Is there a difference between Ecology and Environmental Science?

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We call anything on earth as Nature but there is more to nature as we go deeper and into more detail than what meets the eye and that is the reason why so many branches such as Biology, Zoology, chemistry, Geology, Biochemistry, Microbiology, Atmospheric sciences, Ecology and environmental sciences have evolved for studying its various forms. Each science is interrelated to another, but still every branch holds its own different principles and rudiments. Ecology and environmental science too are very much correlated but also have some amount of differences. Let us study the two first to understand the difference between Ecology and Environmental science better.

What is Environmental science?

Environmental Science is a very vast branch as environment in totality is studied under it. So one can say that it is that branch which gives knowledge involving study of various components of environment that are in interaction and are responsible for causing such phenomenon which can be harmful or beneficial for the environment and also for the organisms dependent on it for existence. Nowadays, studying Environmental science has more or less narrowed down to studying about global warming, pollution, soil erosion, forest conversation or topics belonging to similar genre. But this branch of environmental science is very vast and also includes some very interesting and practical topics like changing the shift in earth’s atmosphere or coming up with solutions which can repair the damages done to the environment by man.

What are the various branches of Environmental science?

Environmental science is further divided into many branches which deal with the areas of studies that work in tandem with the various factors of nature. For example, pollution and population are related, similarly green house effects and global warming are related topics. We cannot put a standard boundary line between the two branches of Environmental sciences as one overlaps with the other. But since the study is too vast, Environmental science has been broadly divided in different branches for better understanding:


• Environmental Chemistry

• Ecology

• Atmospheric Science

• Geosciences

• Atmospheric Science

• Environmental Microbiology

• Environmental Assessment

Some of the topics covered under Environmental science are Melting of Ice in the Arctic Circle, Noise pollution, Food cycle, Ozone layer depletion, acid rain, air pollution, fossil fuels, acid rains and disposal of nuclear and medical waste.

What is Ecology?

Ecology is that branch of environmental science which scientifically studies the interaction of various organisms with each other and also with the prevailing physical and chemical environmental surroundings. Some of the important topics under ecology include study of pollution, research on natural world from myriad perspectives, and applying various techniques for its understanding. Today, the modern ecology works both in field as well as laboratory settings. Lately, ecology has been successful in giving practical options for managing natural resources.

How is study of ecology connected to evolution?

Ecology is that branch of science which makes us understand the science of evolution and also the evolution of mankind. Since all evolutionary changes are in response to the interactions in the ecology like community, population, ecosystem, biosphere levels and biome, we get a deep insight into the various intricate ways of evolution.

What is the difference between Ecology and Environmental science?

As described earlier, ecology and environmental science all are correlated but each topic is distinct when looked upon in context with the specifics. Environmental science is a bigger branch and is a mixture of social as well as natural sciences. Even ecology is one branch of environmental science. The most important difference between ecology and environmental science is that environmentalist is more concerned with the interaction between natural resources and environment. He is keener on making predictions for making the future interactions better. Ecologists are more concerned about the available natural resources scattered throughout an environment. For example renewable and nonrenewable! They are more interested in studying the running of different ecosystems and also about the influence inhabitants’ cause on the available natural resources. Since environmental science covers many topics, environmentalists can be seen as a social movement that is trying to protect and preserve our natural system in totality. Ecology is purely dedicated to the ecosystem and its connection with the surrounding environment and hence is a narrower field.

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