ECOLOGY: ITS MEANING AND SCOPE

	THE PROBLEM OF DEFINING "ECOLOGY"

		ECOLOGY - DERIVED FROM THE GREEK
		OIKOS  (HOME)

			KEY WORDS APPEARING IN 
			DEFINITIONS OF ECOLOGY

				STRUCTURE; FUNCTION; NATURE; 
				DISTRIBUTION; ABUNDANCE; 
				INTERACTIONS; PHYSICAL FACTORS; 
				CHEMICAL FACTORS; ENVIRONMENT; 
				ADAPTATIONS; TEMPORAL
				PATTERNS; SPATIAL PATTERNS ETC.

			WORKING DEFINITION OF SMITH

				ECOLOGY IS THE STUDY OF THE 
				STRUCTURE AND FUNCTION OF 
				NATURE. STRUCTURE INCLUDES THE 
				DISTRIBUTION AND ABUNDANCE OF 
				ORGANISMS AS INFLUENCED BY THE 
				BIOTIC AND ABIOTIC ELEMENTS OF 
				THE ENVIRONMENT; AND FUNCTION 
				INCLUDES ALL ASPECTS OF THE 
				GROWTH AND INTERACTION OF 
				POPULATIONS, INCLUDING 
				COMPETITION, PREDATION, 
				PARASITISM, MUTUALISM, AND 
				TRANSFERS OF NUTRIENTS AND 
				ENERGY AMONG THEM.

	THE COMPLEX ORIGINS OF ECOLOGY 

		- CAN BE TRACED TO EARLY (GREEK) 
		WRITINGS ABOUT THE INTERACTIONS OF 
		ORGANISMS AND THE ENVIRONMENT

		- CAN BE FOUND IN THE WRITINGS OF THE 
		EARLY EVOLUTIONISTS (E.G., DARWIN AND 
		WALLACE)
		- MAY BE FOUND IN THE NATURALIST 
		PHILOSOPHY OF WRITERS LIKE THOREAU

		- ARE OFTEN CLAIMED TO BE FOUND IN THE 
		WORK OF THE EARLY PLANT GEOGRAPHERS

			THEY NOTICED THAT 

				DIFFERENT CLIMATES RESULT IN 
				PLANT ASSOCIATIONS OF 
				DIFFERENT PHYSIOGNOMIES

					AND THAT SIMILAR CLIMATES IN 
					GEOGRAPHICALLY WIDELY 
					SEPARATED PLACES TEND TO 
					HAVE SIMILAR PLANT 
					ASSOCIATIONS

				VEGETATION IN ANY ONE PLACE 
				CHANGES OVER TIME (SUCCESSION)

		- CAN BE FOUND IN THE DIFFERENT 
		EMPHASES OF OTHER SUBDISCIPLINES THAT 
		CONTRIBUTED TO "ECOLOGY"

			ANIMAL ECOLOGY - 

				EMPHASIS ON TROPHIC STRUCTURE, 
				ENERGY BUDGETS, POPULATION 
				DYNAMICS, NATURAL SELECTION 
				AND EVOLUTION

				AND

				BEHAVIOR (ETHOLOGY, BEHAVIORAL 
				ECOLOGY)

			PHYSIOLOGICAL ECOLOGY

				EMPHASIS ON HOW PHYSIOLOGICAL 
				TOLERANCES OF ORGANISMS (E.G., 
				MOISTURE, TEMPERATURE) AFFECT 
				DISTRIBUTION
				AND

				THE ROLE OF PHYSIOLOGICAL 
				PRODUCTS (CHEMICAL SUBSTANCES) 
				IN DEFENSE, SPECIES RECOGNITION, 
				COURTSHIP ETC.)

			POPULATION ECOLOGY

				EMPHASIS ON POPULATION GROWTH, 
				REGULATION AND COMPETITION 
				(BOTH INTRA- AND INTERSPECIFIC)

				AND 

				TOGETHER WITH POPULATION 
				GENETICS, THE EVOLUTIONARY 
				DEVELOPMENT OF POPULATION 
				PHENOMENA

			ECOSYSTEM ECOLOGY

				EMPHASIS ON QUANTITATIVE 
				INTERACTIONS OF PLANTS AND 
				ANIMALS OF THE SAME COMMUNITY 
				IN CYCLING NUTRIENTS AND 
				PASSING ENERGY FROM ONE TROPHIC 
				LEVEL TO THE NEXT

	TENSIONS WITHIN ECOLOGY 

		(DICHOTOMIES OF APPROACH, OPINION 
		AND PHILOSOPHY)

		PLANT VS. ANIMAL ECOLOGY

		ORGANISMAL VS. INDIVIDUALISTIC 
		ECOLOGY

			PLANT COMMUNITIES MAY BE THOUGHT 
			OF AS "SUPERORGANISMS"

			OR, AS
			A CHANCE COLLECTION OF INDIVIDUAL 
			SPECIES

		HOLISM VS. REDUCTIONISM

			HOLISM - ECOSYSTEMS HAVE UNIQUE 
			EMERGENT PROPERTIES (E.G., NUTRIENT 
			CYCLING AND ENERGY FLOW) 

				"THE WHOLE IS GREATER THAN THE 
				SUM OF ITS PARTS"

			REDUCTIONISM - ECOSYSTEM PHENOMENA SUCH AS 
			NUTRIENT CYCLING AND ENERGY FLOW ARE 
			PREDICTABLE FROM THE ROLE PLAYED 
			BY EACH SPECIES/INDIVIDUAL

				"THE WHOLE IS EQUAL TO THE SUM 
				OF ITS PARTS"

		THEORETICAL VS. APPLIED ECOLOGY