THIS IS NOT A METAPHOR!
- Ecology: A branch of science concerned with the interrelationship of organisms and their environments, esp. as manifested by natural cycles and rhythms, community development and structure, interaction between different kinds of organisms, geographic distribution and population alterations.
Websters Third New International Dictionary
- The word ecology
comes from the Greek oikos, meaning household, home, or place to live.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 1999