Ecology (disciplines)
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added: Landscape ecology to Ecosystem ecology
'''[[Ecology]]''' is a broad biological science and can thus be divided into many sub-disciplines using various criteria. For example, one such categorization, based on overall complexity (from the least complex to the most), is:
* [[Behavioral ecology]], which studies the ecological and evolutionary basis for animal behavior, focusing largely at the level of the individual;
* [[Population ecology]] (or autecology), which deals with the dynamics of populations within species, and the interactions of these populations with environmental factors;
* [[Community ecology]] (or synecology) which studies the interactions between species within an ecological community;
* [[Ecosystem ecology]] and [[Landscape ecology]], which studies how flows of energy and matter interact with biotic elements of [[ecosystem]]s;
[[Ecology]] can also be classified on the basis of:
* the primary kinds of organism under study, e.g. [[animal ecology]], [[plant ecology]], [[insect ecology]];
* the [[biomes]] principally studied, e.g. [[forest ecology]], [[grassland ecology]], [[desert ecology]], [[benthic ecology]];
* the geographic or climatic area, e.g. [[arctic ecology]], [[tropical ecology]]
* the spatial scale under consideration, e.g. [[molecular ecology]], [[macroecology]], [[landscape ecology]];
* the philosophical approach, e.g. [[systems ecology]] which adopts a [[holistic]] approach;
Specialized branches of ecology include, among others:
* [[applied ecology]], the practice of employing ecological principles and understanding to solve real world problems (includes [[agroecology]] and [[conservation biology]]);
* [[biogeochemistry]], effect of biota on global chemistry, and the cycles of matter and energy that transport the Earth's chemical components in time and space.
* [[biogeography]], the study of the geographic distributions of species ;
* [[chemical ecology]], which deals with the ecological role of biological chemicals used in a wide range of areas including defense against predators and attraction of mates;
* [[conservation ecology]], which studies how to reduce the risk of species extinction;
* [[ecological succession]], which focuses on understanding directed vegetation change;
* [[ecophysiology]] which studies the interaction of physiological traits with the abiotic environment;
* [[ecotoxicology]], which looks at the ecological role of toxic chemicals (often [[pollutant]]s, but also naturally occurring compounds);
* [[evolutionary ecology]] or [[ecoevolution]] which looks at evolutionary changes in the context of the populations and communities in which the organisms exist;
* [[fire ecology]], which looks at the role of fire in the environment of plants and animals and its effect on ecological communities;
* [[functional ecology]], the study of the roles, or functions, that certain species (or groups thereof) play in an ecosystem;
* [[global ecology]], which examines ecological phenomena at the largest possible scale, addressing [[macroecology|macroecological]] questions;
* [[landscape ecology]], which studies the interactions between discrete elements of a [[landscape]];
* [[macroecology]], the study of large scale phenomena;
* [[marine ecology]], and [[aquatic ecology]], where the dominant environmental milieu is water;
* [[microbial ecology]], the ecology of micro-organisms;
* [[microecology]], the study of small scale phenomena;
* [[paleoecology]], which seeks to understand the relationships between species in fossil assemblages;
* [[restoration ecology]], which attempts to understand the ecological basis needed to restore impaired or damaged ecosystems;
* [[soil ecology]], the ecology of the pedosphere;
* [[theoretical ecology]], the development of ecological theory, usually with mathematical, statistical and/or computer modeling tools;
* [[urban ecology]], the study of ecosystems in urban areas.
Ecology also plays important roles in many inter-disciplinary fields:
* [[ecological design]] and [[ecological engineering]].
* [[ecological economics]].
* [[festive ecology]].
* [[human ecology]] and [[ecological anthropology]].
* [[social ecology]], [[ecological health]] and [[environmental psychology]].
Finally, ecology has also inspired (and lent its name to) other non-biological disciplines such as
* [[industrial ecology]].
* [[media ecology]].
* [[software ecology]] and [[information ecology]].
[[Category:Ecology]]