HISTORY OF ECOLOGY: FROM ITS ORIGIN TO THE PRESENT - ENVIRONMENT - 2024

The history of ecology refers to the development and transformations that the ecological discipline has undergone over time, ranging from its origin to current trends. The word ecology comes from the union of two Greek terms: Oikos (house) and l ogos (study). Therefore, ecology consists of the study of the place we inhabit.

If the historical evolution of ecology is analyzed, the researcher can realize that it is a relatively young science that was born attached to biology. In general terms, its main objective is the study of the relationships and conditions that form the habitat, taking into account each and every one of the beings that inhabit nature.

Ecology consists of the study of the place we inhabit. Source: pixabay.com

Some theorists claim that its origins lie in the 19th century, when the German biologist Ernst Haeckel (1834-1919) first used the term ecology in 1869. Haeckel conceptualized it as a discipline that studies the interaction between living organisms (plants, animals) with their environment (that is, inorganic beings).

At present, it can be affirmed that ecology is not limited to the study of nature and the beings that inhabit it; it also encompasses other factors such as culture and society.

In fact, the term ecology has gained much importance within popular opinion, as humans began to realize that bad practices lead to the deterioration of our habitat.

History of ecology

In classical antiquity: origins in biology

Importantly, ecology comes directly from biology. The term "biology" is very old, however, in its origins it did not have the same meaning that is attributed to it today. In Hellenic Greece, biologists were those who were in charge of observing and studying people's lives and customs, with the aim of later dramatizing it.

That is, a biologist was a comedian and storyteller who imitated a character, pretending his ways. Therefore, it only focused on the human being.

It is considered that the philosopher Aristotle wrote a text entitled Theory of plants in the fourth century, however, absolutely nothing of this specimen was preserved. Its existence is known thanks to the texts of Theophrastus.

In later years - specifically in the 1st century - Pliny the Elder (23-79 AD) developed a work entitled Naturae Historiarum XXIII libri, a work that consists of an abundant collection of species.

It is a valuable biogeographic document, however, its descriptions are made up of beliefs that are absurd for the current state of natural knowledge.

With the fall of the Greco-Roman civilization, the achievements of the natural sciences suffered to some degree of stagnation until approximately the seventeenth century. However, some researchers rescue certain contributions made during the Renaissance.

18th and 19th centuries

In 1789, Gilbert White wrote The Natural History of Selborne, a book in which analytical questions were asked about the factors that determined great changes in certain species of animals. For this reason, White is considered as the first ecologist in England.

For example, this author affirmed that the worms, although they belonged to the lowest link in the food chain, are too important for the balance of the Earth. Therefore, if they disappeared, a terrible chasm would be unleashed. Additionally, White stated that worms promote vegetation, which could not survive without them.

As has been observed, although many texts had been written on living beings, none had addressed the issue of life as a phenomenon.

In 1802 it was the first time that the term biology was used. Specifically, the author Gottfried Treviranus (1776-1837) made a work called Biologie oder die philosophie der lebenden natur.

Thanks to Treviranus, a name was finally given to the study of the different ways of living of organic beings, both animals and plants; also began to address what concerns the conditions in which these organisms develop. This broad definition came remarkably close to what would later become ecology.

Modern ecology: second half of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th

Most ecologists agree that the discipline of ecology actually had its beginnings in Charles Darwin's Theory of Evolution. This researcher realized that the environment is constantly changing, which means that only organisms with the greatest capacity for adaptation can survive.

Charles Darwin. Source: pixabay.com

In 1886, Ernst Haeckel wrote his General Morphology of Organisms, which he dedicated to Charles Darwin. In this text the word ecology appeared for the first time, which had the objective of determining the relationship of the organism with the environment.

With the turn of the 20th century, ecological studies began to flourish. Ecologist Charles Elton claimed that ecology is a "natural scientific history" that deals with the economics and sociology of animals. Likewise, the North American Frederick Clements determined that ecology works as a “science for the community”.

On the other hand, Eugene Odum defined this discipline as the study of the function and structure of nature. However, for many scientists this is too broad a definition that can lose its focus.

The ecosystem: conservation of natural spaces and foundation of ecological organizations.

During the 1940s, Alfred Tansley first proposed the term ecosystem. This was developed more extensively in later years by Raymond Lindeman, who conceived of the ecosystem as a kind of energy exchange.

With the introduction of this concept, ecology became a science of integration and synthesis, which began to dissociate itself from biological precepts to establish links with other natural disciplines.

In 1948, the International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) was inaugurated, which aimed to protect the environment and promote projects worldwide to understand the relationships between different organisms, including human beings..

Another important institution is the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), established in 1961. Its objective is to finance and organize a series of projects that contribute to the conservation of the most important ecosystems on Earth.

In 1992, a meeting of important leaders called the Earth Summit was held with the purpose of enlightening themselves on the vulnerability of the Earth and taking action. Since then, different talks and proposals have been held around the world. However, the fight to protect the environment has become a daunting task for environmentalists.

References

1. Bradley, P. (2003) History and ecology of choroethene biodegradation. Retrieved on January 8, 2020 from Taylor & Francis.
2. Bramwell, A. (1989) Ecology in the 20th century: a history. Retrieved on Jan 8. 20 of pdfs.semanticscholar.org
3. Malpartida, A. (sf) Origins and bases of ecology. Retrieved on January 8, 2020 from ecología.unibague.edu.co
4. Reyes, L. (2007) History of ecology. Retrieved on Jan 8. of 20 from Biblioteca.usac.edu.gt
5. SA (sf) Ecology. Retrieved on January 8, 2020 from Wikipedia: es.wikipedia.org
6. SA (nd) History: ecology and evolution. Retrieved on January 8, 2020 from sisal.unam.mx
7. Cultural Deputy Manager of the Bank of the Republic, (2015). History of Ecology. Retrieved on January 8, 2020 from encyclopedia.banrepcultural.org