生态学是研究宏观生命系统内在规律及变化的科学, 是生态文明建设的科学基础。为适应学科发展的需要, 我国将生态学从生物学中独立出来, 作为独立的一级学科。为此, 亟须对生态学的学科体系、科学内涵、研究范畴及应用拓展进行梳理和重塑。该文对生态学的定义是: 研究宏观生命系统的结构、功能及其动态的科学, 它为人类认识、保护和利用自然提供理论基础和解决方案。现代生态学的研究涉及从分子、器官、个体到生物圈等不同组织层次, 但核心是个体、种群、群落、生态系统和景观五个层次。生态学的主干分支包括植物生态学、动物生态学、微生物生态学、生态系统生态学、景观生态学、修复生态学和可持续生态学。经过近160年的发展, 生态学产生了一系列重要概念和重要理论, 对推动自然科学的发展和人类文明的进步产生了重要影响。现代生态学具有鲜明的特点: 一是研究内容和研究范畴不断向宏观和微观方向拓展; 二是分子生物学、信息科学等技术和方法得到广泛应用; 三是野外控制实验和观测网络已成为发展趋势, 区域性和全球尺度的观测平台相继建立; 四是应用生态学受到更多重视, 为人类社会解决区域性和全球性生态与环境问题提供更多支持。生态学是人类认识和理解生命世界的自然观, 也是保护和改造自然世界的实践论。生态学认识和改造生命世界的方法论可以概括为五点: 层次观(生命系统具有多样的层次结构)、整体论(从整体论视角认识不同层次的生命现象)、系统论(以系统的观点看待生命世界)、演变论(从动态和演化的视角理解生命系统)和实践观(为保护、利用和改造自然世界提供方案和技术)。生态学研究的具体方法包括: 野外调查与观测、室内和室外实验、模型模拟, 以及整合分析等。虽然生态学及其各主干方向具有完整的理论体系, 但缺乏技术体系, 因此创建和发展核心技术对学科的持续健康发展至关重要。

Ecology explores the fundamental principles and dynamics of macro living-systems and provides the scientific foundation of ecological civilization. China has separated the ecology as an independent subject from the biology subject to better promote its development. This transition calls for a broader conceptual framework for the subject of ecology. In this article, we define “ecology” as “the science that studies the structures, functions and dynamics of macro living-systems”, which provides a theoretical guidance and practical solutions for maintaining sustainable biosphere. Current ecology encompasses multiple living-system levels from molecules to the biosphere, with its core focus on five key levels: individual, population, community, ecosystem, and landscape. The sub-subject system of ecology comprises seven core disciplines: Plant Ecology, Animal Ecology, Microbial Ecology, Ecosystem Ecology, Landscape Ecology, Restoration Ecology, and Sustainable Ecology. Over nearly 160 years, ecology has generated seminal concepts and landmark theories that have profoundly influenced natural science advancement and human civilization. Current ecology is characterized with four distinctive features: (1) expansion of research scope to both macro- and micro-scales; (2) broad adoption of methodologies from other fields such as molecular biology or information science; (3) increased attention to field-based experiments and observational networks, with platforms now established at regional and global scales; and (4) enhanced emphasis on applied ecology to address ecological challenges of human society. Serving as both a natural philosophy for comprehending the living world and a praxeology for conserving and utilizing nature, ecology can be framed through five core perspectives: (1) hierarchical perspective (recognizing the multiple structural levels of living systems), (2) holistic perspective (approaching ecological phenomena from an integrative viewpoint), (3) systematic perspective (viewing the living world as interconnected networks), (4) evolutionary perspective (understanding life systems as dynamic and evolving), and (5) practical perspective (developing solutions for sustainable stewardship of nature). Methodologically, ecological research relies on four principal approaches: field investigations, laboratory and in-situ controlled experiments, model simulations, and meta-analyses. Although ecology and its branches possess robust theoretical frameworks, they lack their own technological systems. Consequently, the development of core ecological technologies is essential to promote continued vitality and progression of the ecology discipline.