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The word ecology comes from the Greek word Ô
ÔÀ meaning "home" or "a place to live." The
Greek philosopher Theophrastus was one of the first people to discuss the relationship between
living things and their environments. German zoologist V
 
coined the term Ô
ÔÔ À
defined as the relationship of an animal to both its organic and inorganic environmentÀ
particularly those plants and animals with which it comes in contact.
Until the early 20th CenturyÀ biologists concentrated on descriptive studies of plants and animals.
Charles Darwin's theory of evolutionÀ for exampleÀ developed from his observations while
recording the natural history of plants and animals. As human civilization subdued natureÀ people
stopped perceiving it as the enemy. The near extinction of common species like the beaver led to
the beginning of the conservation movement. By the 1930sÀ nature study became part of the
curriculum of most schoolsÀ but organisms were still viewed in isolation rather than as
communities.
Human development degraded the environment because people did not understand their
relationship with it; that we have as much impact on our surroundings as they do on us.
No single individual did more to change this than Ê
 
. Her bookÀ Ñ
Ñ ?è1962)À
warned how the abuse of chemicals was destroying wildlife while also harming the human
environment. This raised massive public interest in nature. By the 1970s ecologyÀ formerly an
obscure science became a household word.
Ecology is a complex science. It is considered interdisciplinary because it draws on many areas
of knowledge such as organic and inorganic chemistryÀ meteorologyÀ economics and the
dynamics of populations. The modern definition of ecology is:
The scientific discipline that is concerned with the relationship between organisms and
their pastÀ present and future environmentsÀ both living and non-living.
It may take one of these important perspectives or concepts:
@? mandscape
@? Ecosystem



    

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