Ecotoxicology is the science devoted to the study of the adverse effects of chemicals on an ecosystem’s structure, functions, and biodiversity. It is the study of the effects of toxic chemicals on biological organisms, especially at the population, community, ecosystem, and biosphere levels. It is the science devoted to the study of the adverse effects of chemicals on ecosystems’ structure, functions, and biodiversity. It is the study of the harmful effects of toxic pollutants in ecosystems.
Ecotoxicology is an interdisciplinary field that draws from knowledge and techniques in the fields of ecology and toxicology to study the effects of toxic chemical or biological agents on biological organisms at the population, community, or ecosystem level.
Ecotoxicology is a multidisciplinary field, which integrates toxicology and ecology. It has always been connected to toxicology and is in part an extension of human/veterinary toxicology to the investigation of effects on wildlife. Ecotoxicologists may focus chiefly on scientific, technical, or practical aspects of the field. Scientific ecotoxicologists are currently integrating knowledge and causal explanations emerging from all levels of biological organization.
The ultimate goal of ecotoxicology is to reveal and predict the effects of pollution within the context of all other environmental factors. It is a young science focused on contaminants in the biosphere and their effects at all levels of the biological hierarchy. Based on this knowledge the most efficient and effective action to prevent or remediate any detrimental effect can be identified. It aims to elucidate mechanisms and processes whereby chemicals exert their effects on ecosystems and the impact caused at the population or community level.
Ecotoxicology is an interdisciplinary field that draws from knowledge and techniques in the fields of ecology and toxicology to study the effects of toxic chemical or biological agents on biological organisms at the population, community, or ecosystem level. Ecotoxicology differs from environmental toxicology in that it integrates the effects of stressors across all levels of biological organization from the molecular to whole communities and ecosystems, whereas environmental toxicology includes toxicity to humans and often focuses upon effects at the organism level and below. It is a relatively new science concerned with contaminants in the biosphere and their effects on constituents of the biosphere, including humans.
