Question

Synecology is a study of inter relationship between environment and :

• A. Individual plant
• B. A population
• C. A community
• D. Individual animal

Hint:

For ecological hierarchy, remember: Autecology = study of individual species or populations; Synecology = study of communities (multiple species interacting together).

Answer 1

The Correct Option is C

Step 1: Understanding the Concept:
Ecology is broadly divided into sub-disciplines based on the organizational complexity of the biological units being studied in relation to their environment.
The two primary classical branches of ecology are autecology and synecology.

Step 2: Detailed Explanation:
Let us define the distinction between these ecological disciplines:
1. Autecology: The ecological study of a single species, an individual organism, or a single population in relation to its surrounding environmental factors. Examples include studying how an individual trout species adapts to changes in water temperature or salinity. Thus, options (A), (B), and (D) fall under autecology.
2. Synecology (Community Ecology): The ecological study of groups of different species, assemblages, or entire biological communities living together in a defined habitat in relation to their shared environment. Examples include studying the complex interspecific interactions, energy flow, and nutrient cycling within an entire coral reef community, a lake ecosystem, or a wetland community.
Therefore, synecology specifically analyzes the structural and functional relationships between the abiotic environment and a multi-species ecological community.

Step 4: Final Answer:
Therefore, Synecology is the study of the inter-relationship between the environment and a community.