Ecology (disciplines) 1628599 196243886 2008-03-06T08:26:41Z 194.13.8.2 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]]