---
title: Ecology & Ecosystems
description: Ecology and ecosystems study the interactions between organisms and their physical environments. Learners will understand energy flow, nutrient cycling, population dynamics, and how ecosystems respond to natural disturbances and human-induced environmental changes.
category: sciences
subcategory: earth-and-environmental-science
difficulty: beginner, intermediate, advanced
url: /subject/ecology-and-ecosystems
---

# Ecology & Ecosystems

Ecology and ecosystems study the interactions between organisms and their physical environments. Learners will understand energy flow, nutrient cycling, population dynamics, and how ecosystems respond to natural disturbances and human-induced environmental changes.

## Available Resources

2 Books • 2 Courses • 3 Websites

## Courses

### 1. Introduction to Ecology

Learn ecology basics: populations, communities, ecosystems, and the environment. Free course by Khan Academy Team!

**Difficulty:** Beginner | **Price:** Free

**Link:** https://www.khanacademy.org/science/biology/ecology

**Tags:** ecology, biology, ecosystems, population-dynamics, video-lessons

### 2. Introduction to Biology: Ecology

**Author:** Scott Solomon

Rice University's nine-module Coursera introduction to ecology: niches and competition, island biogeography, species interactions, population growth, and conservation. You come away able to explain how habitat loss, invasive species and climate change destabilize ecosystems.

**Difficulty:** Beginner | **Language:** English | **Price:** Free

**Link:** https://www.coursera.org/learn/introduction-to-biology-ecology

**Tags:** ecology, community-ecology, population-ecology, island-biogeography, conservation-biology

## Books

### 1. Fundamentals of Ecology

**Author:** Eugene P. Odum

Odum's classic ecology textbook, which established the ecosystem as the organising unit of the field. It covers energy flow, biogeochemical cycles, limiting factors, population dynamics and community structure, giving readers a systems-level framework for analysing how ecosystems function and change.

**Difficulty:** Intermediate | **Language:** English | **Price:** Paid

**Link:** https://www.amazon.com/dp/0721669417?tag=edmonddante07-20

**Tags:** books, science-research, environmental-science

### 2. The Sixth Extinction

**Author:** Elizabeth Kolbert

Reported account of the current mass extinction, moving between field sites and the history of extinction science. Explains how ocean acidification, habitat fragmentation and species movement are driven by humans, and how biologists measure those losses.

**Difficulty:** Beginner | **Language:** English | **Price:** Paid

**Link:** https://www.amazon.com/dp/1250062187?tag=edmonddante07-20

**Tags:** mass-extinction, biodiversity-loss, ocean-acidification, conservation-biology

## Websites

### 1. ecology.org

Ecology.org is a resource hub focused on ecology and ecosystems, offering articles and explainers on key ecological concepts and current research. It covers biodiversity, conservation, habitat science, ecosystem dynamics, and related topics.

**Difficulty:** Intermediate | **Language:** English | **Price:** Free

**Link:** https://ecology.org

**Tags:** websites, science-research, environmental-science

### 2. esa.org

ESA.org is the official site of the Ecological Society of America, a nonprofit scientific society advancing ecology through research, education, and policy. It features news, educational resources, access to ESA journals and publications, student and educator guides, career resources, conferences, and policy information.

**Difficulty:** Intermediate | **Language:** English | **Price:** Free

**Link:** https://esa.org

**Tags:** websites, science-research, biology

### 3. MarineBio

Nonprofit online reference on ocean life run since 1998, with species profiles and photographs, introductory articles on marine biology and ocean ecosystems, and material on conservation threats. Students gain a broad grounding in marine organisms, their habitats and the pressures facing them.

**Difficulty:** Intermediate | **Language:** English | **Price:** Free

**Link:** https://marinebio.org

**Tags:** marine-biology, marine-species, ocean-ecosystems, marine-conservation, oceanography

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