BRANCHES OF ECOLOGY AND WHAT THEY STUDY (FULL LIST) - ENVIRONMENT

The main branches of ecology include community ecology, biogeochemistry, fire ecology, microecology, microbial ecology, palaeoecology, and chemical ecology.

Ecology is a science linked to biology that has the purpose of studying the different relationships that are generated between the living beings that inhabit the planet and the natural resources that exist in the environment in which they develop.

Ecology studies the relationships between living things and their environments. Source: pixabay.com

These relationships are reciprocal and can greatly affect the different factors, which can imply significant variations in the availability of the resources that make up a given scenario.

The most important branches of ecology

Biogeography

Biogeography is the branch of ecology that analyzes how the different living beings that inhabit the Earth are distributed. This science especially considers what are the causes of said distribution, as well as the main effects on other living beings and natural spaces.

Some authors know this area of study as geography of the biosphere. It is considered an important part of physical geography, as well as biology and, especially, ecology.

Chemical ecology

This branch of ecology focuses on the analysis of the different chemical compounds that participate directly in different dynamics with living beings, and whose origin is purely biological.

The main sources of study of chemical ecology are those elements that have important participation in processes related to reproduction, growth and survival of beings.

Applied ecology

This science focuses on the specific application of ecological methods and notions, in order to solve a specific problem of an environmental nature.

In many cases, applied ecology focuses on the recovery of spaces whose intrinsic balance has been upset by harmful practices of people and organizations.

Biogeochemistry

The object of study of biogeochemistry is the interrelation that is generated between living beings on the planet and those geochemical elements that are inherent to them, such as proteins, lipids and carbohydrates, among others.

The contribution of this area of study is the deepening of the processes of living beings; From this knowledge it is possible to better understand the characteristics of each species and anticipate possible difficulties that may arise.

Community ecology

This type of ecology focuses its attention on communities, which are groups of individuals of a given species. It is also known as community ecology.

As a whole, these communities have particular behaviors and react in certain ways to their natural environments, and community ecology is in charge of analyzing these behaviors and their implications.

Ecological succession

This term refers to the changes that are generated in a certain ecological community during a certain time.

These changes are characterized by being progressive and have an important influence on the composition of said community. Through ecological succession it is possible to know in greater depth about the origin of species and how they have evolved.

Ecophysiology

This branch of ecology focuses its efforts on analyzing physiological processes directly in natural settings.

This implies that these processes will be observed in the midst of all the elements that influence them, such as temperature, the intervention of other beings and other environmental conditions. The purpose of this observation is to determine what is the behavior of the beings analyzed in the middle of their environment.

Ecotoxicology

The main purpose of ecotoxicology is to analyze what is the destination of the toxic waste that goes into the environment, as well as how it is possible to minimize risks and avoid a very large impact on the contaminated environment.

To determine the effects of toxic agents, ecotoxicology considers how polluting the element in question is and for how long it was exposed, among other factors.

Landscape ecology

This branch of ecology analyzes the relationships between all the components of a landscape: from temporary elements to those more structural, also considering the cultural sphere.

The main function of this study area is to promote the conservation of species, thanks to the understanding and defense of the different landscapes that correspond to each community of living beings.

Fire ecology

The ecology of fire focuses its study on this natural phenomenon and the way in which it can affect other factors of biodiversity with which it may come into contact.

This science is based on historical data, as it analyzes how different ecosystems have been affected by fires. It also studies in detail the variations that living beings in the affected area have experienced.

Functional ecology

Through functional ecology we seek to fully understand how they work and what is the structure of the systems of ecology. The main purpose is to promote their conservation thanks to the promotion of specific and accurate knowledge.

Likewise, functional ecology advocates an adequate use of natural resources. For this reason it can be considered as a multidisciplinary science, since it involves economic, social and cultural data.

Global ecology

Global ecology is the science that addresses environmental problems from multidisciplinary approaches. It considers the influence of natural elements of biochemical origin together with the behaviors of societies that are related to the problem in question.

One of the most developed points in this discipline corresponds to the causes and effects of climate change in the world.

Macroecology

Macroecology is characterized by the in-depth analysis of large-scale ecological processes, those that have the greatest implications and are produced more extensively.

This discipline allows creating patterns related to the behaviors of biological communities, which can then be reviewed and, if necessary, corrected by other disciplines also related to macroecology.

Marine ecology

This branch of ecology is dedicated to the study of the relationships between living beings that inhabit the sea, as well as the way in which they interact with their environment.

These interactions include the activities carried out by human beings, as well as the intervention of other species in certain dynamics. Among the elements that are considered in marine ecology, the processes of feeding, reproduction and behavior in general stand out, among many others.

Microbial ecology

Microbial ecology focuses specifically on microorganisms. Despite being the smallest beings on the planet, they greatly influence all the ecosystems that exist.

The main objective of this area of study is to understand much better what is the structure of different beings and in what specific way microorganisms affect them, both directly and indirectly.

