ECOLOGY

Darwin's theory of evolution was essentially ecological. He postulated that organisms which will survive to reproduce are those that are best adapted to their environment. Ecologists are concerned with how organisms adapt to their environment in order to survive. The ecological functions of an organism are said to constitute its niche. For example, an insect may be a predator, but it may not prey on organisms much larger or much smaller than itself. Also, diurnal predators normally do not capture organisms that are nocturnal or that live in habitats unsuited to the predator.

Many ecologists are proponents of a principle called competitive exclusion, which states that each niche can be occupied by only one species, because when a required resource is limited and two or more species compete for it, one of the species will be eliminated unless it can evolve to occupy a slightly different niche.

One of the major trends in ecology is the increased use of mathematical modeling, which often requires the use of computers. Mathematical formulas are used to stimulate population fluctuations, mineral cycling and energy flow. Models can be used to discover where our knowledge is inadequate, to aid in making generalizations and formulating ecological principles and to help predict the fate of ecosystems under given sets of circumstances.

The growing field of systems ecology uses theoretical analysis and experimental methods to study the disruption of ecosystems and the dynamics of their reconstruction. System ecology requires people trained in a wide variety of disciplines: mathematics, computer technology, physiology, microbiology, biochemistry, climatology and taxonomy.

Ecologists are more and more involved in solving problems caused by increased human population, increased pollution, increased need for energy and increased attempts to destroy ecosystem for human use.