View source for Outline of ecology

{{short description|Scientific study of the relationships between living organisms and their environment}}
{{See also|Glossary of ecology}}
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The following [[Outline (list)|outline]] is provided as an overview of and topical guide to ecology:

'''[[Ecology]]''' &ndash; scientific study of the distribution and abundance of [[life|living organisms]] and how the distribution and abundance are affected by [[biological interaction|interactions]] between the organisms and their [[environment (biophysical)|environment]].  The environment of an organism includes both physical properties, which can be described as the sum of local [[abiotic]] factors such as [[Sun|solar]] [[insolation]], [[climate]] and [[geology]], as well as the other organisms that share its [[Habitat (ecology)|habitat]].  Also called '''ecological science'''.

{{TOC limit|limit=2}}<!-- evolution of human and species..-->

==Essence of ecology==
* {{annotated link|Nature}}, or {{annotated link|Natural environment}}
* {{annotated link|Ecosystem}}, or {{annotated link|Biome}}
** {{annotated link|Community (ecology)}}, or {{annotated link|Biocoenosis}}
*** {{annotated link|Species}}
**** {{annotated link|Population}}
***** {{annotated link|Organism}}
* {{annotated link|Biodiversity}}
** {{annotated link|Food web}}

==Other criteria==
[[Ecology]] can also be classified on the basis of:

* the primary kinds of organism under study, e.g. [[animal ecology]], [[plant ecology]], [[insect ecology]];
* the [[biomes]] principally studied, e.g. [[forest ecology]], [[grassland ecology]], [[desert ecology]], [[benthic ecology]], [[marine ecology]], [[urban ecology]];
* the geographic or climatic area, e.g. [[arctic ecology]], [[tropical ecology]];
* the spatial scale under consideration, e.g. [[macroecology]], [[landscape ecology]];
* the philosophical approach, e.g. [[systems ecology]] which adopts a [[holistic]] approach;
* the methods used, e.g. [[molecular ecology]].

==Subdisciplines of ecology, and subdiscipline classification==
Ecology is a broad discipline comprising many subdisciplines. The field of ecology can be subdivided according to several classification schemes:

===By methodology used for investigation===
* {{annotated link|Field research|Field ecology}} &ndash;
* {{annotated link|Quantitative ecology}} &ndash;
* {{annotated link|Theoretical ecology}} &ndash; the development of ecological theory, usually with mathematical, statistical and/or computer modeling tools.

===By spatial scale of ecological system under study===
* {{annotated link|Biosphere|Global ecology}} &ndash;
* {{annotated link|Macroecology}} &ndash;
* {{annotated link|Microecology}}.

===By level of organisation or scope===
Arranged from lowest to highest [[biological organisation|level of organisation]]:<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Jax |first1=Kurt |last2=Schwarz |first2=Astrid |title=The Fundamental Subdivisions of Ecology |journal=Ecology Revisited |date=2011 |pages=175–179 |doi=10.1007/978-90-481-9744-6_14|isbn=978-90-481-9743-9 }}</ref>
* {{annotated link|Autecology}} &ndash; the study of individual organisms of a single species in relation to their environment;
* {{annotated link|Synecology}} &ndash; the study of homogenous or heterogenous groups of organisms in relation to their environment;
** {{annotated link|Population ecology}} &ndash; the study of homogenous groups of organisms related as a single species;
** {{annotated link|Community (ecology)|Community ecology}} &ndash; the study of heterogenous groups of organisms of multiple associated species;
** {{annotated link|Ecosystem ecology}}.

===By biological classification or taxon under study===
* {{annotated link|Human ecology}} &ndash;
* {{annotated link|Animal ecology}} &ndash;
* {{annotated link|Insect ecology}} &ndash;
* {{annotated link|Microbial ecology}} &ndash;
* {{annotated link|Plant ecology}}.

===By biome under study===
* {{annotated link|Benthic ecology}} &ndash;
* {{annotated link|Desert ecology}} &ndash;
* {{annotated link|Forest ecology}} &ndash;
* {{annotated link|Grassland|Grassland ecology}} &ndash;
* {{annotated link|Marine ecology}} &ndash;
* {{annotated link|Aquatic ecology}} &ndash;
* {{annotated link|Urban ecology}}.

