ekológii

Ekológii, or ecology, is the scientific study of the interactions among organisms and their physical environment, and of how these interactions shape the distribution, abundance, and behavior of living things. It covers the flow of energy and cycling of nutrients through living systems and examines how organisms adapt to and modify their surroundings. The field operates at multiple scales, from individuals and populations to communities, ecosystems, landscapes, and the biosphere.

The term ecology was coined in the 19th century by the German biologist Ernst Haeckel, who defined it as the study of the economy of nature. Since then, the discipline has expanded to include genetics, physiology, geology, and social factors, and has increasingly embraced systems thinking and modeling to understand complex interactions.

Subfields include population ecology, community ecology, ecosystem ecology, landscape ecology, conservation ecology, restoration ecology, and urban ecology. Common methods involve field observations and experiments, comparative studies, and the use of tools such as geographic information systems, remote sensing, and computational models to analyze energy flow and element cycles like carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus.

Human activities—such as habitat alteration, pollution, climate change, and the introduction of nonnative species—affect ecosystems in many ways. Ecology informs conservation planning, natural-resource management, restoration projects, and environmental policy by assessing biodiversity, ecosystem services, resilience, and sustainability. The field continues to address questions about how ecosystems respond to disturbance and how human societies can live within ecological limits.