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. )

Example Sentences

On a recent tour of the Pacoima insectary, Nicolas Tremblay, a senior vector ecologist with the district, whipped out a small container filled with a handful of what looked like vitamins.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 22, 2026

While heavy winter rain is normal for the region, Prof Dave Hodgson - an ecologist at the University of Exeter's Cornwall campus - said the volume and persistence this season felt "a bit apocalyptic".

From BBC • Mar. 1, 2026

So British marine ecologist Andrew Sweetman, who led the 2024 research that revealed the possible existence of dark oxygen, is planning a new underwater expedition in the coming months.

From Barron's • Jan. 20, 2026

“We keep seeing these oak groves getting infested and declining, and a lot of oak mortality,” said Beatriz Nobua-Behrmann, an ecologist with UC Agriculture and Natural Resources, or UCANR.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 10, 2026

This worldwide migration has been studied and graphically described by the British ecologist Charles Elton in his recent book The Ecology of Invasions.

From "Silent Spring" by Rachel Carson

Related Words

• biologist
• botanist
• conservationist
• environmentalist
• zoologist