Essentially, ecology is the study of “dwelling” or where we live. This includes biological, physical and chemical components as well as processes and the interactions between these components. This covers all levels of biological organization from individuals to biosphere and the principles underlying the interrelations of groups of organisms with their environments, including the population, community and ecosystem levels of organization. This is an exciting time to study ecology due to human-induced global climate change and an ongoing mass extinction of biodiversity. The labs normally include local field trips to sample and collect data.