What field of study focuses on the relationships between organisms and their interactions with the environment?

The focus on relationships between organisms and their interactions with the environment is the defining characteristic of ecology. This field examines how living organisms, including plants, animals, and microbes, interact with each other and with their physical surroundings, such as climate, soil, and water. It encompasses various levels of organization, from individual organisms to populations, communities, ecosystems, and the biosphere as a whole.

Ecology investigates essential concepts such as energy flow, nutrient cycling, and the dynamics of populations and communities. For instance, it studies how organisms adapt to their environments, how populations grow and decline, and how different species coexist and influence each other. This comprehensive perspective is crucial for understanding biodiversity, conservation efforts, and ecosystem management.

Other fields, such as biology, are broader and include various sub-disciplines like ecology, zoology, and botany. Zoology specifically focuses on animals, while botany concentrates on plants. While both of these fields contribute to our understanding of ecosystems, they do not encompass the wider interactions within ecosystems that ecology does.