Ecology, or ecological science, is the scientific study of the distribution and abundance of living organisms and how the distribution and abundance are affected by interactions between the organisms and their environment. The environment of an organism includes both physical properties, which can be described as the sum of local abiotic factors such as solarinsolation, climate and geology, as well as the other organisms that share its habitat. The term oekologie was coined in 1866 by the German biologist Ernst Haeckel, although it seems that Henry David Thoreau had already invented it in 1852"Revisiting the Natural Contract", by Michel Serres, in Ctheory, May 11, 2006 ; the word is derived from the Greek οικος (oikos, "household") and λόγος (logos, "study"); therefore "ecology" means the "study of the household nature".
Ecology is usually considered a branch of biology, the general science that studies living organisms. Organisms can be studied at many different levels, from proteins and nucleic acids (in biochemistry and molecular biology), to cells (in cellular biology), to individuals (in botany, zoology, and other similar disciplines), and finally at the level of populations, communities, and ecosystems, to the biosphere as a whole; these latter strata are the primary subjects of ecological inquiries. Ecology is a multi-disciplinary science. Because of its focus on the higher levels of the organization of life on earth and on the interrelations between organisms and their environment, ecology draws heavily on many other branches of science, especially geology and geography, meteorology, pedology, chemistry, and physics. Thus, ecology is considered by some to be a holistic science, one that over-arches older disciplines such as biology which in this view become sub-disciplines contributing to ecological knowledge.
More on [ Ecology ]
Auco Long-Term Ecological Research - Collecting data since 1987, this research project aims to model the ecosystem of a desert area in Chile (Auco, National Reserve Las Chinchillas). Features El Niño and La Niña effects on flora and fauna, list of published papers, and GIS maps.
Center for Advanced Studies in Ecology (CASEB) - Research group, formed by academics from various universities, study Chile's biodiversity. Lectures, papers (some in Spanish), people, bibliographies.
Central Andean Dry Puna - WWF report about this ecoregion in the Andes. Location and biodiversity description, threats, and references to other publications.
Natura Patagonia - Ecotourism in southernmost Chile and Argentina, offers bird, dolphin and whale observations. Also publishes local conservation projects and efforts.