===By biogeographic realm or climatic area under study===
* {{annotated link|Arctic ecology}} &ndash;
* {{annotated link|Polar ecology}} &ndash;
* {{annotated link|Tropical ecology}}.

===By ecological aspects or phenomena under investigation===
* {{annotated link|Behavioral ecology}} &ndash;
* {{annotated link|Chemical ecology}} &ndash; which deals with the ecological role of biological chemicals used in a wide range of areas including defense against predators and attraction of mates;
* {{annotated link|Disease ecology}} &ndash; which studies host-pathogen interactions, particularly those of infectious diseases, within the context of environmental factors;
* {{annotated link|Ecophysiology}} &ndash; which studies the interaction of physiological traits with the abiotic environment;
* {{annotated link|Ecotoxicology}} &ndash; which looks at the ecological role of toxic chemicals (often [[pollutant]]s, but also naturally occurring compounds);
* {{annotated link|Evolutionary ecology}} &ndash; or [[ecoevolution]] which looks at evolutionary changes in the context of the populations and communities in which the organisms exist;
* {{annotated link|Fire ecology}} &ndash; which looks at the role of fire in the environment of plants and animals and its effect on ecological communities;
* {{annotated link|Functional ecology}} &ndash; the study of the roles, or functions, that certain species (or groups thereof) play in an ecosystem;
* {{annotated link|Genetic ecology}} &ndash;
* {{annotated link|Landscape ecology}} &ndash;
** {{annotated link|Landscape limnology}} &ndash;
* {{annotated link|Molecular ecology}} &ndash;
* {{annotated link|Paleoecology}} &ndash;
* {{annotated link|Social ecology (academic field)|Social ecology}} &ndash;
* {{annotated link|Soil ecology}} &ndash; the ecology of the pedosphere &ndash;
* {{annotated link|Sensory ecology}} &ndash;
* {{annotated link|Spatial ecology}} &ndash;
* {{annotated link|Thermal ecology}} &ndash; the study of the relationship between temperature and organisms.

===Ecology-involved interdisciplinary fields===
* {{annotated link|Agroecology}} &ndash;
* {{annotated link|Applied ecology}} &ndash; the practice of employing ecological principles and understanding to solve real world problems (includes [[agroecology]] and [[conservation biology]]);
** {{annotated link|conservation biology|Conservation ecology}} &ndash; which studies how to reduce the risk of species extinction;
** {{annotated link|Restoration ecology}} &ndash; which attempts to understand the ecological basis needed to restore impaired or damaged ecosystems;
* {{annotated link|Biogeochemistry}} &ndash;
* {{annotated link|Biogeography}} &ndash;
* {{annotated link|Ecological design}} &ndash;
* {{annotated link|Ecological economics}} &ndash;
* {{annotated link|Ecological engineering}} &ndash;
* {{annotated link|Ecological anthropology}} &ndash;
** {{annotated link|Festive ecology}} &ndash;
* {{annotated link|Ecological health}} &ndash;
* {{annotated link|Ecosophy}} &ndash;
* {{annotated link|Environmental psychology}} &ndash;
* {{annotated link|Natural history}} &ndash;
* {{annotated link|Systems ecology}} &ndash;

===Other disciplines===
Ecology has also inspired (and lent its name to) other non-biological disciplines such as:
* [[Media ecology]]
* [[Industrial ecology]]
* [[Information ecology]]

==Biogeographic regions==
[[File:Ecozones.svg|thumb|400px|right|Map of six of the world's eight terrestrial realms
{{legend|#a6b866|[[Nearctic]]}}
{{legend|#b75a5a|[[Palearctic]]}}
{{legend|#7188a5|[[Afrotropic]]}}
{{legend|#c09551|[[Indomalaya]]}}
{{legend|#d78637|[[Australasian realm|Australasia]]}}
{{legend|#a18fa4|[[Neotropic]]}}
{{legend|#f9f9f9|[[Oceanian realm|Oceania]] and [[Antarctic realm|Antarctic]] realms not shown}}]]

