Introduction. Paleoecology, the ecology of the past, uses geological and biological evidence from fossil deposits to investigate the past occurrence, distribution, and abundance of different ecological units (species, populations, and communities) on a variety of timescales.

Classic paleoecology uses data from fossils and subfossils to reconstruct the ecosystems of the past. Evolutionary paleoecology uses data from fossils and other evidence to examine how organisms and their environments change throughout time.

Paleoecologic information can provide insight into future changes by providing information about past patterns and rates of change and responses to disturbance. Large-scale estuarine restoration projects have utilized information on historical variability for several decades.

Each layer of sediment represents a piece of time in history. Paleoecologists take core samples of the sediment—by pushing a tube down into the estuary and pulling out a sample of the muddy bottom—that provide a historical record of the past.

The traditional view is that ecology shapes evolution. The environment defines a template for the process of evolution: natural selection shapes organisms to fit that template. Some studies suggest, however, that evolutionary processes reciprocate by influencing ecology.

Five different forces have influenced human evolution: natural selection, random genetic drift, mutation, population mating structure, and culture. All evolutionary biologists agree on the first three of these forces, although there have been disputes at times about the relative importance of each force.

In biology, evolution is the change in the characteristics of a species over several generations and relies on the process of natural selection. The theory of evolution is based on the idea that all species? are related and gradually change over time.

Types of Ecology

• Microbial Ecology. Microbial ecology looks at the smallest fundamental levels of life, that is, the cellular level.
• Organism/Behavioural Ecology.
• Population Ecology.
• Community Ecology.
• Ecosystem Ecology.
• Global Ecology (Biosphere)

The four main levels of study in ecology are the organism, population, community, and ecosystem.

Within the discipline of ecology, researchers work at five broad levels, sometimes discretely and sometimes with overlap: organism, population, community, ecosystem, and biosphere.

The different types of ecology include- molecular ecology, organismal ecology, population ecology, community ecology, global ecology, landscape ecology and ecosystem ecology.

An ecological community consists of various organisms in an area. From a theoretical systems viewpoint, an ecological community is the aggregate of organisms in groups that eat one another and that are eaten by one another, and it is a trophic structure made up of trophic compartments (food chain and food web).

As nouns the difference between biology and ecology is that biology is the study of all life or living matter while ecology is the branch of biology dealing with the relationships of organisms with their environment and with each other.

Biology is the study of the anatomy, physiology, ecology, cellular and molecular biology of all living things. Ecology focuses on the environment, climate, and natural resources and how animals and plants respond to those factors. Basically how the environment suits and molds the natural world.

Wildlife biologists and ecologists are both involved in researching living organisms. The scope of their focus varies, however, since wildlife biologists typically study specific animals and issues affecting them, while ecologists study ecosystems and look at how multiple organisms are impacting each other.