View source for Earth:Outline of ecology

{{short description|Scientific study of the relationships between living organisms and their environment}}
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The following [[Outline (list)|outline]] is provided as an overview of and topical guide to ecology:

'''[[Earth:Ecology|Ecology]]''' &ndash; scientific study of the distribution and abundance of living organisms and how the distribution and abundance are affected by [[Biology:Biological interaction|interactions]] between the organisms and their environment.  The environment of an organism includes both physical properties, which can be described as the sum of local abiotic factors such as [[Astronomy:Sun|solar]] insolation, [[Earth:Climate|climate]] and [[Earth:Geology|geology]], as well as the other organisms that share its habitat.  Also called '''ecological science'''.

 <!-- evolution of human and species..-->

==Essence of ecology==
* {{annotated link|Earth:Nature}}, or {{annotated link|Earth:Natural environment}}
* {{annotated link|Earth:Ecosystem}}, or {{annotated link|Biology:Biome}}
** {{annotated link|Biology:Community (ecology)}}, or {{annotated link|Earth:Biocoenosis}}
*** {{annotated link|Biology:Species}}
**** {{annotated link|Social:Population}}
* {{annotated link|Biology:Biodiversity}}
** {{annotated link|Biology:Food web}}

==Other criteria==
[[Earth:Ecology|Ecology]] can also be classified on the basis of:

* the primary kinds of organism under study, e.g. animal ecology, [[Biology:Plant ecology|plant ecology]], [[Biology:Insect ecology|insect ecology]];
* the biomes principally studied, e.g. [[Earth:Forest ecology|forest ecology]], grassland ecology, [[Earth:Desert ecology|desert ecology]], benthic ecology, marine ecology, [[Engineering:Urban ecology|urban ecology]];
* the geographic or climatic area, e.g. [[Earth:Arctic ecology|arctic ecology]], [[Earth:Tropical ecology|tropical ecology]];
* the spatial scale under consideration, e.g. [[Earth:Macroecology|macroecology]], [[Earth:Landscape ecology|landscape ecology]];
* the philosophical approach, e.g. [[Earth:Systems ecology|systems ecology]] which adopts a holistic approach;
* the methods used, e.g. [[Biology:Molecular ecology|molecular ecology]].

==Subdisciplines of ecology, and subdiscipline classification==
Ecology is a broad discipline comprising many subdisciplines. The field of ecology can be subdivided according to several classification schemes:

===By methodology used for investigation===
* {{annotated link|Field research|Field ecology}} &ndash;
* {{annotated link|Earth:Quantitative ecology}} &ndash;
* {{annotated link|Earth:Theoretical ecology}} &ndash; the development of ecological theory, usually with mathematical, statistical and/or computer modeling tools.

===By spatial scale of ecological system under study===
* {{annotated link|Biology:Biosphere|Global ecology}} &ndash;
* {{annotated link|Earth:Macroecology}} &ndash;
* {{annotated link|Biology:Microecology}}.

===By level of organisation or scope===
Arranged from lowest to highest [[Biology:Biological organisation|level of organisation]]:<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Jax |first1=Kurt |last2=Schwarz |first2=Astrid |title=The Fundamental Subdivisions of Ecology |journal=Ecology Revisited |date=2011 |pages=175–179 |doi=10.1007/978-90-481-9744-6_14|isbn=978-90-481-9743-9 }}</ref>
** {{annotated link|Biology:Population ecology}} &ndash; the study of homogenous groups of organisms related as a single species;
** {{annotated link|Biology:Community (ecology)|Community ecology}} &ndash; the study of heterogenous groups of organisms of multiple associated species;
** {{annotated link|Earth:Ecosystem ecology}}.

===By biological classification or taxon under study===
* {{annotated link|Biology:Insect ecology}} &ndash;
* {{annotated link|Earth:Microbial ecology}} &ndash;
* {{annotated link|Biology:Plant ecology}}.

===By biome under study===
* {{annotated link|Earth:Desert ecology}} &ndash;
* {{annotated link|Earth:Forest ecology}} &ndash;
* {{annotated link|Earth:Grassland|Grassland ecology}} &ndash;
* {{annotated link|Engineering:Urban ecology}}.

