Ecology, a science that has grown and formed at the height of biology

2001/01/07 Mendiburu, Joana - Elhuyar Zientziaren Komunikazioa

• Biologia
• Ekologia
• Ingurumena

The end of an era is always a good time to look back and review. It is known that XX. Although the 20th century has been the century of science, it is interesting to analyze the evolution of some areas such as ecology. Today, conventionally, the word ecology is used as synonymous with terms such as nature, environment and conservation, or as recognition of a person's respect for the environment. Furthermore, since most of us have read and learned little about ecology, we do not know the scientific meaning of ecology and hence its misuse. Today, to fill this gap, following the work of important researchers in the history of ecology, we will know the history of this science.

Ecology
is a scientific issue with a long and complex history. Its roots date from the time of Aristotle, but since then it has undergone many changes. In the beginning, the main work of the ecological scientific branch was the research of animal and plant species. Aristotle did not give much importance to the relationships between living beings, the living and the environment. His research and writing focused on animal classification. XVII. In the 19th century, as knowledge of nature grew, zoology, botany and mineralogy with three branches created the natural sciences section. The work of naturalists consisted of organizing long trips, collecting, designating and classifying species.

XVIII. At the end of the 20th century, in addition to species classification, animal species began to be placed on the world map. Thus, knowing the route and the history of animals and plants, they realized that, unlike what the old law told them, in two places in the same medium different species can emerge.

The origin of ecology

XX. At the beginning of the 20th century, chemists and physiologists began to study the exchanges between organisms and between organisms and the environment. The Germanic Alexander von Humboldt discovered during his trip to South America that the characteristics of the environment directly affected the physiognomy of the plants. However, the researcher who revolutionized the investigation of relations between the living was Charles Darwin. According to the theory he published in 1859, plants and animals never fully adapt to environmental conditions. In short, animal and plant forms are only those that best adapt in a certain place and time. He also noted that plants and animals that adapt to new conditions only remain and that others disappear. In the book "The origin of species" he wrote the theory of evolution that we know today. XIX. In the 18th century, knowledge grew and new climatological, oceanographic and geographical disciplines emerged.

German biologist
Haeckel first used the word "oecology" in 1866. Delving into Darwin's theory, he wrote that the evolution of beings is due to their strong relationship with the environment. That idea had followers. Oscar Drude and Eugenius Warming, European naturalists, among others, investigated the geography of plants and, once again, underlined the relationship between beings and their environment. The result of these research became autonomous science.

Golden years of ecology

XX. In the second half of the 20th century, thanks to changes in other scientific fields and the strong influence of society on the biosphere, ecological development has expanded and accelerated.

The
researcher Charles Elton, in his book "Animal Ecology", written in 1927, marked the main keys of animal ecology and gave special importance to the factors that conditioned the structure of the community in his investigations.

In 1930 the first critical ecologists appeared. In 1935 the magazine "Ecology" was created and with it ecologists began to take care of terminology. For example, researcher Tansley first used the word ecosystem to explain the natural dynamics of a community structure and called on all environmentalists to correctly use all the terms of ecology.

The golden years ended with the work of the young American researcher Lindeman. In 1942 he unified the works of Clements, Elton, Tansley and Hutchison, establishing the connection between the ideas dispersed until then. On the other hand, aware of the continuous cycle of matter, he realizes that within the ecosystem are energy producers (those who take the energy of the Sun), consumers and decomposers, completing the cycle of matter.

Current ecology

The foundations of present-day
ecology settled between the two world wars and, after the 1940s, moved from a scientific study of nature to an ecology of ecosystems. In 1972, biologist Lynn Margulis and chemist James Lavelock created the Gaia theory that Earth is a living being. According to this theory, the Earth maintains an adequate global climate that can maintain life through a process of self-regulation.

The
main vision and current work of ecology is to analyze the influence of society on ecosystems. Therefore, ecology has come out of the scientific field and has come to have a great social and political influence. XX. Since the second half of the 20th century, ecology is the theoretical and practical basis of a series of social movements (ecologists or ecologists) concerned about the changes produced by humans in the environment.

Declines of environmental movements Environmental movements began in the 1960s and had to do with the beatnik and hyppi movements of the same era. In general, they oppose the over-exploitation of natural resources driven by industrial civilization and consumption economy and claim a balanced development with nature. Humans are only a species in the biosphere dynamics, but scientific and technical advances allow them to influence the ecosystem. Numerous ecosystems have been destroyed and many species have disappeared in response to heavy consumption. The environmental movement aims to tackle excessive industrial exploitation and energy production, including the use of unpolluting renewable energies. Almost from the beginning, the way forward to strengthen and expand the movement was guided by two main ideas. On the one hand, it was considered necessary to work and take care of the scientific approach that solidified the environmental movement, and on the other hand, to give political effectiveness to the social movement. Thus, through political elections and public institutions, the first environmental political party was created in 1972 in New Zealand. In Europe, the French and German environmental groups, better known as the Greens, have gained the most strength. However, at the political level the environmental movement has suffered great declines and has often been divided into several groups. As in other areas, in Euskal Herria the environmental movement has been divided into numerous groups and organizations. The group called Eguzki was born in 1987, or two years later, the group Eki, formed separately from the previous one, has been more general and permanent. Others have emerged to face a specific problem. In the 1970s, for example, around the Lemoiz nuclear power plant the environmental movement intensified sharply and groups were created to coordinate the fight against the power plant: the Commission for the Basque Non-Nuclear Coast and the Committees against Nuclear Power Plants. Among the groups created to deal with a specific problem are the Lurraldea group that caught fire around the problem of the Leitzaran highway or the Solidarios who have carried out several spectacular actions against the reservoir of Itoiz.

Published in the supplement Natura de Gara.