ABSTRACT
Ecology had its beginnings in natural history. Early humans sought information about organisms and their interactions with the environment because they wanted to be better hunters, ‘shers, and gatherers. The meaning of the word ecology has its origins from the word oikos, which means a home or a place to live. Assuming that some organism(s) live in this place, a literal translation of ecology (oikos + ology) would be the science or study of life in its home or place. The study of all life in all of its places would be an enormous ‘eld of study, so ecology is a broad ‘eld with many subdivisions. For example, “life” can include one organism or various taxa, including species or populations. The “home” or “place” can be terrestrial or aquatic, or even ‘ner divisions such as ecosystems and habitats. Also, we might study the adaptations of organisms to their environment, as re¤ected in physiology, behavior, feeding, reproduction, and so on. Another subdivision might consider the role of environmental conditions in shaping adaptation as re¤ected in the fossil record. Finally, a branch of ecology is devoted to sorting out the role of humans on the physical (nonliving or abiotic) and living (biotic) components of the environment.
