Ecology refers both to the interactions between organism and environment as well as to the formal scientific study of these interactions. In plants these interactions can involve other plants, as in competition, or animals, as in pollination, herbivory, seed predation and seed dispersal.
Plants stand still after they have passed the seed stage.
Standing still means that plants must survive and make offspring in an environment that is imposed upon them. This class examines the causes and consequences of being a plant from an evolutionary perspective. Ecological interactions both cause natural selection and are themselves the consequences of evolution. This class concentrates on individual interactions, adaptations and processes. Processes, such as nutrient cycling, that occur at the level of communities or ecosystems will receive little attention.