What exactly is Ecology?

Question

What exactly does an ecologist do, and what is the difference between that, Zoology, and Wildlife Biology? I'm looking at going into a career with animals, and I found that Ecology courses are offered in a lot of different colleges, but that it's harder to find Zoology or Wildlife Biology majors. I've looked on multiple sites and have researched all three careers, but it's hard to get an exact feel of what I would be doing without talking to someone that's experienced in the field first.

Answer 1

Ecology (from Greek: οίκος, oikos, "household"; and λόγος, logos, "knowledge") is the scientific study of the distribution and abundance of life and the interactions between organisms and their environment. The environment of an organism includes physical properties, which can be described as the sum of local abiotic factors such as insolation (sunlight), climate, and geology, and biotic factors, which are other organisms that share its habitat.

The word "ecology" is often used more loosely in such terms as social ecology and deep ecology and in common parlance as a synonym for the natural environment or environmentalism. Likewise "ecologic" or "ecological" is often taken in the sense of environmentally friendly.

The term ecology or oekologie was coined by the German biologist Ernst Haeckel in 1866, when he defined it as "the comprehensive science of the relationship of the organism to the environment."[1] Haeckel did not elaborate on the concept, and the first significant textbook on the subject (together with the first university course) was written by the Danish botanist, Eugenius Warming. For this early work, Warming is often identified as the founder of ecology.[2]

Answer 2

Ecology is the study of the environment  

Answer 3

I liked Lt. Lucky answer. I hope my answer will help too.

To understand more about the different jobs, you could see about; job shadowing; working/volunteering someplace, such as a jr zookeeper, jr ranger, etc; you could see about different camps and classes; keep doing more research on the different jobs; ....

Ecology/Wildlife Ecology

http://www.princetonreview.com/GradProgr...

Basic Information

Ecologists study the relationship between living organisms and their natural and built environments. How does habitat effect and sustain population and health, and how do organisms affect air, soil, water, food, temperature? Students of ecology can probe questions at the cellular level by choosing courses or programs focused on Microbial Ecology. Students of natural habitats can opt for programs in Wildlife, Plant, or Marine Ecology. And the burgeoning fields of Human, Community, and Population Ecology tend to be associated with studying sustainable development. Depending on which track you’ll choose, a course of study may incorporate biology, statistics, computer techniques, mathematical modeling, and systems analysis (in fact, when looking for programs, take note of programs in Conservation Biology).

http://forest.mtu.edu/academics/wildlife...

What is Wildlife Ecology and Management?

Wildlife Ecology and Management is the practical ecology of wild animals and their habitats.

Where do Wildlife Ecologists and Managers get jobs?

Graduates of the Wildlife Ecology and Management program are employed by the US Forest Service, State Divisions of Natural Resources, Environmental Consulting Firms, US Fish and Wildlife Service, National Park Service.

http://www.bio.txstate.edu/~wlbio/gradst...

Wildlife ecology, as an area of study and concern, has grown in the United States and Texas over the last 50 years to play a major role in developing decisions on land and water use, wildlife populations, and recreation. Wildlife issues are no longer confined to hunting, fishing, and agricultural pursuits, but rather encompass much larger issues pertaining to energy sources, urban and suburban development, overpopulation of some species, threatened and endangered species, water use and availability, and coastal development, among others.

Zoology

http://www.aboutbioscience.org/zoologist...

ZOOLOGIST

Zoologists are life scientists who study animals, observing them in the laboratory and in their natural habitat. They study the origin and development of species as well as their habits, behaviors and interactions. Zoologists, who also research the development of animal diseases, sometimes known as animal scientists or animal biologists because zoology is the branch of biology that deals with the animal kingdom.

http://www.ns.msu.edu/acrc/career_explor...

What can I do with a major in zoology?

Zoologists study life at the level of the organism, population, community, and/or ecosystem. Ecologists, marine biologists, taxonomists, wildlife and fisheries biologists, and others are examples of zoologists.

What kinds of jobs do zoologists get? What do they do?

County, state, and federal agencies employ zoologists in a wide range of positions. Sometimes the agency may not seem to be directly related to zoology, but actually hires a lot of field biologists—the US Energy Department and the US Geological Survey are two good examples. Many of these types of careers involve research, and some may be involved in the regulation and enforcement of environmental laws.

Zoologists may also find careers in industry and private business. For example, some industries employ field biologists to monitor and manage effluent production and land use around a factory, and to measure environmental health.

Examples of some typical duties of zoologists are:

http://www.iseek.org/sv/Salary?id=46001:...

Zoologists

Zoologists study animals and how they live and grow in their habitat.

If you've ever had a house cat, especially one with tiger stripes, spots like an ocelot, or a furry mane, it is sometimes remarkable how similar their movements are to big cats, such as lions and tigers. Their pouncing, their graceful walk, and their constant grooming all mimic their big cat cousins. However, we know that ultimately, Mr. Tibbles lying fast asleep in your laundry basket is a fairly distant cousin to the African lion. For one thing, domestic cats can't roar (but they do growl). One thing they can do that lions can't is purr continuously. In fact, lions can only purr when they breathe out, and even so, they rarely purr at all. Purring just isn't important to their social world, whereas for house cats, purring is a major form of communication.

Wildlife Biology

http://www.agriculture.purdue.edu/USDA/c...

Wildlife biologists do research that helps us better manage our natural resources. They may specialize in fields such as physiology, genetics, ecology, behavior, disease, nutrition, population dynamics, land use, and pollution. They are curious, patient, and persistent. While they enjoy working out-of doors with wildlife, much of their job involves interactions with people. They collect, analyze, and interpret facts objectively and skillfully, and they can report them clearly to other people.

http://www.usgs.gov/ohr/student/learn/jo...

Wildlife biology is a multi-disciplinary approach to the study of wild animals and their habitats. Research and technical investigations are performed by scientists educated in wildlife biology, zoology, botany, chemistry, mathematics, or various combinations of these disciplines. Their official professional career title is "Wildlife Biologist."

http://www.ncmls.org/learn-about/wildlif...

Learn About | Wildlife Biologists

Nature is filled with clues that tell stories. Field biologists find these small details and interpret their significance. For example, a set of animal tracks can tell a wildlife biologist which animals live in an area, which direction the animal was going and if it was walking or running. The scientists can tell if the animal was being chased by a predator and also whether it was traveling alone or with other adults or babies.

Answer 4

Ecology deals with the interaction of organisms with their environment.  Zoology is the study of members of the animal kingdom.  Wildlife Biology is the study of wild animals.  Some careers I plan on exploring when I get my masters in ecology include environmental consulting (a company that checks if other companies or governmental organizations are complying with environmental laws when they want to build) or work with the Fish and Wildelife Service, U.S. EPA, or private firms doing ecological field work.

I suppose it depends on what kind of career you want.  If you're looking at working in zoos, being a vet, etc. you might want to major in biology and take as many zoology courses as possible.  See if the college offers a concentration in it.  If you want to study animals, you'll probably be best majoring in biology.  Most schools offer general majors such as "biology" but with a specific concentration in the field, such as pre-med, cellular bio, etc.  Try seeing if any of the schools you're interested in offer any type of sub-concentration in an animal related field or consider a getting a minor.  You'll have to go beyond a bachelor's degree and get a masters to to further specialize your knowledge about what aspect of animals that interests you.