In the entire universe known to him, Man is yet to find another planet like Earth where there is life. Our planet, therefore, is unique because it holds a system that contains life in its diverse manifestations. This diversity is so enormous that our attempt to study it seriously has just begun!
You may have heard the saying that nature is the greatest teacher. Man tries to know more about nature systematically and scientifically. Ecology is the science that studies the behaviour of plants and animals, and in Particular, environmental conditions. Ecology addresses the full scale of life, from tiny bacteria to processes that spay entire planet.
Ecology comes from the Greek word ‘Oikos’. The word means a place to live in. Ernest Haeckel, a renowned German biologist, used the term for the first time. However, his idea of ecology was forgotten until about 1900 when biologists began to take serious interest in it. Ancient Greek philosophers such as Hippocrates and Aristotle were the first thinkers who discussed ecology in their studies on natural history.
Ecology has many practical applications today. Modern ecology became a much more rigorous science only in the late 19th century.
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