ecology
n. C / Un. the study of how living things, like plants and animals, relate to each other and their surroundings. It also refers to the balance of nature in a specific area.
n. the branch of biology dealing with the relations of organisms to one another and to their physical surroundings. Often used to describe the complex set of relationships within a specific environment.
The oil spill caused great damage to the local ecology.
Scientists are studying the forest ecology to understand how the new highway might affect the local bird population.
Restoring the wetland's natural ecology requires more than just reintroducing native plants; it demands a careful recalibration of the entire water cycle and nutrient flow.
Calque of German Ökologie (coined in 1866 by Ernst Haeckel), from Ancient Greek οἶκος (oîkos, “house”) + -λογία (-logía, “study of”). By surface analysis, eco- + -logy.
Uncountable when referring to the scientific field; countable when referring to a specific environmental system.