There are several subdivisions of ecology, but only a few important ones have been discussed here.

Scientists have broadly CLASSIFIED ecology into:

1. Autecology, which involves the STUDY of one species of organism, and
2. Synecology, which is the study of communities or entire ecosystems.

The following are a few specialized branches of ecology:

Habitat ecology is the ecological study of various HABITATS on earth and their effects on the organisms living there.

According to the type of habitat under consideration, ecology is further classified into fresh water ecology, marine ecology, grassland ecology, desert ecology etc.

Community ecology:

Is the study of the local distribution of animals in different habitats, the RECOGNITION and composition of community units, and succession.

Human ecology:

Also known as population ecology, studies man’s relationship with the environment, particularly the impact of human behaviour on the environment and the implications of these effects for man.

Applied ecology:

Which is the application of ecological concepts to human needs and requirements, such as forest conservation, animal husbandry, agriculture, horticulture, wild-life management etc.

Systems ecology:

Which is a relatively modern branch of ecology, deals with the analysis and understanding of the function and structure of ecosystems, mainly by using applied MATHEMATICS.

There are several subdivisions of ecology, but only a few important ones have been discussed here.

Scientists have broadly classified ecology into:

The following are a few specialized branches of ecology:

Habitat ecology is the ecological study of various habitats on earth and their effects on the organisms living there.

According to the type of habitat under consideration, ecology is further classified into fresh water ecology, marine ecology, grassland ecology, desert ecology etc.

Community ecology:

Is the study of the local distribution of animals in different habitats, the recognition and composition of community units, and succession.

Human ecology:

Also known as population ecology, studies man’s relationship with the environment, particularly the impact of human behaviour on the environment and the implications of these effects for man.

Applied ecology:

Which is the application of ecological concepts to human needs and requirements, such as forest conservation, animal husbandry, agriculture, horticulture, wild-life management etc.

Systems ecology:

Which is a relatively modern branch of ecology, deals with the analysis and understanding of the function and structure of ecosystems, mainly by using applied mathematics.