The study of the laws of the geosphere, the search and disclosure of the relationship between nature and man, as well as the construction of an optimal model of this interaction - this is what ecology does. The subject and tasks of ecology, goals and research methods - what are they? This will be discussed later.
What is ecology?
This is a science on which, in fact, the future of the entire human society depends. In the XXI century, the crisis in the relationship between man and the environment has escalated to the limit, so the main goals and objectives of ecology lie in finding ways to resolve this conflict.
The name of the discipline comes from two Greek words: “oikos” - “house, dwelling”, and “logos” - “doctrine”. In 1866, the science of "ecology" was first mentioned, the subject and tasks of which relate to the characteristics of the interaction of communities of living organisms with each other, as well as with the environment. This term was coined by the German scientist Ernst Haeckel on the pages of the book "General morphology of organisms."
In a broad sense, the subject of the study of ecology lies in the relationships between organisms and the world around them, as well as in the study of the structure and organization of ecosystems and populations, the identification of mechanisms for maintaining their persistence in a space-time field.
The essence of ecology of the 21st century
Only at the end of the XIX century the science of ecology was formed. Its subject and tasks in those days were reduced to studying the interconnections of living organisms with their external environment. In fact, it remained such until the middle of the twentieth century, preserving the features of a purely biological discipline.
Toward the end of the last century, ecology begins to turn into one of the first synthetic (interdisciplinary) sciences. Today, it has retained its Greek name. True, in its essence, it no longer accurately reflects the main tasks of ecology.
The modern ecology of the 21st century is the science of strategies for the conservation and sustainable development of life on Earth as a whole. This is the main calling of this discipline, combining theoretical and practical features.
Ecology: subject and tasks of ecology
Almost the main thing in the methodological apparatus of any science is its subject and a set of tasks. “Cognition of the economy of nature, " ecology was presented to Ernst Haeckel. The subject and tasks of ecology - what are they? Let's try to figure this out.
To answer it, one must rely on the principle of systemicity known in science. It provides for the understanding of natural complexes as single, integral systems. Based on the principle of consistency, the object of studying ecology is an ecosystem (or rather, ecosystems of different ranks).
Ecology in its development is called upon to answer two fundamental questions:
- What is the structure of the ecosystem.
- How the ecosystem functions and develops.
Accordingly, the whole ecology is divided into two large sections: structural and dynamic. Moreover, both of them are in close interaction.
Based on the general scientific principle of systematic nature, one can also outline the subject of study of this science: this is a study of the structure, features, and patterns of functioning of ecosystems of different levels.
What are the tasks posed by the science of ecology? Of these, the following can be distinguished:
- General and comprehensive study of the biosphere and its development under the influence of various factors.
- Prediction of the dynamics of the state of ecosystems in a spatio-temporal field.
- Development of ways to optimize the relationship between nature and man in order to improve the quality of life on the planet as a whole.
The place of ecology in the general scientific system of knowledge
Modern ecology combines the elements of natural, humanitarian, exact and technical sciences. Biology, geography, medicine, economics, psychology, sociology and environmental management - with these and some other disciplines it is in close interaction.
In addition, at the junction of ecology with other sciences close to it, completely new and interesting disciplines were formed. Among these are bioecology, geoecology, environmental engineering, noospherology and the like.
The structure of modern environmental science
To date, more than 100 areas in environmental science are known, each of which deals with its own narrow problems. There are several classifications of ecology, each of which is built according to its own principles. The most detailed and justified is the structure proposed by the scientist M. Reimers.
He suggests dividing environmental science into two large blocks:
- Theoretical Ecology.
- Applied Ecology.
The first includes bioecology with all its many divisions, as well as recreation. The applied ecology unit includes geoecology, socioecology, biospherology and environmental engineering with its branches.
Engineering ecology occupies a very important place in the application block - the science of the factors and criteria of environmental pollution. It is also often called technoecology. It includes many disciplines: ecology of energy, ecology of transport and communications, ecology of agriculture, space ecology, environmental impact assessment and others.
It is worth noting that each of the above disciplines is designed to solve its own range of problems and tasks. Moreover, they all use the achievements and achievements of other environmental disciplines.
Tasks and methods of ecology
To solve its complex of tasks, environmental science uses a wide range of different methods. They can be represented in three main groups:
- Methods for collecting information on the status and functioning of ecosystems.
- Methods for processing the information received.
- Methods of interpretation of the obtained materials and results.
The most popular methods used in ecology today: stationary observation and experiment, mathematical, cartographic, as well as modeling method. Especially popular today is the construction of mathematical models. For this, on the basis of empirical facts and materials obtained "in the field", an abstract ecosystem model is constructed (using special symbols). Then, changing the values of some parameters, you can easily observe how the system will behave (change).
