The Difference Between Ecology and the Ecosystem

Examples of Ecosystems and Ecological Research Sites

• The United States Forest Service operates a Glacier Lakes Ecosystem Experiments Site, located in the Medicine Bow National Forest in Wyoming. This site is an example of a contained ecosystem that can be studied. The site provides special conditions for ecological study: high altitude, cold temperatures, wind and glacial lakes. Another example is Canyonlands Research Station, where ecological research is conducted on the ecosystem of the Colorado Plateau. The purpose is to understand how the ecosystem functions and the interaction of all of its elements.

Types

• Ecosystem ecology represents one type of ecological study which focuses on changes within the ecosystem and the effects of those changes. Other areas of study for ecology include population ecology, which is the study of the effects of population changes on ecosystems, for example, overpopulation of deer in a particular forest. Community ecology takes two or more species, like deer and rabbits, and studies their interaction to determine if overpopulation of deer impacts the number of rabbits in a given ecosystem.

Education

• The Odum School of Ecology at the University of Georgia represents the future of education with regard to ecology and ecosystems. Named for Eugene P. Odum, who is credited with making the word ecosystem well-known, the school is the first standalone school of ecology in the world. It is dedicated to ecology and ecological research embracing the entire field including climate change, conservation and species extinction and invasive species. The school offers undergraduate and graduate degrees in ecology as well as a graduate degree in conservation and sustainable development.

Effects

• Ecosystem research sites and the study of ecology all impact how the Earth functions. One contained ecosystem cannot avoid what happens outside its system. For example, the Glacier Lakes ecosystem receives snowfall from November to July and the system is based upon that snowfall. If factors outside the ecosystem change the snowfall rate, then the ecosystem's stability and long-term sustainability will be affected. Ecology studies all of these elements and attempts to provide solutions for conserving existing ecosystems.