Ecology as a Systemic Science

"The work discusses the two revolutions which took place in the study of the living world, both caused by a change of vision concerning the way this world is organized. The first revolution started when scientists became aware of the fact that organisms were not isolated, but lived in communities occupying a nonliving environment. The second revolution came with the recognition of the organization of life in systems of different sizes, integrated one in another, into a hierarchy which comprises them all. The place and the role of ecology in this hierarchy are specified; a definition of ecology, consistent with the systemic approach, is proposed."