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8.1 READING RESOURCES 
Pre-reading 
A.
 
Warm-up. Discuss the questions with a partner. 
1.
What do you see in this picture? 
2.
What do you think happened? 
3.
What effect does this have on the environment? 
4.
Where in your hometown/region/country do you have similar problems? 
 
 
Reading #1: The Scope of Ecology 
Ecology
is the study of the interactions of living organisms with their environment. 
Understanding the distribution and abundance of living things in the physical environment is one of 
ecology's main objectives. The integration of scientific fields both inside and outside of biology, such 
as math, statistics, biochemistry, molecular biology, physiology, evolution, biodiversity, geology, and 
climatology, is necessary to achieve this goal. 
Levels of Ecological Study 
It is frequently beneficial to divide a subject like biology into smaller, related areas when 
studying it. For instance, cell biologists who are interested in cell signaling must comprehend both 
the process of cell signaling and the chemistry of the signal molecules, which are typically proteins. 
Ecologists who are interested in the factors that affect an endangered species' survival may use 
mathematical models to forecast the effects of ongoing conservation efforts on endangered species. 
To produce a sound set of management options, a 
conservation biologist
needs to collect 
accurate data, including current population size, factors affecting reproduction (like physiology and 

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behavior), habitat requirements (such as plants and soils), and potential human influences on the 
endangered population and its habitat (which might be derived through studies in sociology and urban 
ecology). Researchers in the field of ecology operate on four general levels, which occasionally 
overlap. Organism, population, community, and ecosystem make up these levels (Figure 159).