Ecology is the scientific study of the interactions that determine the distribution and abundance of organisms. Here is a brief history of ecology in chronological order (timeline). These include important events and contributions made by many ecologists from the dawn of time to the subject of ecology.
Origin of Ecology
In 1869, Earnst Haeckel coined the term “ecology”. It comes from the Greek word Oikos meaning “household” and logos meaning “study of”, therefore the “study of nature’s household”. Relating this definition to science, ecology becomes the study of the management of the natural environment, which includes the relations of organisms with one another and their surroundings.
Ecology as a scientific discipline is said to be multidisciplinary. It often encompasses several fields like biology, geography, and Earth science.
However, ecology is not always focused on the environment but on man. Practical applications in ecology include conservation biology, restoration ecology, resource management, and wetland management.
History of Ecology As A Science
Ecology History - A Timeline
During the pre-18th Century
- 4th Century B.C.E: Ecological thought is said to derive its roots from the early teachings of philosophy, ethics, and politics.
Aristotle and Theophrastus were considered the first ecologists who had an interest in studying plants and animals. Theophrastus described several interrelationships that exist between living organisms and their environment.
During the 18th Century
- Early 18th Century: Two schools of thought dominated the growing scientific study of ecology.
- The first school of thought is the “Arcadian Ecology” which advocates for a “simple, humble life for man” and a harmonious relationship with man and nature. On the other hand, the second school of thought, known as the “Imperial Ecology” believes in the establishment of man’s dominance over nature through the exercise of reason and hard work.
- Both views rivaled through the early years of the 18th century until Carolus Linnaeus came in the picture.
- 1758: Carolus Linnaeus (Carl von Linne) pioneered the field of taxonomy, the science of naming and classifying organisms. Linnaeus discovered a vast number of plants and animals and recorded them in his book entitled Systema Naturae (PDF).
- Linnaeus became a huge supporter of Imperialism, and because of his immense popularity, the view of Imperial Ecology became the dominant view within the discipline.
During the 19th Century
- Early 19th century: Countries such as Great Britain, Portugal, and Spain have set several expeditions to discover new natural resources and to make records about them.
- 1804: Alexander von Humboldt reported an impressive number of species, particularly plants, for which he sought to explain their geographic distribution concerning geological data. One year after, he published his work entitled Idea for Plant Geography (PDF). Alexander von Humboldt was considered the father of ecology by many scholars.
- 1859: In this year, Charles Darwin proposed his theory of evolution and adaptation. According to this theory, organisms change over time because of their inherited traits and characters. Such evolutionary changes allow them to adapt better to their environment. These changes also ensure survival by increasing the likelihood of producing more offspring. Check out the history of evolution here.
- Charles Darwin’s fame can be greatly attributed to his idea of natural selection or more commonly referred to as “survival of the fittest”. Along with Alfred Russel Wallace, who defined the role of natural selection in the formation of various organisms, Charles Darwin published all his observations, proposed mechanisms, and discoveries in his book entitled On the Origin of Species using Natural Selection.
- 1869: Ernst Haeckel coined the term “ecology”. Since then, ecology has become the study of the relationships of organisms with their environment.
- 1875: Eduard Seuss first defined the term biosphere (from Greek bios = life, sphaira, sphere) as the system composed of living organisms and their environment.
- 1879: Not long after, symbiosis or the living together in more or less intimate association or close union of two dissimilar organisms, was first described.
- 1895: Eugen Warming introduced the discipline of biogeography. As its name suggests, biogeography studies the geographic distribution of living things. Under this discipline studies, abiotic factors like wind, fire, temperature, etc., are being studied.
- The ecology study was greatly enhanced by the discovery of the nitrogen cycle by Antoine Lavoisier and Theodore de Saussure. Nitrogen is considered one of the major nutrients important for the survival of all living organisms. The discovery of how it is cyclically produced into various forms paved the way for a better understanding of nutrient uptake in living organisms. Here is an interesting research article on nitrogen cycle.
20th Century up to the present
- 1920: The study of human ecology emerged. This discipline aimed to increase ecological science’s role in managing cities and residential places.
- 1926: Vladimir I. In his book The Biosphere , Vernadsky redefined the biosphere as the global ecological system integrating all living beings and their relationships, including their interaction with the elements of the lithosphere, geosphere, hydrosphere, and atmosphere. Here is an excerpt from his work.
- 1935: Arthur Tansley coined the term ecosystem as the biological community of interacting organisms and their physical environment. Because of this, ecology became the science of ecosystems.
- 1940: Patrick studied interdependence of organisms, particularly freshwater ecosystems. She developed methods to measure the health of a stream.
- 1950: The harmful effects of pollution to ecosystems became known to people.
- 1953: Eugene Odum and Howard Odum wrote the first ecology textbook and ecology became a university course.
