Ecology: The Biology of Interactions. 1.01. What Is “Ecology”?
Before beginning the study of the course of general ecology, one should discuss the very meaning of the concept of “ecology.” Surprisingly enough, in Ukraine and, more broadly, in the post-Soviet space, there is no single opinion concerning the meaning of this term. To answer this question, one must turn to history.
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Title and Foreword
D. Shabanov, M. Kravchenko. Ecology: Biology of Interaction Chapter 1. Ecology and the Biosystems it Studies
1.02. The Importance of Ecological Knowledge
Chapter 1. Ecology and the Biosystems It Studies 1.01. What is "Ecology"? Zilu said: "The Duke of Wei is waiting for you to attend to state affairs. Where will you begin?" The Master replied: "It is necessary to rectify names." "You are right," he said, "but it is a pity that you do not rectify them yourself." "I, as a mere man, would be unable to do so," said the Master. "If names be incorrect, language is not in accordance with the truth of things. If language is not in accordance with the truth of things, affairs cannot be carried on to success. When affairs cannot be carried on to success, proprieties and music will not be well got up. When proprieties and music are not well got up, punishments will not be awarded aright. When punishments are not awarded aright, the people do not know how to move hand or foot. Therefore a superior man considers it necessary that the names he uses may be rightly expressed and that what he says may be rightly carried out. As to the words of a superior man, they need not be faulty. Only let them be carried out!" Confucius The term "ecology" was coined by Haeckel from two Greek roots: oikos – home, and logos – word, science. From the moment the concept of "ecology" was created, there has been a continuous succession of researchers who interpreted ecology as a field of knowledge about the interactions of living systems with each other and with their environment. However, over time, the word "ecology" began to be used in completely different meanings, which led to its content becoming blurred. In this course, we will understand ecology as the biology of interaction. This approach makes it possible to clearly define the subject of ecology, separating it from general biology, from environmentalist polemics, and from everyday usage, where "ecology" often simply means the state of the environment. Ecology does not study everything in the environment, but a specific class of relationships – interactions. It is these interactions that determine the organization of biosystems, their stability, variability, history, and prospects. Therefore, ecological thinking proves important for understanding not only an individual organism but also populations, communities, ecosystems, and the biosphere as a whole. It is useful to immediately distinguish the scientific concept of "ecology" from moral, political, or worldview judgments. Ecology as a science is neither a call to a certain behavior, nor an ideology, nor a lifestyle. It describes and explains the structure and functioning of biosystems, and practical conclusions from ecological knowledge can be applied in resource management, nature conservation, agriculture, medicine, and many other fields. Therefore, the first task in studying ecology is to "rectify names," that is, to agree on the meaning of basic concepts. Without this, it is impossible to correctly describe the subject or to argue productively about it. A particular complexity is that ecology has formed at the intersection of several traditions. On the one hand, it grew out of the naturalistic description of organisms and their way of life. On the other hand, from physiology, evolutionary theory, biogeography, geochemistry, and mathematical modeling. That is why not only facts but also the language used to describe the relationships between them are especially important in ecology. We will further understand ecology as a system of knowledge about interactions at different levels of life organization. This guideline determines both the structure of the course and the order of the following sections.
Title and Foreword
D. Shabanov, M. Kravchenko. Ecology: Biology of Interactions. Section 1. Ecology and the Biosystems it Studies
1.02. The Importance of Ecological Knowledge