Ren JunRen JunSchool of Environmental and Municipal Engineering, Lanzhou Jiaotong UniversityLanzhou, Gansu Province, People’s Republic of China

Tao LingTao LingSchool of Environmental and Municipal Engineering, Lanzhou Jiaotong University

Lanzhou, Gansu Province, People’s Republic of China

Environmental EcologyEnvironmental EcologyA study of interrelationshipsA study of interrelationships

PrefacePreface

The critical importance of environmental ecology and its studies cannot be disputed as we enter the twenty-first century

PrefacePreface

• The United Nations Conference on Environment and Development was held in Rio de Janeiro in June 1992

PrefacePreface

• Environmental ecology includes the study of the relationships between abiotic, biotic and human, the ecological effects of pollution,disturbance, and other stressors.

Chapter 1Chapter 1

• Introduction to Ecology, Environmental Science and Environmental Ecology

1.1 What is Ecology?1.1 What is Ecology?1.1.1 Conception and scope of ecology1.1.1 Conception and scope of ecology

• Ecology is the ideal science for the naturally curious

• The term ecology comes from the Greek oikos meaning "house“ or our environment

• Ecologists always ask Why?

• Ecology: study of relationships between organisms and the environment.

• Importance of understanding the relationships between organisms and the environment.

• Ecologist study these relationships between organisms and environment over a large range of temporal and spatial scales using a wide variety of approaches.

• 1.1.2 Scientific method of ecology

• The ecology of forest birds:

• Using field studies to test theory or find law and relationships

1.1.3 Relationship between ecology 1.1.3 Relationship between ecology and environmentalismand environmentalism

• Ecology is a science; environmentalism is a concern

• In 1798, the English scientist Thomas Malthus expressed doubts about the ability of agriculture to feed a rapidly growing human population

1.1.3 Relationship between ecology 1.1.3 Relationship between ecology and environmentalismand environmentalism

• In 1962, Rachel Carson published Silent Spring, a book that described the dangers of pesticides and the consequences of chemical pollution to our environment

• The greatest value of the environmental movement is that it has increasingly sensitized our society to the relationship that exists between ourselves, nature, industry, and development

1.2 What is Environmental 1.2 What is Environmental Science?Science?

• Environment (from the French environner: to encircle or surround) can be defined as (1) the circumstances or conditions that surround an organism or group of organisms, or (2) the complex of social or cultural conditions that affect an individual or community

•Environmental Science: The scientific study of the influence of human actions on natural

processes

Environmental ImpactEnvironmental Impact

• Environmental impact refers to the alteration of the natural environment by human activity

• Resource depletion and pollution were the two basic types of environmental impact

What is Environmental What is Environmental EcologyEcology

Environmental Ecology: The study on the impacts of pollution and other stresses on ecosystem structure and function.