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Ecology and Related Studies is a degree category that consists of the following common degrees:
- Read more about Ecology
Students who pursue a degree in ecology study how organisms interact with the natural environments that they live in and how these environments can be protected. In other words, the focus of ecology is to understand ecosystems as well as the social and political interests and policies that threaten them. An ecology curriculum, therefore, starts with courses in both the natural sciences – like biology, chemistry, physics, and geology – and the social sciences.
The foundation of degree programs in ecology are the six levels of ecological organization:
• Individual species of living organisms
• Population of individual species
• Communities of different species that live together in a particular region
• Ecosystem of all the living organisms and non-living things (like air, soil, and water) in a particular region
• Biome or biotic community characterized by dominant vegetation and climactic conditions
• Biosphere, made up of the Earth’s surface and atmosphereAmong the topics that may be studied in ecology degree programs are:
• Ecology, evolution, and adaptation
• Terrestrial, freshwater, and marine ecosystems
• Costs and benefits of social behaviors
• Estimation of population density
• Adaptations of predators
• Food chains
• Global patterns of biological diversity
• Environmental issues and resource management
• Global warming
• Ecological field and lab techniquesPrograms typically combine classroom instruction with laboratory activity and fieldwork.
- Read more about Marine Biology
What exists under the Earth’s waters has been a subject of fascination for hundreds, if not thousands of years. Studying sea life helps us understand the world we live in, especially since the oceans cover over 70% of the surface of our planet! There is an incredible amount of research to be done in this field, as scientists estimate that only about 5% of the oceans have been explored so far.
Marine biology is the study of marine or saltwater organisms in their natural habitat—and marine biologists study everything from microscopic picoplankton and single-celled bacteria, to giant kelp and the majestic blue whales. They focus on understanding how marine organisms function today in order to predict how ecosystems will cope with large-scale changes such as climate change, overfishing, pollution, and invasive species.
Research projects are at the heart of what most marine biologists do, whether it be actually collecting specimens in the field, compiling research data, finding real life applications for the research data, or classroom teaching.
The minimum educational requirement to work as a marine biologist is a university undergraduate degree. A graduate degree is required for independent research.