Chapter 1: Introduction to Ecology
- Page ID
- 63844
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- 1.1: The Science of Biology
- In simple terms, biology is the study of living organisms and their interactions with one another and their environments. This is a very broad definition because the scope of biology is vast. Biologists may study anything from the microscopic or submicroscopic view of a cell to ecosystems and the whole living planet.
- 1.2: The Scope of Ecology
- Ecology is the study of the interactions of living organisms with their environment. One core goal of ecology is to understand the distribution and abundance of living things in the physical environment. Attainment of this goal requires the integration of scientific disciplines inside and outside of biology, such as biochemistry, physiology, evolution, biodiversity, molecular biology, geology, and climatology.
- 1.4: Role of theory
- From its early days, ecology has been in part a theoretical– mathematical science, and it is now also a computational science. Mathematical theory arises where systems are relatively simple. In our modern era, computation can address somewhat more complex systems, though creating computations on complex systems that satisfy the basic tenets of science is still problematic. For very complex systems, narrative is all we have available.