===By biogeographic realm or climatic area under study===
* {{annotated link|Earth:Arctic ecology}} &ndash;
* {{annotated link|Earth:Polar ecology}} &ndash;
* {{annotated link|Earth:Tropical ecology}}.

===By ecological aspects or phenomena under investigation===
* {{annotated link|Biology:Behavioral ecology}} &ndash;
* {{annotated link|Medicine:Disease ecology}} &ndash; which studies host-pathogen interactions, particularly those of infectious diseases, within the context of environmental factors;
* {{annotated link|Earth:Ecophysiology}} &ndash; which studies the interaction of physiological traits with the abiotic environment;
* {{annotated link|Biology:Evolutionary ecology}} &ndash; or ecoevolution which looks at evolutionary changes in the context of the populations and communities in which the organisms exist;
* {{annotated link|Earth:Fire ecology}} &ndash; which looks at the role of fire in the environment of plants and animals and its effect on ecological communities;
* {{annotated link|Earth:Functional ecology}} &ndash; the study of the roles, or functions, that certain species (or groups thereof) play in an ecosystem;
* {{annotated link|Biology:Genetic ecology}} &ndash;
* {{annotated link|Earth:Landscape ecology}} &ndash;
** {{annotated link|Biology:Landscape limnology}} &ndash;
* {{annotated link|Biology:Molecular ecology}} &ndash;
* {{annotated link|Earth:Paleoecology}} &ndash;
* {{annotated link|Biology:Soil ecology}} &ndash; the ecology of the pedosphere &ndash;
* {{annotated link|Earth:Sensory ecology}} &ndash;
* {{annotated link|Biology:Spatial ecology}} &ndash;
* {{annotated link|Physics:Thermal ecology}} &ndash; the study of the relationship between temperature and organisms.

===Ecology-involved interdisciplinary fields===
* {{annotated link|Earth:Agroecology}} &ndash;
* {{annotated link|Earth:Applied ecology}} &ndash; the practice of employing ecological principles and understanding to solve real world problems (includes [[Earth:Agroecology|agroecology]] and [[Biology:Conservation biology|conservation biology]]);
** {{annotated link|Biology:Conservation biology|Conservation ecology}} &ndash; which studies how to reduce the risk of species extinction;
** {{annotated link|Biology:Restoration ecology}} &ndash; which attempts to understand the ecological basis needed to restore impaired or damaged ecosystems;
* {{annotated link|Chemistry:Biogeochemistry}} &ndash;
* {{annotated link|Earth:Biogeography}} &ndash;
* {{annotated link|Earth:Ecological design}} &ndash;
* {{annotated link|Social:Ecological economics}} &ndash;
* {{annotated link|Earth:Ecological engineering}} &ndash;
* {{annotated link|Social:Ecological anthropology}} &ndash;
** {{annotated link|Earth:Festive ecology}} &ndash;
* {{annotated link|Earth:Ecosophy}} &ndash;
* {{annotated link|Social:Environmental psychology}} &ndash;
* {{annotated link|Earth:Natural history}} &ndash;
* {{annotated link|Earth:Systems ecology}} &ndash;

===Other disciplines===
Ecology has also inspired (and lent its name to) other non-biological disciplines such as:
* [[Biology:Media ecology|Media ecology]]
* [[Engineering:Industrial ecology|Industrial ecology]]
* [[Biology:Information ecology|Information ecology]]

==Biogeographic regions==
[[File:Ecozones.svg|thumb|400px|right|Map of six of the world's eight terrestrial realms
{{legend|#a6b866|Nearctic}}
{{legend|#b75a5a|Palearctic}}
{{legend|#7188a5|Afrotropic}}
{{legend|#c09551|Indomalaya}}
{{legend|#d78637|[[Biology:Australasian realm|Australasia]]}}
{{legend|#a18fa4|Neotropic}}
{{legend|#f9f9f9|[[Biology:Oceanian realm|Oceania]] and [[Biology:Antarctic realm|Antarctic]] realms not shown}}]]

