Ecology is the scientific study of interactions among organisms and their environment. It focuses on understanding how living organisms, including plants, animals, and microorganisms, interact with each other and their physical surroundings, such as air, water and soil. Ecology plays a crucial role in informing conservation efforts. It helps us better understand the delicate balance of nature and how human activities can impact ecosystems, providing essential knowledge for sustainable development and environmental protection.
Though Dr. Ulyana Horodyskyj Peña’s background is in geology and glaciology, she has been learning a lot about ecology through her part-time work as head of communications at the North Central Climate Adaptation Science Center, housed at the University of Colorado Boulder. The mission of the NC CASC is to generate the science (and tools) to help resource managers adapt to a changing world. Ecological changes and adaptations are at the top of this list.
Check out this ecology series on the popular YouTube channel, “Professor Dave Explains.” Over the last year, Ulyana has written the scripts for this series and the first few episodes, on the “scales of ecology” are now out, with more to come!
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photo by: Ulyana H. Peña