A. G. Tansley took Shelford s ideas one step farther when he said that plants and animals are components of a system that also includes physical factors that affect or shape the system. He was the first person to use the term ecosystem to describe the totality of these species, factors, and their interactions. The eastern deciduous forest, the prairie of the Great Plains, or the southwestern desert would be examples of biomes. Branches or Types of Ecology Ecology may be divided into two broad approaches. For this course, we will be using each of these approaches at times, depending on the topic under discussion.
Behavioral ecology stresses species interactions.
Konrad Lorenz is famous for his studies of imprinting in goslings. Click on the duckling photo to view a QuickTime movie of imprinting in this duckling. For example, Justus Liebig studied role of the nutrients in plant growth, and found that with proper nutrition, plants respond by growing better. Chemical ecology includes studies of chemical communication, chemical defense mechanisms, and various other chemical strategies. Many of the pungent odors and tastes we value in the herbs we use probably originated as chemical defenses against herbivores.