* {{annotated link|Biology:Biosphere}}

===Terrestrial realms===

{{annotated link|Biology:Biogeographic realm}}. The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) developed a system of eight [[Biology:Biogeographic realm|biogeographic realm]]s (ecozones):
* {{annotated link|Biology:Australasian realm|Australasian}} 7.7 mil. km<sup>2</sup> (including {{wipe|Australia}}, New Guinea, and neighbouring islands).  The northern boundary of this zone is known as the Wallace line.
* {{annotated link|Biology:Oceanian realm|Oceanian}} 1.0 mil. km<sup>2</sup> (including [[Place:Polynesia|Polynesia]], Fiji and [[Place:Micronesia|Micronesia]])
* {{annotated link|Biology:Antarctic realm|Antarctic}} 0.3 mil. km<sup>2</sup> (including [[Earth:Antarctica|Antarctica]]).

===Ecoregions===

{{annotated link|Earth:Ecoregion}}

The World has over 800 terrestrial ecoregions.  ''See [[Earth:Lists of ecoregions by country|Lists of ecoregions by country]].''

==History of ecology==
{{annotated link|Earth:History of ecology}}
* History of human ecology

==General ecology concepts==
* {{annotated link|Earth:Ecological succession}}
** {{annotated link|Earth:Primary succession}}
*** {{annotated link|Earth:Pioneer species}}
*** {{annotated link|Earth:Ruderal species}}
*** {{annotated link|Earth:Supertramp (ecology)|Supertramp}}
** {{annotated link|Earth:Secondary succession}}
* {{annotated link|Earth:Carrying capacity}}
** {{annotated link|Biology:Ecological collapse}}
* {{annotated link|Biology:Competitive exclusion principle}}
* {{annotated link|Biology:Autotroph}}
* {{annotated link|Biology:Bacteria}}
* {{annotated link|Biology:Biomass}}
* {{annotated link|Chemistry:Biotic material}}
* {{annotated link|Earth:Carbon cycle}}
* {{annotated link|Earth:Climate}}
* {{annotated link|Biology:Ecological selection}}
* {{annotated link|Astronomy:Gaia hypothesis}}
* {{annotated link|Social:Natural resource}}
* {{annotated link|Biology:Monoculture}}
* {{annotated link|Medicine:Decomposition}}
** {{annotated link|Chemistry:Organic matter}}
** {{annotated link|Earth:Detritus}}
* {{annotated link|Earth:Ecological crisis}}
* {{annotated link|Earth:Ecological extinction}}
* {{annotated link|Unsolved:Ecophagy}}
* {{annotated link|Biology:Ecological niche}}
* [[Biology:Niche differentiation|Niche differentiation]] – The process by which competing species use the environment differently in a way that helps them to coexist.
*{{annotated link|Biology:Biological interaction}}
**{{annotated link|Earth:Ecological facilitation}}
***{{annotated link|Biology:Mutualism|Mutualism}}
***{{annotated link|Biology:Commensalism}}
** [[Earth:Coexistence theory|Coexistence theory]] – A framework to understand and explain how ecologically similar species can coexist without competitively excluding each other
** {{annotated link|Biology:Competition|Competition}}
**{{annotated link|Earth:Predation}}
**{{annotated link|Earth:Parasitism}}
*{{annotated link|Earth:Sexecology}}

==See also==
* {{annotated link|Earth:Bibliography of ecology}}
* {{annotated link|Biology:Biology}}
** {{annotated link|Biology:Outline of biology}}
** {{annotated link|Biology:Index of biology articles}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* [http://www.barrameda.com.ar/ecology What is Ecology?]
* [http://www.econguru.com/fundamentals_of_ecology/ Fundamentals of Ecology] Textbook-style investigation to the economy of nature, breaks down in four chapters from Population to Ecosystem.
* [http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/ecology/ Ecology (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy)]

[[Category:Outlines of sciences|Ecology]]
[[Category:Outlines|Ecology]]
[[Category:Ecology|*]]

{{Sourceattribution|Outline of ecology}}