noun
also oe·col·o·gy or ae·col·o·gy -jē, -ji
( -es )
Etymology: German ökologie, from ök- ec- (II) + -logie -logy
1. : a branch of science concerned with the interrelationship of organisms and their environments especially as manifested by natural cycles and rhythms, community development and structure, interaction between different kinds of organisms, geographic distributions, and population alterations — see autecology , genecology , synecology ; compare biogeography , phytosociology
2. : the totality or pattern of relations between organisms and their environment
the ecology of a mountain pine
assist the peasants … in improving their ecology and technology — R.A.Hall b.1911
3. : human ecology