ecology
Organisms and environments
Ecology is the study of how living things relate to each other and their environment—the web of interactions between organisms and the systems they inhabit.
The term extends to any complex of such relationships: the ecology of a coral reef, the ecology of the human gut.
Figuratively, ecology describes interconnected systems more broadly: the ecology of social media, the media ecology.
The related adjective ecological appears in phrases like ecological balance and ecological disaster.
Major ecological community
- biodiversityRange of life forms
- habitatOrganism's natural environment
- nicheRecessed wall space
- food webInterconnected predator-prey relationships
community · population · biotic · abiotic · producers · consumers · decomposers · energy flow
Capacity to endure indefinitely
- preservationMaintaining something's condition
- restorationReturning something to condition
- endangered speciesOrganisms facing extinction risk
- habitat lossElimination of living spaces
deforestation · rewilding · protected area · wildlife corridor · invasive species · extinction · reintroduction · stewardship
Small distinct living area
- breeding groundPlace where something proliferates
- nesting sitePlace for laying eggs
- territoryLand under jurisdiction
- home rangeAnimal's habitual area
den · burrow · roost · canopy · understory · forest floor · intertidal zone · benthic
Prevailing atmospheric conditions
- atmosphereGaseous layer around planets
- hydrospherePlanet's total water mass
- lithosphereCrust plus upper mantle
- biosphereAll life on Earth
soil · vegetation · precipitation · temperature · microclimate · watershed · aquifer · topography
Research in actual environments
- samplingExtracting subset for study
- transectObservation path for surveys
- quadratBlank typesetting block
- abundanceAmple supply, overflowing
distribution · modeling · biomass · remote sensing · mark-recapture
biome
Major ecological community
- biodiversityRange of life forms
- habitatOrganism's natural environment
- nicheRecessed wall space
food web · community · population · biotic · abiotic · producers · consumers · decomposers · energy flow · carrying capacity
sustainability
Capacity to endure indefinitely
- preservationMaintaining something's condition
- restorationReturning something to condition
- endangered speciesOrganisms facing extinction risk
habitat loss · deforestation · rewilding · protected area · wildlife corridor · invasive species · extinction · reintroduction · stewardship · carbon sequestration
microhabitat
Small distinct living area
- breeding groundPlace where something proliferates
- nesting sitePlace for laying eggs
- territoryLand under jurisdiction
home range · den · burrow · roost · canopy · understory · forest floor · intertidal zone · benthic · pelagic
climate
Prevailing atmospheric conditions
- atmosphereGaseous layer around planets
- hydrospherePlanet's total water mass
- lithosphereCrust plus upper mantle
biosphere · soil · vegetation · precipitation · temperature · microclimate · watershed · aquifer · topography · landform
paleoecology
Study of prehistoric ecosystems
field study
Research in actual environments
- samplingExtracting subset for study
- transectObservation path for surveys
- quadratBlank typesetting block
abundance · distribution · modeling · biomass · remote sensing · mark-recapture
- sciencesbiology, chemistry, physics, astronomy, geology
- conservationconservation, wildlife, endangered, habitat, sanctuary
- ecologyhabitat, balance, niche, food webs, food chain
- life sciencesbiology, medicine, botany, genetics, pharmacology
- natural historynatural history, natural history museum, naturalist, naturalists, natural philosophers
- natural sciencesbiology, botany, zoology, geology, genetics
ecologydestruction
Act of completely ruining
pollution · degradation · contamination · devastation · deforestation
ecologyphysiology
Science of bodily functions
molecular biology · histology · cytology · biochemistry · anatomy
ecologyindustrialism
Factory-based economic system
consumerism · exploitation · anthropocentrism · capitalism · techno-utopianism
- ecological balanceStable ecosystem state
- ecological footprintMeasure of resource demand
- ecological nicheSpecies' functional environmental position
- ecological harmDamage to natural systems
- ecological damageHarm to natural systems
- ecological impactEffect on ecosystems
ecological, ecologist, ecologically, ecologists, ecologies, agroecology