Which definition best describes ecology?

• A. Scientific study of interactions between organisms and their environment
• B. The study of weather patterns
• C. The science of soils
• D. The exploration of space ecosystems

Answer: (A)

Ecology is the scientific study of interactions between organisms and their environment. This means looking at how living things influence each other and depend on both living and nonliving parts of their surroundings—air, water, soil, climate, and resources. For example, predators regulate prey, plants compete for sunlight, and decomposers recycle nutrients, all shaping how ecosystems function. The environment includes more than just the organisms themselves; it’s the whole system that connects them. The other options point to meteorology (weather patterns), soil science (properties of soil), or life in space, which are related fields but do not describe the study of relationships between organisms and their surroundings the way ecology does.