What is Ecology?

Ecology is the scientific study of the distribution and abundance of organisms, the interaction among organisms, and the interactions between organisms and their abiotic environment. Ecologists try to understand the inner workings of natural ecosystems and the species they contain. In fact, the ecology faculty at Duke University span the complete range of ecological inquiry, from individual organisms to populations and communities of interacting species to ecosystems to the entire biosphere.

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Ecological principles also play a major role in generating solutions to problems of applied interest, such as the use of predatory insects as agent of biological control, the dynamics of disease in human and other populations, the preservation of biodiversity in the face of anthropogenic changes, the fate of pollutants in natural and artificial ecosystems, and the effects of fossil fuel use on the global climate. As a result, undergraduate Biology majors need a thorough grounding in ecology not only to pursue graduate study in academic ecology, but also as preparation for careers in applied fields such as environmental management,ecotoxicology, environmental law, conservation biology, and ecological agriculture. The undergraduate concentration in ecology has been designed to give students the entry-level qualifications for further study in basic and applied aspects of ecology.

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Research areas and course offerings include tropical, temperate, and boreal forests, deserts and grasslands, and arctic biomes. They explore not only how populations, communities and ecoystems presently function but also how they may respond to changes in the future. As a result, students concentrating in ecology have a wide array of independent study, tutorial, seminar and research opportunities from which to choose.

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