ecology

Also known as ecological science

Ecology () is the natural science of the relationships among living organisms and their environment. Ecology considers organisms at the individual, population, community, ecosystem, and biosphere levels. Ecology overlaps with the closely related sciences of biogeography, evolutionary biology, genetics, ethology, and natural history.

AI overview

Ecology is the science that studies how living organisms relate to each other and to their surroundings, examining everything from individual animals to entire ecosystems and the whole biosphere. Understanding these relationships matters because it helps us comprehend how the natural world works and how different species depend on one another and their environment.

AI-generated from the Wikipedia summary — may contain errors.

Research

335,036 papers

The Sensory Ecology of Speciation.ReviewCold Spring Harbor perspectives in biology · 2024Dalbosco Dell'Aglio D, Rivas-Sánchez DF, Wright DS et al.DOI: 10.1101/cshperspect.a041428
Ecology and evolution of cycad-feeding Lepidoptera.ReviewEcology letters · 2020Whitaker MRL, Salzman SDOI: 10.1111/ele.13581
A century of statistical Ecology.ReviewEcology · 2024Gilbert NA, Amaral BR, Smith OM et al.DOI: 10.1002/ecy.4283
Ecosystem ecology needs an ecology of molecules.ReviewTrends in ecology & evolution · 2025Freeman EC, Peller T, Altermatt FDOI: 10.1016/j.tree.2024.12.006
The macroecology of landscape ecology.ReviewTrends in ecology & evolution · 2022Banks-Leite C, Betts MG, Ewers RM et al.DOI: 10.1016/j.tree.2022.01.005
The Next Generation of Microbial Ecology and Its Importance in Environmental Sustainability.ReviewMicrobial ecology · 2023Lemke M, DeSalle RDOI: 10.1007/s00248-023-02185-y
Trait-based ecology, trait-free ecology, and in between.ReviewThe New phytologist · 2025Westoby MDOI: 10.1111/nph.20197
Ecology: correct the digital data divide.Nature · 2023Sethi S, Ewers RM, Balakrishnan RDOI: 10.1038/d41586-023-01481-4

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Wikidata facts

Image: Grib skov.jpg

Show 4 more facts

Commons category: Ecology
Stack Exchange tag: biology.stackexchange.com/tags/ecology
P8168: Gaon
NCI Thesaurus ID: C16526

Sources (7)

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~46 min read

Article

47 sections

Contents

Levels, scope, and scale of organization
Hierarchy
Biodiversity
Habitat
Niche
Niche construction
Biome
Biosphere
Population ecology
Metapopulations and migration
Community ecology
Ecosystem ecology
Food webs
Trophic levels
Keystone species
Complexity
Holism
Relation to evolution
Behavioural ecology
Cognitive ecology
Social ecology
Coevolution
Biogeography
r/K selection theory
Molecular ecology
Human ecology
A dual discipline
Restoration Ecology
Relation to the environment
Disturbance and resilience
Metabolism and the early atmosphere
Radiation: heat, temperature and light
Physical environments
Water
Gravity
Pressure
Wind and turbulence
Fire
Soils
Biogeochemistry and climate
History
Early beginnings
Since 1900
See also
Notes
References
External links

Ecology is a branch of biology, and is the study of abundance, biomass, and distribution of organisms in the context of the environment. It encompasses life processes, interactions, and adaptations; movement of materials and energy through living communities; successional development of ecosystems; cooperation, competition, and predation within and between species; and patterns of biodiversity and its effect on ecosystem processes.