Question

What is equivalent to ecology?
A. Bioecology
B. Hexicology
C. Ethology
D. All of the above

Answer 1

Ecology deals with organisms and their distribution in time and within space. It includes the study of distributions of species, interaction of the species with the environment, their biomass, populations and communities and behaviour.

Complete answer:
Ecology is the branch of science that deals with living species and non-living objects. Ecology studies inter and intra species interactions, the interaction between species and the environment, their populations and its distribution in space and time. There are different levels of ecology with the ecosystem as the structural and functional unit of ecology. Ecology is an interdisciplinary branch that involves bioecology, ethology, hexicology, evolutionary biology and genetics.
The ecological order starting from the minute genes extends to the cells and then to tissues to organs to organisms to species to populations to communities to ecosystems to biomes and biosphere.
Bioecology is a branch of ecology that studies the relationships between the biotic components and their surrounding environment.
Hexicology deals with the effects of the surrounding on the growth, development of a living organism.
Ethology is the study of animal behaviour under its natural conditions. One of the first scientists to study Ethology was Charles Darwin. His book ‘The Expressions of Emotions in Man and Animals’ still continues to inspire ethologists. Ethologists are known to study different types of behaviours across species. This branch of science deals with behavioural aspects of laboratory trained animals and animals in natural conditions.
Hence, we can conclude that bioecology, Hexicology and Ethology are different branches of ecology.

Hence, the correct answer is option (D).

Note: Ecology deals with organisms, their behaviour, population, communities and interaction with each other and with the environment. It is an interdisciplinary branch of science. The scope of Ecology has a wide range – from minute cells to the biosphere. Bioecology, hexicology and ethology are integral parts of ecology.