|
|
Article: Ecology
- Article from:
- Encyclopedia of Science and Religion
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2003 The Gale Group Inc. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
|
Ecology
The term
ecology
is, etymologically, the logic of living creatures in their homes, a word suggestively related to
ecumenical,
with common roots in the Greek
oikos,
the inhabited world. Named in 1866 by German biologist Ernst Haeckel (1834
–
1919), ecology is a biological science like molecular biology or evolutionary theory, though often thought to be less mature. Ecosystems are complicated; experiments are difficult on these open systems, often large, that resist analysis. Ecology has nevertheless been thrust into the public arena, with the advent of the ecological crisis. Ecology has also become increasingly global, and still more complex, as when planetary carbon ...