The environment is what surrounds us. Ecosystems are the interactions betweenThe environment is the space in which all living things exist and thrive. The environment is the place where living things live. An ecosystem is a community in which biotic and abiotic elements coexist and interact with one another.People study ecology because it looks at how organisms interact with each other and their environment. They are called ecologists, and they are scientists who study how things work together in the world. There are a lot of ways to study ecology, and they all have different goals. Some types of ecology are landscape ecology, population ecology, and behavioural ecology, to name just a few.
Ecology is defined :
Science’s investigation of the factors controlling organisms’ distribution and abundance as well as their interplay with one another, as well as their interactions with other species and their interactions with the transformation and flux of energy and matter.
Our definition is distinctive in that it emphasises a number of important points:
- Beginning with organisms, aggregations of organisms, or systems that incorporate organisms or their by-products as a starting point
- Ecology is constrained by the boundaries of the biological and physical sciences.
- The diversity of topics covered by the field of ecology
- The examination of both biotic and abiotic parts of nature in the same context
- Abiotic and biotic features of nature might be emphasised in varying quantities depending on the ecological specialisation studied.
- Despite the fact that different specialties may stress the effect of organisms (and the systems that contain themInteractions between organisms and the physical world might take place in both directions depending on the creature.
- The line between the abiotic and biotic parts of ecology is becoming increasingly blurred.
- The emphasis of the discipline is on “processes,” “interactions,” and “relationships,” rather than on physical entities in and of themselves.
Environmental science (also known as ecology) was first described in the mid-19th century, when biology was a very different study than it is today.
Scientist Ernst Haeckel is credited with providing the first formal explanation of nature. He defined ecology as the study of interactions between organisms and their habitats. There have been numerous additional definitions of ecology offered throughout the past century and a half in order to represent the development of the discipline, to establish new specialties, and to delineate distinct disciplinary domains.
There are three prevalent definitions of ecology that are widely accepted
One definition comes from the Haeckelian form, which is the study of the interaction between organisms and their surrounding environment.
The second definition, which is likely the most frequently cited, regards ecology to be the study of the distribution and abundance of organisms, with the term “abundance” being synonymous with “abundance of organisms” (Andrewartha and Birch 1954).
The third definition of ecology focuses on the study of ecosystems as a whole (Odum 1971).Each of the three types of definitions has its own set of limitations and advantages. Ecology distinguishes itself by providing an all-encompassing and comprehensive view of nature, rather than a fragmented one.
The second and third concepts of ecology are combined in our definition of ecology. This new overall definition tries to bridge the spectrum of ecological methods, with the purpose of fostering synthesis and integration as a result of its introduction.
The first definition is as follows:
The classical Haeckelian concept of nature stresses both the living and non-living components of the natural world, whereas the contemporary definition focuses only the living. However, as a reflection of its time period, it emphasises the fact that organisms are the most relevant representation of the biotic universe.
Microbes, chemical products of creatures in the environment, and ecological systems at bigger dimensions or higher hierarchical levels than species were all overlooked by the mid-19th century, which had a predominantly macroscopic perspective of the world.
The second definition is as follows
Andrewartha and Birch (1954) re-emphasised the importance of the organism as the central element of ecology in their work. It is obvious from their research that both the abiotic and biotic environments are important factors determining species’ ranges and populations’ abundance and dispersion.
In acknowledgement of the significance of climatic variations, for example, they demonstrate their commitment to the environment. In its application, the notion of Andrewartha and Birch, on the other hand, has frequently been associated with a primarily biotic orientation.
In recent years, this term has served as something of a rallying cry for community and population-centered ecological thinking. Clearly, this concept has not prompted further research of the frontiers of ecology and the physical environment in conjunction with the sciences of the physical environment.
The third definition is as follows:
Odum (1971) began with the Haeckelian definition, but his aim to build a new sort of ecology — ecosystem ecology — took him further away from it than most other ecologists had gone before him.
He made numerous claims about the scope of ecology, including the difficult-to-interpret statement that ecology was essentially environmental biology, which is tough to understand. His description of ecology as the study of the structure and function of nature was the most accurate representation of his style of ecosystem thinking.
Although many ecologists have found Odum’s strong dependence on emergent features and resuscitation of super organismic thinking to be problematic, his loosening of the bonds of Haeckel’s focus on the organism has shown to be beneficial.
The drawbacks and advantages of the three different definitions of ecology
The first definition has the advantage of being straightforward and emphasising both the biotic and abiotic parts of nature. This is a positive aspect.
On the negative side, it places an excessive amount of stress on the organism as the focal point. Haeckelian assertions should always be framed as the investigation of relationships rather than the investigation of organisms in relation to their environment. The variation in emphasis may appear to be insignificant, yet it demonstrates the flaw in Haeckel’s definition of the term.
In that it places a strong emphasis on quantifiable and clear factors, the second definition is a step forward, but it falls short because it leaves out a number of essential ecological themes.
However, it should be noted that the third definition is not limited to patterns or creatures, but rather acknowledges that ecology is about processes.
All of the definitions begin with the concept of organisms as a starting point. The fact that ecology can investigate all kinds of systems (in the broadest sense) that involve organisms and their products is not explicitly stated in all of the examples.
INTRODUCTION TO ENVIRONMENT ECOLOGY AND ECOSYSTEM:
The word “Ecology” comes from two Greek words: oikos, which means “house,” and logos, which means “study.” The word was coined by Ernest Haeckel. Ecology is the study of nature’s structure and function, according to prominent ecologist Eugene Pleasants Odum. Ecology is the study of the interactions between organisms and their physical environment. Ecology is the study of the interactions of organisms with their physical environment. Organizations and their physical environments are interrelated and mutually dependent. These elements constitute a well-organized structure. The environment influences and modifies the organisms. Organisms affect and change the environment. This process creates various habitats.
Abiotic and biotic variables that influence an organism’s life and reproduction make up the environment.
There are two types of habitats:
Environmentally abiotic: also known as physical or natural. Environments including air, water, and land are non-living. abiotic variables include climatic influences such as sunlight and precipitation.
Biotic environment (sometimes called biological or organic environment) : This environment is responsible for life’s growth, reproduction, and survival. The biological environment includes all living things on earth.
CONCLUSION:
From the following article we can conclude that,The interplay between the environment and living things make up ecosystems. The environment is the setting in which all living things exist. The ecosystem is the space where living and nonliving things interact. Ecology is studied because it examines how organisms interact with one another and with their surroundings. They’re known as ecologists, and they’re scientists who research how things interact in the real world. There are numerous approaches to studying ecology, each with its own set of objectives. Landscape ecology, population ecology, and behavioural ecology are only a few examples of ecology.