- 1960: The discipline of Ecology gained much public prominence because of the widespread concern for the state of the environment.
- 1970: James Lovelock introduced the term Gaia, or the idea that the whole earth is one living entity and will ensure its survival even if humans destroy themselves.
- 1971: UNESCO launched the research program Man and Biosphere in the goal of increasing the awareness of humans about their relationship with nature. More info can be found here.
- 1978: Conservation Biology established as a discipline focusing on environmental management.
- At present, the endeavor of continuing ecological research is fueled by the desire of man to restore and conserve the planet’s ecology. Many questions on different biological phenomena remain unanswered, so quests continue.
Top 10 Ecology News in 2017
Ecology is the biological study of interactions among organisms and their ecosystems/environments. Here are the top 11 ecology news, ecology-related research, studies, and technology advancements in 2017.
15 Leading Ecology News of 2018
It is a truth universally acknowledged by scientists: climate change is real as well as global pollution of air, water, and soil. In order for us to survive, we need to know as much as possible about the dangers of today.
Top 10 Discoveries in Ecology 2019
Due to climate change and destructive human activity, news in the ecology area in 2019 is quite contrary. Here are the top 10 discoveries in ecology 2019.
Top 10 Ecology News of 2020
BioExplorer team presents the newest 2020 discoveries that showcase what is becoming of the ecosystems on our planet. Find top 10 ecology news of 2020.
Top 15 Ecology News of 2021
This series of 2021 ecology news gives us a detailed overview of the recent development in this field. Commencing with climate change, global warming, alternative ways for renewable energy resources, the role played by scavengers in our society, and other global aspects of management and nature-dependent climate solutions.
Top 15 Ecology News of 2022
In 2022 paves the way towards discoveries in ecological consequences influenced by genetic factors, climate change in marine habitat, coral reefs and plants having great adaptability to climate change, and the necessity towards conservation of biodiversity.
References
- Ashish Swarup Verma, Shishir Agrahari, Shruti Rastogi, and Anchal Singh. “Biotechnology in the Realm of History.” Journal of Pharmacy and Bioallied Sciences, 2011: 321–323.
- Bagley, M. Genetics: The Study of Heredity. 2013. http://www.livescience.com/27332-genetics.html (accessed July 22, 2016).
- Berkeley. Genetic Variation. 2012. http://evolution.berkeley.edu/evolibrary/article/evo_17 (accessed July 22, 2016).
- Coley, N. “History of Biochemistry.” History of Biochemistry, 2016: 9.
- Farabee, M. Development of the Evolutionary Theory. 2001. https://www2.estrellamountain.edu/faculty/farabee/biobk/BioBookEVOLI.html (accessed July 22, 2016).
- kenyon.edu. History of Genetics. 2016. http://biology.kenyon.edu/courses/biol114/Chap01/history_genetics.html (accessed July 22, 2016).
- Kormondy, Edward J. “A Brief Introduction to the History of Ecology.” BioOne, 1996: 1-4.
- Norman, J. Coining the term “Genetics”. 2004). http://www.historyofinformation.com/expanded.php?id=4289 (accessed July 22, 2016).
- Odum, E. Fundamentals Of Ecology. India: Cengage Learning India Private Limited, 2005.
- Organization, Biotechnology Innovation. History of Biotechnology. 2016. https://www.bio.org/articles/history-biotechnology (accessed July 23, 2016).
- Permaculture. History of ecology. 2016. http://www.environment.gen.tr/history-of-ecology/594-history-of-ecology.html (accessed July 23, 2016).
- Pray, L. “Discovery of DNA Structure and Function: Watson and Crick.” Nature Education, 2009: 100-101.
- Smith, D. Uniformitarianism: Charles Lyell. 2016. http://evolution.berkeley.edu/evolibrary/article/history_12 (accessed July 22, 2016).
- State, Montana. History of Ecology. 2016. http://www.layers-of-learning.com/history-of-ecology/ (accessed July 23, 2016).
- USA.gov. All About The Human Genome Project (HGP). 2015. https://www.genome.gov/10001772/all-about-the–human-genome-project-hgp/ (accessed July 22, 2016).
- Utah.edu. PCR. 2016. http://learn.genetics.utah.edu/content/labs/pcr/ (accessed July 22, 2016).
Cite This Page
APA7MLA8Chicago
BioExplorer.net. (2025, May 28). History of Ecology. Bio Explorer. https://www.bioexplorer.net/history_of_biology/ecology/.
BioExplorer.net. "History of Ecology" Bio Explorer, 28 May 2025, https://www.bioexplorer.net/history_of_biology/ecology/.
BioExplorer.net. "History of Ecology" Bio Explorer, May 28 2025. https://www.bioexplorer.net/history_of_biology/ecology/.
