. Biology; the story of living things. THE STM^E SKTTINd to their cnviroiuncnt is the luihitat. Kltoii' in his iiiteivstiiijr intro- duction to ecology cU^scribes the attack on a ceilain ccolofrical prob- lem in these words: "Suppose one is studying the factors limiting the distribution of animals living in an estuary. One would need to know amongst other things what the tides were (but not the theories as to how and why they occur in a par- ticular way); the chemical composition of the water and how to estimate the chloride content (but not tlie reasons why silver nitrate precipitates so
. Biology; the story of living things. THE STM^E SKTTINd to their cnviroiuncnt is the luihitat. Kltoii' in his iiiteivstiiijr intro- duction to ecology cU^scribes the attack on a ceilain ccolofrical prob- lem in these words: "Suppose one is studying the factors limiting the distribution of animals living in an estuary. One would need to know amongst other things what the tides were (but not the theories as to how and why they occur in a par- ticular way); the chemical composition of the water and how to estimate the chloride content (but not tlie reasons why silver nitrate precipitates sodium chloride); how the rainfall at different times of the year affected the muddiness of the water; something about the physiology of sulphur bacteria which prevent animals from living in certain parts of the estuary; the names of common plants growing in salt-marshes; sometliing about the periodicity of droughts (but not the reasons for their occurrence). One would also have to learn how to talk politely to a fisherman or to the man who catches prawns, how to stalk a bird witli field-glasses, and possibly how to drive a car or sail a boat. Knowing all these things, and a great deal more, the main part of one's work would still be the observation and coUeo tion of animals with a view to finding out their distribution and ; This gives us our approach. Our own interests, our reading, and the time involved must largely determine the extent to whicii we solve the ecological problems of our own environment. Plant and Animal Associations In making an ecological study of living communities we notice that one kind of plant or one kind of animal is never found li^-ing entirely alone. Plants, for example, are associated together by lack or abundance of water; those living under abundant water conditions being called hydrophytes; those associated in a condition of moderate. Water lilies, catta (•haracteristi( hulriislu's ;*. 1 From Elton, Charles. Animal Ecology
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