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'''Ecology''' is the study of relationships among [[organism|organisms]] in [[ecosystem|ecosystems]].<ref>Wile, Dr. Jay L. ''Exploring Creation With Biology''. Apologia Educational Ministries, Inc. 1998</ref> The term comes from the German "oekologie."

'''Ecology''' is the study of relationships among [[organism|organisms]] in [[ecosystem|ecosystems]].<ref>Wile, Dr. Jay L. ''Exploring Creation With Biology''. Apologia Educational Ministries, Inc. 1998</ref> The term comes from the German "oekologie."

A popular aspect of ecology is the change in proportions of predator and prey. When more predators are introduced to an environment, they eat more prey animals. This tends to increase the population of predators, since they get more food and can thus live longer to reproduce more. But it also reduces the food supply, which contrariwise causes the predators to live shorter lives and to reproduce less. In some ecosystems, the populations of predator and prey cycle up and down wildly, but usually they reach an equilibrium.<ref>Rockwood, Larry L. ''Introduction to Population Ecology''. Wiley Blackwell, 2006. ISBN 9781405132633. Chapter 10.</ref>  

A popular aspect of ecology is the relationship of the relative proportions of predator and prey. When more predators are introduced to an environment, they eat more prey animals. This tends to increase the population of predators, since they get more food and can thus live longer to reproduce more. But it also reduces the food supply, which contrariwise causes the predators to live shorter lives and to reproduce less. In some ecosystems, the populations of predator and prey cycle up and down wildly, but usually they reach an equilibrium.<ref>Rockwood, Larry L. ''Introduction to Population Ecology''. Wiley Blackwell, 2006. ISBN 9781405132633. Chapter 10.</ref>  

{{quotebox|The first significant contribution to the theory of population ecology was that of [[Thomas Malthus]], an English clergyman, who in 1798 published his  Essay on the Principle of Population. Malthus introduced the concept that at some point in time an expanding population must exceed supply of prerequisite [[natural resources]], i.e., population increases exponentially resulting in increasing competition for means of subsistence, food, shelter, etc. This concept has been termed the "Struggle for Existence". [http://ipmworld.umn.edu/chapters/ecology.htm]}}

{{quotebox|The first significant contribution to the theory of population ecology was that of [[Thomas Malthus]], an English clergyman, who in 1798 published his  Essay on the Principle of Population. Malthus introduced the concept that at some point in time an expanding population must exceed supply of prerequisite [[natural resources]], i.e., population increases exponentially resulting in increasing competition for means of subsistence, food, shelter, etc. This concept has been termed the "Struggle for Existence". [http://ipmworld.umn.edu/chapters/ecology.htm]}}