Ecology is a broad biological science and can thus be divided into many sub-disciplines using various criteria. For example, one such categorization, based on overall complexity (from the least complex to the most), is: The word ecology is often used in common parlance as a synonym for the natural environment or environmentalism. ...

• Behavioral ecology, which studies the ecological and evolutionary basis for animal behavior, focusing largely at the level of the individual;
• Population ecology (or autecology), which deals with the dynamics of populations within species, and the interactions of these populations with environmental factors;
• Community ecology (or synecology) which studies the interactions between species within an ecological community;
• Ecosystem ecology, which studies how flows of energy and matter interact with biotic elements of ecosystems;

Ecology can also be classified on the basis of: Behavioral ecology is the study of the ecological and evolutionary basis for animal behavior, and the roles of behavior in enabling an animal to adapt to its environment (both intrinsic and extrinsic). ... Population ecology is a major subfield of ecology—one that deals with the dynamics of species populations and how these populations interact with the environment. ... Community ecology is the study of the distribution, abundance, demography, and interactions between populations coexisting species. ... Ecosystem ecology is the study of the movement of energy and matter through ecosystems. ... In ecology, the word ecosystem is an abbreviation of the term, ecological system. ... The word ecology is often used in common parlance as a synonym for the natural environment or environmentalism. ...

• the primary kinds of organism under study, e.g. animal ecology, plant ecology, insect ecology;

• the biomes principally studied, e.g. forest ecology, grassland ecology, desert ecology, benthic ecology;

• the geographic or climatic area, e.g. arctic ecology, tropical ecology

• the spatial scale under consideration, e.g. molecular ecology, macroecology, landscape ecology;

Specialized branches of ecology include, among others: The word ecology is often used in common parlance as a synonym for the natural environment or environmentalism. ... In Ecology, a biome is a major regional group of distinctive plant and animal communities well adapted to the regions physical environment. ... Forest ecology is the scientific study of patterns and processes in forests. ... The Earth is made up of distict regions that share unique characteristics of latitude, soil, climate, and plant and animal poplulations that have evolved to adapt to the particular environment of the region. ... Molecular ecology is a field of microbiology interested in the presence of certain genes in the environment. ... Macroecology is the subfield of ecology which deals with the study of relationships between organisms and their environment at large spatial scales to characterise and explain statistical patterns of abundance, distribution and diversity. ... Landscape ecology is a subdiscipline of ecology and geography that is the study of spatial variation in interested in the of elements in the landscape (such as fields, hedgerows, woodlots, rivers or towns) and how their distribution affects the distribution and flow of energy and individuals in the environment (which...

• applied ecology, the practice of employing ecological principles and understanding to solve real world problems (includes agroecology and conservation biology);
• biogeochemistry, effect of biota on global chemistry, and the cycles of matter and energy that transport the Earth's chemical components in time and space.
• biogeography, the study of the geographic distributions of species ;
• chemical ecology, which deals with the ecological role of biological chemicals used in a wide range of areas including defense against predators and attraction of mates;
• conservation ecology, which studies how to reduce the risk of species extinction;
• ecological succession, which focuses on understanding directed vegetation change;
• ecophysiology which studies the interaction of physiological traits with the abiotic environment;
• ecotoxicology, which looks at the ecological role of toxic chemicals (often pollutants, but also naturally occurring compounds);
• evolutionary ecology or ecoevolution which looks at evolutionary changes in the context of the populations and communities in which the organisms exist;
• fire ecology, which looks at the role of fire in the environment of plants and animals and its effect on ecological communities;
• functional ecology, the study of the roles, or functions, that certain species (or groups thereof) play in an ecosystem;
• global ecology, which examines ecological phenomena at the largest possible scale, addressing macroecological questions;
• landscape ecology, which studies the interactions between discrete elements of a landscape;
• macroecology, the study of large scale phenomena;
• marine ecology, and aquatic ecology, where the dominant environmental milieu is water;
• microbial ecology, the ecology of micro-organisms;
• microecology, the study of small scale phenomena;
• paleoecology, which seeks to understand the relationships between species in fossil assemblages;
• restoration ecology, which attempts to understand the ecological basis needed to restore impaired or damaged ecosystems;
• theoretical ecology, the development of ecological theory, usually with mathematical, statistical and/or computer modeling tools;
• urban ecology, the study of ecosystems in urban areas.