Paleoecology

This branch of ecology bases its study on analyzing the fossils of marine beings, with the intention of understanding how the evolution of different species has developed and how they have been affected by their environment.

It is a very important science to be able to reconstruct ecological environments of the past from fossils, specifically spores and pollen.

Demographic ecology

This branch is also known as population ecology and its main objective is to study the characteristics of communities of beings of the same species.

This discipline especially considers aspects such as how varied is the community, what is its social structure and what is its size. By knowing this record, it is possible to have very useful information to be able to predict behaviors and promote the conservation of a given habitat.

Quantitative ecology

It is also known as numerical ecology. Its main objective is the application of statistical techniques in ecological analyzes.

The intention of this study is to provide formal support to the analyzes obtained based on observation, and to generate strategies through the statistical results obtained.

Likewise, through quantitative ecology it is possible to determine in a concrete and statistical way what relationships exist between individuals of different species, as well as between them and their natural environments.

Ecological restoration

Ecological restoration is dedicated to those natural spaces that have been degraded by different actions.

The purpose of this discipline is to help recover these scenarios: on the one hand, trying to make the original favorable conditions return; and on the other hand, seeking the protection of these environments with a view to the future.

In carrying out these approaches, it takes into consideration the social, cultural, political and economic aspects of a society.

Soil ecology

Soil ecology takes into account the relationships that exist between living organisms, the climate and other components, and the development of soils.

This discipline also studies how the elements of soils directly intervene in the life cycles of various living beings, considering the availability of nutrients and plants that the latter take advantage of.

Theoretical ecology

It is also known as mathematical ecology. This branch of ecology is based on mathematical models to predict environmental changes that are generated as a result of environmental degradation.

These changes originate as a consequence of harmful activities carried out by human beings.

One of the main functions of this ecology is to prevent the disappearance of species and to try to protect those that are in the most vulnerable situation.

Ecological economy

The primary objective of the green economy is to seek sustainability. For this, it considers environmental elements, as well as social, cultural, political and, of course, economic.

The focal point of this discipline is to analyze how viable an economic model is based on its sustainability, and according to the quantity and quality of components, waste and energy that are involved.

Human ecology

Human ecology bases its studies on the relationships that exist between environments - both natural and artificial - and human beings.

It is a discipline that has many visions and many approaches, because it considers elements as varied as the social, cultural and economic spheres, among others. For this reason professionals from areas such as psychology, geography, epidemiology, anthropology and sociology intervene.

Social ecology

Social ecology focuses on analyzing how human beings' own systems interact with the environmental systems with which they are in contact.

This branch of ecology starts from the premise that human beings are closely related to their natural and built environments, so that there will always be relationships and interactions that have great influence.

Ecological health

Through this branch of ecology, efforts are focused on seeking human well-being in line with the conservation of spaces and natural resources.

Among the practices that make up the notion of ecological health, urban planning, animal husbandry, planting with an emphasis on conservation, recycling strategies, and appropriate forms and uses of energy stand out, among others.

Industrial ecology

Industrial ecology dedicates its efforts to the creation of strategies that allow industrial actions not to affect (and even promote) the conservation and protection of the environment.

It can be considered a branch of engineering and its main objective is to seek the creation of completely sustainable societies and systems.

One of the main actions corresponds to ensuring that waste from industries can be raw materials for others, so as to minimize waste from industrial activities to the maximum.

Information ecology

This discipline is more linked to information than to ecology, but it has emerged inspired by the latter, so it is worth mentioning it in this list.

Information ecology concentrates its efforts on conceiving information in the business environment as a networked system influenced by various elements, among which are human, artificial and political, which depend on each other in different ways.

The main premise of information ecology is that the most important thing within the aforementioned systems is the human beings behind them.

References

"Biogeography: concept and preliminary considerations" at the University of Cantabria. Retrieved on December 5, 2019 from the University of Cantabria: ocw.unican.es
"Chemical ecology" in EcuRed. Retrieved on December 5, 2019 from EcuRed: ecured.cu
"Biogeochemistry" in Wikipedia. Retrieved on December 5, 2019 from Wikipedia: wikipedia.org
"Green Succession" at Khan Academy. Retrieved on December 5, 2019 from Khan Academy: es.kahnacademy.org
Anta, A. "Ecophysiology: what it is and examples" in Green Ecology. Retrieved on December 5, 2019 from Green Ecology: ecologiaverde.com
Puig, A. "Ecotoxicology" in Conicet Mendoza. Retrieved on December 5, 2019 from Conicet Mendoza: mendoza.conicet.gov.ar
"What is landscape ecology" in Twenergy. Retrieved on December 5, 2019 from Twenergy: twenergy.com
Gulis, M. "Ecology of fire: are all fires harmful?" in 20 minutes. Retrieved on December 5, 2019 from 20 minutes: 20minutos.es
"Functional ecology" at the Institute of Ecology. Retrieved on December 5, 2019 from the Institute of Ecology: inecol.mx

BRANCHES OF ECOLOGY AND WHAT THEY STUDY (FULL LIST) - ENVIRONMENT - 2025