Ecology
A model should be as simple as possible. But no simpler. (A. Einstein)
- Ecology (生態学)
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The derivation of word 'ecology'
Ecology (Oecology, Oekologie) = Eco + logy = Oikos (=household or at home) + Logos (logics)
Cf. ecology and economy: Ecology surveys energy flow and economics surveys money flow; viz. "Economics" deals with functional housekeeping, and "Ecology" deals with environmental housekeeping.Definition
The totality or pattern of relations between organisms and their environment
If there are 100 ecologists, there are 100 kinds of definitions.
- The study of life on organisms (= environmental biology)
- General physiology about all organisms (narrow sense)
- The science of population (Clements)
- The scientific natural history - science of living things' economy and society (Elton 1927)
- The science dealing with the structure of nature or ecosystem, and Its relation to other sciences and its relevance to human civilization (Odum 1971)
- Study of the inter-relationships between organisms and their environments (Pianka 1978)
- Classification
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Scale or level
Synecology: Community ecology, ecosystem ecology, production ecology, etc.
Autoecology: Population ecology, genecology, sociobiology, etc.Materials
Animal ecology, plant ecology, fungal ecology, bacterial ecology, etc.
Study area
Ocean ecology, terrestrial ecology, alpine ecology, wetland ecology, etc.
- Hierarchy
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The focus of ecology is on the levels of organizaiton from organisms to ecosystems (or nature).
Table. Levels of organization spectrum. Ecology focuses on the top-and portion of the spectrum; viz. the levels of organization from organisms to ecosystems (modified from Odum 1971 & Krebs 2000).Top-down ⇓ nature ⇔ ↑↓ ⇑ ⇓ landscape ⇔ ↑↓ ⇑ ⇓ ecosystem (biosystem) ⇔ ↑↓ ecosystem (biosystem) ⇑ ⇓ communities (biome) ⇔ ↑↓ ⇑ ⇓ species ↑↓ ⇑ ⇓ populations ⇔ ↑↓energy population system ⇑ ⇓ organisms (individual) ⇔ ↑↓ organismic system ⇑ ⇓ organs ⇔ ↑↓ organ system ⇑ ⇓ cells ⇔ ↑↓ cell system ⇑ ⇓ subcellular organelles ⇔ ↑↓ ⇑ ⇓ genes ⇔ ↑↓matter genetic system ⇑ ⇓ molecules ⇔ ↑↓ ⇑ Bottom-up Any more level aids in the study of another level, but never completely explains the phenomena occurring at that level.
- References
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Lectures