It's nice to see signs of life. Right now responding to one in particular:
Defining ecology is much harder than Liane Cochran-Stafira's hopeful assertion suggests. She favors "The scientific discipline that is concerned with the relationships between organisms and their past, present and future environments, both living and non-living." which may well have been mentioned during the 2000 ESA meeting but can't easily be traced there; it does appear on the ESA website at http://www.esa.org/education/resources_teachers/generalEdu/ecologyEducation.php. That document cites only two draft documents produced by the ESA Education Committee in 1991. What's "wrong" with Liane's definition? Much of current ecology explicitly avoids dealing with organisms. Only past relationships can be described because they are all "past" by the time data are recorded, and very much past by the time research is published. Futures can be modeled, and model outputs can be studied, but the future cannot be studied. Finally, the elephant in the room: "concerned" allows for a wide range of interpretations. Meanwhile, there are other definitions of ecology lurking in the current ESA website: ** "Ecology is the study of the relationships between living organisms, including humans, and their physical environment; it seeks to understand the vital connections between plants and animals and the world around them. Ecology also provides information about the benefits of ecosystems and how we can use Earth's resources in ways that leave the environment healthy for future generations." (http://www.esa.org/education/LME/ecologyANDme.php) "Ecology is *the study of* interconnectedness." ( www.esa.org/education_diversity/pdfDocs/coralreefs.pdf) "[Ecology, in its simplest form is] the study of the interactions between organisms and their environment" ( www.esa.org/seeds/pdf/2011%20AM%20Report.pdf) "ECOLOGY: from Greek oikos = house (place we live) logos = (study of) · the scientific study of organisms and their environment, addressing: · the distribution and abundance of organisms · how living things interact with each other and their environment · the fluxes of matter and energy through the living world · the full set of relationships between organisms and their environment, for example: · the ecology of the tropical rainforest · the ecology of the malaria mosquito · a disciplinary field, a profession, a community of scientists of which you can be a part!" (www.esa.org/education_diversity/pdfDocs/careers-undergrad.pdf) Spreading the net slightly wider, if we take ecology to be what ecologists do, we can add: *"E*cologists study oceans, deserts, forests, cities, grasslands, rivers, and every other corner of the world."(http://www.esa.org/ecologist/) "*Ecologists... * - conduct research outdoors and in the laboratory - by asking both theoretical and practical questions that can be investigated using scientific techniques in exotic places or close to home. - teach students and the general public -at universities or colleges as well as at high schools, museums, and nature centers. - apply ecological knowledge to solve environmental problems - by investigating ecological issues, interacting with affected communities, writing environmental impact statements, and designing sustainable practices. - help manage natural resources - by monitoring, managing, or restoring populations and ecosystems. - advise students and local, state and federal policy makers - by recommending course work and research, working on committees, and providing the best available scientific information to politicians. - communicate with co-workers, students, and the public - by writing articles and research papers, giving lectures and presentations, participating in discussions, and conducting outreach in their local communities." (http://www.esa.org/education_diversity/webDocs/undergraduate.php#first) ESA does not clearly define or explain its "E". BES has no such problem. You can find the BES definition of ecology one click away from their main website: "Ecology is the study of the distribution and abundance of organisms, the interaction between organisms, the interaction between organisms and their environment, and structure and function of ecosystems." This definition has its problems (e.g., "ecology…is the study of ecosystems") but at least the definition is there to be debated.( http://www.britishecologicalsociety.org/about_ecology/) "Ecology" has been defined, debated and redefined many times since the 1860s (when it existed largely in prospect). Today there are over 50 other national and regional organizations of professional ecologists defining ecology. There is no real likelihood that all ecologists could ever agree on either a narrow essential definition or an expansive description. Does that matter? That, too seems to depend on who you ask. Matthew K Chew Assistant Research Professor Arizona State University School of Life Sciences ASU Center for Biology & Society PO Box 873301 Tempe, AZ 85287-3301 USA Tel 480.965.8422 Fax 480.965.8330 [email protected] or [email protected] http://cbs.asu.edu/people/profiles/chew.php http://asu.academia.edu/MattChew
