The community of plants and animals, interacting with the place in which it exists, that is, with inanimate nature, forms an ecosystem. As far back as 1866, biologist E. Haeckel from Germany called this relationship ecology. The word is of Greek origin and translates as "shelter, home."
However, ecology as a science most actively began to develop only in the first half of the 20th century. She studies the conditions in which living organisms exist, as well as the relationship of the latter with the environment. She also explores plant and animal populations and biocenoses - animal-plant communities.
Ecology as a science is engaged in the accumulation of facts, their study, analysis and explanation of the laws and relationships that exist in nature. This knowledge is indispensable for understanding the changes that occur around as a result of human activity. They also help resolve issues of nature conservation. It turned out that ignorance of certain laws and laws can lead to a violation of the ecological chain and other irreversible processes on the planet.
Some elements of the world can have an indirect or direct effect on its inhabitants. Ecology science calls them biotic and abiotic factors. This is a conventionally accepted division of environmental factors. The latter affect biological objects from the outside (wind, atmospheric pressure, humidity, light, ionization of the atmosphere, temperature, etc.). Biotic are nutritional factors and those that characterize the relationship between individuals belonging to different species (parasitism, predation, etc.) and individual individuals (groups of individuals) belonging to the same species. This is competition over water, reproduction, food, territory, etc.
Each species and the conditions in which it lives (food, breeding place, habitat, etc.) have a number of common characteristics and constitute an ecological niche. Even the smallest living organism takes its place in the biosphere of the planet. It is noticed that even two close species living together will eventually acquire such devices that they will breed them in different habitats. Thus, the abiotic and biotic resources of the ecosystem are used to the fullest.
It is believed that the ecological niche is always present in nature in the form of empty space, which can be occupied or left at any time. In fact, it appears and disappears simultaneously with the acquisition of some kind of new adaptations. This means that it does not exist outside of sight. Just as there are absolutely no identical species in nature, there are no identical ecological niches. They all differ from each other in some kind of adaptation.
The study of the relationship between the environment and living organisms is impossible without the involvement of methods of physics, geology, chemistry, economics, geography. Thus, the interconnection of ecology with other sciences is manifested.
Interest in the problems of pollution of water bodies, air, and the destruction of plants and animals increased when it became clear that human activity spread to processes in nature on a global scale. Significantly expanded research in this area. Ecology as a science has set itself the task of creating such methods of exploitation of biological resources that would be the most rational and sparing. She also began to engage in forecasting changes in nature under the influence of human activities and the development of methods for regulating the processes occurring in the biosphere.
Modern ecology as a science is inextricably linked with medicine. This was influenced by the ever-accelerating pace of environmental change, which has led and continues to lead to the emergence of various diseases.