Definition of Ecology: Ecology, in British English, is the scientific study of the relationships between living organisms and their interactions with their natural or developed environment. It encompasses the distribution, abundance, and dynamics of organisms, as well as the processes influencing the distribution and abundance of organisms, and the interactions between organisms and the transformation and flux of energy and matter.
Etymology and Origin: The word ‘ecology’ derives from the Greek words ‘oikos’, meaning ‘house’ or ‘environment’, and ‘logia’, meaning ‘study of’. It was first coined in 1866 by the German biologist Ernst Haeckel, who defined it as “the science of the economy of nature,” emphasizing the relationship between organisms and their environment. The term has evolved to denote the study of environmental systems and the complex interactions within and between these systems.
