ecology

American  

[ih-kol-uh-jee, ee-kol-] / ɪˈkɒl ə dʒi, iˈkɒl- /

Archaic, oecology

noun

PLURAL

ecologies

1. the branch of biology dealing with the relations and interactions between organisms and their environment, including other organisms.

2. the set of relationships existing between organisms and their environment.

   Inflowing rivers introduce nutrients and sediments that are important for the ecology of the lake.

3. the set of relationships existing between any complex system and its surroundings or environment.

   In the ecology of healthcare, both politics and technology play a key role.

4. Also called human ecology.  the branch of sociology concerned with the spacing and interdependence of people and institutions.

5. advocacy for the protection of natural resources from pollution or its effects; environmentalism.

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ecology British  

/ ɪˈkɒlədʒɪ /

noun

1. the study of the relationships between living organisms and their environment

2. the set of relationships of a particular organism with its environment

3. the study of the relationships between human groups and their physical environment

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ecology Scientific  

/ ĭ-kŏl′ə-jē /

1. The scientific study of the relationships between living things and their environments.

2. Also called bionomics

3. A system of such relationships within a particular environment.

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ecology Cultural  

1. The study of living things, their environment, and the relation between the two.

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Related Words

See ecosystem ( def. ).

Other Word Forms

• ecologic adjective
• ecological adjective
• ecologically adverb
• ecologist noun
• unecological adjective
• unecologically adverb

Etymology

Origin of ecology

First recorded in 1870–75; earlier oecology, from German Ökologie, from Greek oîk(os) “house, dwelling” + -o- + German -logie -logy; term introduced by E. H. Haeckel (1834–1919)

Example Sentences

Their work applies population ecology theory to quantify the forces that shaped urbanization across the Classic Maya Lowlands.

From Science Daily

"But what we do know is that it is total ruin, both for the ecology, materially and for everything."

From Reuters

Students and other youth have been increasingly present at protest marches, but have enlarged their demands to address an array of topics like ecology and climate change.

From Seattle Times

For Juli Pausas, a specialist in fire ecology who researches desertification for the Spanish National Research Council, this was all sadly predictable.

From Seattle Times

His studies include the ecology and history of the Tulare Lake region.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• conservation
• preservation