ecology

[ ih-kol-uh-jee, ee-kol- ]

noun

, plural e·col·o·gies

1. the branch of biology dealing with the relations and interactions between organisms and their environment, including other organisms.
2. the set of relationships existing between organisms and their environment:

   Inflowing rivers introduce nutrients and sediments that are important for the ecology of the lake.

3. the set of relationships existing between any complex system and its surroundings or environment:

   In the ecology of healthcare, both politics and technology play a key role.

4. Also called human ecology. the branch of sociology concerned with the spacing and interdependence of people and institutions.
5. advocacy for the protection of natural resources from pollution or its effects; environmentalism.

ecology

/ ɪˈkɒlədʒɪ /

noun

1. the study of the relationships between living organisms and their environment
2. the set of relationships of a particular organism with its environment
3. the study of the relationships between human groups and their physical environment

ecology

/ ĭ-kŏl′ə-jē /

1. The scientific study of the relationships between living things and their environments.
2. Also called bionomics
3. A system of such relationships within a particular environment.

ecology

1. The study of living things, their environment, and the relation between the two.

Derived Forms

• eˈcologist, noun

Other Words From

• ec·o·log·i·cal [ek-, uh, -, loj, -i-k, uh, l, ee-k, uh, -], ec·o·log·ic adjective
• ec·o·log·i·cal·ly adverb
• e·col·o·gist noun
• un·ec·o·log·i·cal adjective
• un·ec·o·log·i·cal·ly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of ecology¹

First recorded in 1870–75; earlier oecology, from German Ökologie, from Greek oîk(os) “house, dwelling” + -o- + German -logie -logy; term introduced by E. H. Haeckel (1834–1919)

Word History and Origins

Origin of ecology¹

C19: from German Ökologie, from Greek oikos house (hence, environment)

Synonym Study

See ecosystem ( def ).

Example Sentences

Citizen science is a big part of park ecology science, she says, so if visitors see and photograph tracks or scat, or participate in surveys like with the Cascades Wolverine Project, reports that ecologists can follow up on.

From Popular-Science

In the early ’80s, I remember writing a proposal to study the interactions and ecology of microorganisms.

From Quanta Magazine

He also has studied hornet ecology at the Taiwan Forestry Research Institute.

From Science News For Students

She’s a biologist who studies evolution and ecology at the Center for Ecological Research in Debrecen, Hungary.

From Science News For Students

The idea has provoked debate across the fields of ecology and animal behavior for more than two decades.

From Quanta Magazine

The gym—a fragile collective of human ecology at the best of times—has suddenly become even more tense.

From The Daily Beast

He could be remade into a defender of the environment, a preserver of habitats and champion of rainforest ecology.

From The Daily Beast

In the case of great apes at least, a new study in the Journal of Animal Ecology suggests the answer is yes.

From The Daily Beast

And of course one needs to convince the French Ministries of Culture and of Ecology that the application makes sense.

From The Daily Beast

“I was pleasantly surprised,” Rachel McQueen, assistant human ecology professor at the university, said.

From The Daily Beast

They were well informed in plant and animal ecology, and in knowledge of range of species.

From Project Gutenberg

The youngest branch of Botany is Ecology or the study of vegetation in relation to habitat—particularly soil in its widest sense.

From Project Gutenberg

I wonder if modern ecologists know of these records made long before ecology was invented?

From Project Gutenberg

Variation, distribution, and ecology of the Mexican teiid lizard Cnemidophorus calidipes.

From Project Gutenberg

Notes on the variation, distribution, and ecology of the iguanid lizard Enyaliosaurus clarki.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• conservation
• preservation