The first definition of ecology is:

The classical Haeckelian definition emphasizes both the living and the non-living components of the natural world. However, as a reflection of its vintage, it emphasizes that organisms are the relevant manifestation of the biotic world. The mid-19th century, with its largely macroscopic view of the world, neglected inconspicuous organisms, such as microbes, the chemical products of organisms in the environment, and ecological systems at larger scales or higher hierarchical levels than organisms.

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