1. Ecology Ecology (from Greek: ο ἶ κος, "house"; - λογία, "study of") is the scientific study of the relations that living organisms have with respect to each other and their natural environment.

2. Ecology Variables of interest to ecologists include the composition, distribution, amount (biomass), number, and changing states of organisms within and among ecosystems.

3. Ecology 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).

4. Ecology 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.

5. Ecology Ecosystems create biophysical feedback mechanisms between living (biotic) and nonliving (abiotic) components of the planet.

6. Ecology These feedback loops regulate and sustain local communities, continental climate systems, and global biogeochemical cycles.

7. Ecology Ecology is a sub-discipline of biology,[citation needed][dubious – discuss] the study of life. The word "ecology" (" Ö kologie") was coined in 1866 by the German scientist Ernst Haeckel (1834 – 1919).

8. Ecology 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.

9. Ecology Modern ecology branched out of natural history and matured into a more rigorous 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.

10. Ecology Ecology is not synonymous with environment, environmentalism, natural history or environmental science.It is closely related to physiology, evolutionary biology, genetics and ethology.

11. Ecology An understanding of how biodiversity affects ecological function is an important focus area in ecological studies. Ecologists seek to explain: Life processes and adaptations Distribution and abundance of organisms The movement of materials and energy through living communities The successional development of ecosystems, and The abundance and distribution of biodiversity in context of the environment.

12. Ecology 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).

13. Ecology Ecosystems sustain every life- supporting function on the planet, including climate regulation, water filtration, soil formation (pedogenesis), food, fibers, medicines, erosion control, and many other natural features of scientific, historical or spiritual value