Ecology as a science attempts to explain ‘how nature works’. The term was derived from two Greek words: Oikos meaning “house and Logos, meaning, “study of’. The coining of the term was done in 1869 by German biologist Ernst Haeckel.
As such, ecology is the study of living things in their home or environment: all the external conditions and factors, living and non-living that affect an organism. In the words of Miller (1991), ecology is the study of the interactions between organisms and their living (biotic) and non-living (abiotic) environment. Note that the keyword is interactions. It means that exchanges occur within the environment
Ecology was of practical interest early in human history. In primitive societies, the people seem to understand their environment and work with the forces of plants and animals for their survival. Civilization tends to use tools, such as fire, to modify the natural environment. Technological advances have made some of us oblivious of the role of nature in the survival of mankind. Many of us forget our continuing dependence on the natural resources for air, water, and indirectly, food, recreation, waste disposal, etc.