needs.

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Description

Discover the basics of ecology, a science that studies the relationships between organisms and their environment, and learn about environmentalism and the importance of protecting our planet.