The study of ecology is about the connection of plants and animals to each other and their environment. You’ve probably heard the word ecosystem, which refers to all the living and nonliving things that interact in a given area.
Do you notice something in common between these two words? They both begin with eco-, which comes from the Greek word oikos. Oikos means home, so ecology is simply the study of our home! We typically categorize ecosystems into two main types: terrestrial (land-based) and aquatic (water-based). This week, we’ll learn about the ocean, my favorite aquatic ecosystem. I can’t wait to bring you along on a day in my life as a researcher.
In the Norwegian oceans, the type of ecosystem we will find depends on many abiotic (nonliving) factors such as sunlight, depth or the amount of salt. As you might imagine, most of the ocean’s biotic factors (living things) love to live in shallower parts of the seas, where sunlight can warm the water and help plants grow. These coastal ecosystems at the border between land and ocean are teeming with life that is well-adapted for cold water and little sunlight for most of the year.
