Definition
noun
A subfield of ecology concerned with the relations between groups of organisms or coexisting biological communities
Supplement
Ecology is a branch of biology that deals with the distribution, abundance and interactions of living organisms at the level of communities, populations, and ecosystems, as well as at the global scale. It has different subfields. One of them is synecology. Synecology is a subfield of ecology concerned with the relations between groups of organisms or coexisting biological communities. It encompasses distribution, abundance, demography and interactions between coexisting groups of organisms. For instance, interspecific interactions (e.g. predation) are dealt with in synecology.
In ecology, a community refers to an ecological unit composed of a group of organisms or a population of different species occupying a particular area, usually interacting with each other and their environment. Synecology is focused at understanding the interactions of groups of organisms or species within a community. It studies the distribution, structure, demography, and abundance of these organisms coexisting in a community. For instance, it may look into the symbiotic relationships occurring in a community such as competition, mutualism, commensalism, and predator-prey population dynamics.
Word origin: Greek sýn (with, together with) + ecology
Synonym(s):
- community ecology
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