Ecotoxicology
Ecotoxicology (pronunciation: eko-toks-i-kol-uh-jee) is a scientific discipline that studies the effects of toxic chemicals on biological organisms, especially at the population, community, ecosystem, and biosphere levels.
Etymology
The term "Ecotoxicology" is derived from the Greek words oikos (house or dwelling place, but also shorthand for environment), toxikon (poison), and logia (study).
Definition
Ecotoxicology is a multidisciplinary field, which integrates toxicology and ecology. The ultimate goal of ecotoxicology is to reveal and predict the effects of pollution within the context of all other environmental stressors, based on the understanding of the mechanisms by which these effects take place.
Related Terms
- Toxicology: The study of the adverse effects of chemical substances on living organisms.
- Ecology: The scientific study of the interactions between organisms and their environment.
- Biosphere: The global sum of all ecosystems. It can also be termed the zone of life on Earth.
- Ecosystem: A community of living organisms in conjunction with the nonliving components of their environment, interacting as a system.
- Pollution: The introduction of contaminants into the natural environment that cause adverse change.
See Also
References
External links
- Medical encyclopedia article on Ecotoxicology
- Wikipedia's article - Ecotoxicology
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