* {{annotated link|Biosphere}}

===Terrestrial realms===

{{annotated link|Biogeographic realm}}. The [[World Wildlife Fund]] (WWF) developed a system of eight [[biogeographic realm]]s (ecozones):
* {{annotated link|Nearctic}} 22.9 mil. km<sup>2</sup> (including most of [[North America]])
* {{annotated link|Palearctic}} 54.1 mil. km<sup>2</sup> (including the bulk of [[Eurasia]] and [[North Africa]])
* {{annotated link|Afrotropical}} 22.1 mil. km<sup>2</sup> (including [[Sub-Saharan Africa]])
* {{annotated link|Indomalayan}} 7.5 mil. km<sup>2</sup> (including the [[Indian subcontinent|South Asian subcontinent]] and [[Southeast Asia]])
* {{annotated link|Australasian realm|Australasian}} 7.7 mil. km<sup>2</sup> (including [[Australia]], [[New Guinea]], and neighbouring islands).  The northern boundary of this zone is known as the [[Wallace line]].
* {{annotated link|Neotropical}} 19.0 mil. km<sup>2</sup> (including [[South America]] and the [[Caribbean]])
* {{annotated link|Oceanian realm|Oceanian}} 1.0 mil. km<sup>2</sup> (including [[Polynesia]], [[Fiji]] and [[Micronesia]])
* {{annotated link|Antarctic realm|Antarctic}} 0.3 mil. km<sup>2</sup> (including [[Antarctica]]).

===Ecoregions===

{{annotated link|Ecoregion}}

The World has over 800 [[terrestrial ecoregion]]s.  ''See [[Lists of ecoregions by country]].''

==History of ecology==
{{annotated link|History of ecology}}
* [[Human ecology#Establishing the field of human ecology|History of human ecology]]

==General ecology concepts==
* {{annotated link|Ecological succession}}
** {{annotated link|Primary succession}}
*** {{annotated link|Pioneer species}}
*** {{annotated link|Ruderal species}}
*** {{annotated link|Supertramp (ecology)|Supertramp}}
** {{annotated link|Secondary succession}}
* {{annotated link|Carrying capacity}}
** {{annotated link|Ecological collapse}}
* {{annotated link|Competitive exclusion principle}}
* {{annotated link|Ecological yield}}
* {{annotated link|Autotroph}}
* {{annotated link|Bacteria}}
* {{annotated link|Bioinvader}}
* {{annotated link|Biomass}}
* {{annotated link|Biotic material}}
* {{annotated link|Carbon cycle}}
* {{annotated link|Climate}}
* {{annotated link|Ecological selection}}
* {{annotated link|Gaia hypothesis}}
* {{annotated link|Natural resource}}
* {{annotated link|Monoculture}}
* {{annotated link|Decomposition}}
** {{annotated link|Organic matter}}
* {{annotated link|Inorganic substance}}
** {{annotated link|Detritus}}
** {{annotated link|Biodegradation}}
* {{annotated link|Ecological crisis}}
* {{annotated link|Ecological extinction}}
* {{annotated link|Ecophagy}}
* {{annotated link|Ecological niche}}
* [[Niche differentiation]] – The process by which competing species use the environment differently in a way that helps them to coexist.
*{{annotated link|Biological interaction}}
**{{annotated link|Neutralism (biological interaction)|Neutralism}}
**{{annotated link|Amensalism}}
**{{annotated link|Ecological facilitation}}
***{{annotated link|Mutualism (biology)|Mutualism}}
***{{annotated link|Commensalism}}
** [[Coexistence theory]] – A framework to understand and explain how ecologically similar species can coexist without [[Competitive exclusion|competitively excluding]] each other
** {{annotated link|Competition (biology)|Competition}}
**{{annotated link|Predation}}
**{{annotated link|Parasitism}}
*{{annotated link|Sexecology}}

==See also==
{{Portal|Ecology}}
* {{annotated link|Bibliography of ecology}}
* {{annotated link|Biology}}
** {{annotated link|Outline of biology}}
** {{annotated link|Index of biology articles}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Sister project links|Ecology}}
* [http://www.barrameda.com.ar/ecology What is Ecology?]
* [http://www.econguru.com/fundamentals_of_ecology/ Fundamentals of Ecology] Textbook-style investigation to the economy of nature, breaks down in four chapters from Population to Ecosystem.
* [http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/ecology/ Ecology (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy)]
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