Ecology also plays important roles in many inter-disciplinary fields: Applied ecology is a subfield within ecology which considers the application of the science of ecology to real-world (usually management) questions. ... Agroecology is the science of applying ecological concepts and principles to the design, development, and management of sustainable agricultural systems. ... Some conservation biologists have been concerned about the Amazon rainforest. ... The field of biogeochemistry involves scientific study of the chemical, physical, geological, and biological processes and reactions that govern the composition of the natural environment (including the biosphere, the hydrosphere, the pedosphere, the atmosphere, and the lithosphere), and the cycles of matter and energy that transport the Earths chemical... Biogeography is the science which deals with patterns of species distribution and the processes that result in such patterns. ... Chemical ecology is the study of the chemicals involved in the interactions of living organisms. ... Some conservation ecologists have been concerned about the Amazon rainforest. ... Secondary succession: trees are colonizing uncultivated fields and meadows Ecological succession, a fundamental concept in ecology, is the process by which a natural community moves from a simpler level of organisation to a more complex community. ... Ecotoxicology is a discipline of ecology, which looks at the ecological role of toxic chemicals (often pollutants, but also naturally occurring compounds). ... Pollutants are substances which directly or indirectly damage us or the environment. ... Evolutionary ecology lies at the intersection ecology and evolutionary biology. ... The term eco-evolution was coined by Donella Meadows to describe the power to add, change, evolve, or self-organize system structure which she described as the fourth most powerful way to intervene in a system: Self-organization refers to the capacity of a system to change itself by creating... Fire is a component of the environment. ... Functional ecology is the branch of ecology that focuses on the roles, or functions, that species play in the community or ecosystem in which they occur. ... Macroecology is the subfield of ecology which deals with the study of relationships between organisms and their environment at large spatial scales to characterise and explain statistical patterns of abundance, distribution and diversity. ... Landscape ecology is a subdiscipline of ecology and geography that is the study of spatial variation in interested in the of elements in the landscape (such as fields, hedgerows, woodlots, rivers or towns) and how their distribution affects the distribution and flow of energy and individuals in the environment (which... Photograph of a landscape A landscape comprises the visible features of an area of land, including physical elements such as landforms, living elements of flora and fauna, abstract elements such as lighting and weather conditions, and human elements, for instance human activity or the built environment). ... Macroecology is the subfield of ecology which deals with the study of relationships between organisms and their environment at large spatial scales to characterise and explain statistical patterns of abundance, distribution and diversity. ... Marine biology is the scientific study of the plants, animals, and other organisms that live in the ocean. ... The term aquatic refers to water and can be either a noun or an adjective. ... Microbial ecology is the relationship of microorganisms with themselves and with their surroundings. ... you doedd you flydndoedd ha ha ha ha aha ... Restoration ecology is the study of returning degraded ecosystems and landscapes to a reference state where ecological communities and processes are re-established. ... Theoretical ecology refers to several intellectual traditions. ... Urban ecology is the subfield of ecology which deals with the interaction of plants, animals and humans with each other and with their environment in urban or urbanizing settings. ...

• ecological design and ecological engineering.
• ecological economics.
• human ecology and ecological anthropology.
• social ecology, ecological health and environmental psychology.

Finally, ecology has also inspired (and lent its name to) other non-biological disciplines such as Ecological Engineering is the emerging field of the use of ecological processes within natural or constructed imitation of natural systems to achieve engineering goals. ... Ecological economics is a branch of economics that addresses the interdependence and co-evolution between human economies and natural ecosystems. ... Human ecology is an academic discipline that deals with the relationship between humans and their (natural) environment. ... Ecological anthropology deals with human-environmental (nature-culture) relationships over time and space. ... Social ecology is, in the words of its leading exponents, a coherent radical critique of current social, political, and anti-ecological trends as well as a reconstructive, ecological, communitarian, and ethical approach to society. Social Ecology is a radical view of ecology and of social/political systems. ... Ecological health or ecological integrity or ecological damage is used to refer to symptoms of an ecosystems pending loss of carrying capacity, ability to perform natures services, or pending ecocide due to cumulative causes such as pollution. ... Environmental psychology is an interdisciplinary field focused on the interplay between humans and their surroundings. ...

• industrial ecology.
• software ecology and information ecology.