ecologist

American  

[ih-kol-uh-jist, ee-kol-] / ɪˈkɒl ə dʒɪst, iˈkɒl- /

noun

1. a scientist or researcher whose field of study involves the relationships and interactions between organisms and their environment.

   Ecosystem ecologists study how nutrients, energy, and water flow through an ecosystem.

2. an environmentalist.

   Like climate change activists and ecologists around the world, I feel passionately that the issue is crucial to the long-term well-being of the human race.

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Etymology

Origin of ecologist

ecolog(y) ( def. ) + -ist ( def. )

Explanation

An ecologist is a scientist who studies how animals and plants interact with their environment. If you spend hours watching television shows about animals, maybe you’ve got an ecologist inside you trying to get out. To be an ecologist, first you have to learn about ecology — the study of organisms and how they relate to their environment. Ecology is a word that comes from the Greek oikos, meaning “house.” Basically, ecologists study the environment like it’s a big house, and all the living creatures in it are roommates. Sounds like a lot of work, and it is.

Example Sentences

“The question everybody wants answered we can’t answer because we don’t have the data to do it,” said Adrian Das, research ecologist with the Western Ecological Research Center, as he stood amid the ceanothus.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 13, 2026

Caitlin O'Connell-Rodwell -- a behavioral ecologist and elephant expert who has focused on how the giant mammals communicate and detect signals through their feet -- called the findings "fascinating."

From Barron's • Feb. 12, 2026

Coyotes could be leaving the mainland because the Bay Area is becoming too crowded, Brett Furnas, a wildlife ecologist with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, told the Los Angeles Times.

From BBC • Jan. 30, 2026

The ecologist, who is studying the Angel Island pack, plans to launch a broader inquiry into how often coyotes swim across the bay and what happens when they do.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 20, 2026

The key to a healthy plant or animal community lies in what the British ecologist Charles Elton calls “the conservation of variety.”

From "Silent Spring" by Rachel Carson

Related Words

• biologist
• botanist
• conservationist
• environmentalist
• zoologist