Ecological competence is a term that has several different meanings that are dependent on the context it is used. The term "Ecological competence" can be used in a
microbial
A microorganism, or microbe,, ''mikros'', "small") and ''organism'' from the el, ὀργανισμός, ''organismós'', "organism"). It is usually written as a single word but is sometimes hyphenated (''micro-organism''), especially in olde ...
sense, and it can be used in a
sociological sense.
Microbiology
Ecological competence is the ability of an
organism, often a
pathogen, to survive and compete in new habitats. In the case of plant pathogens, it is also their ability to survive between growing seasons. For example,
peanut clump virus
''Peanut clump virus'' (PCV) is a plant pathogenic virus. It is assigned to the genus
Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy o ...
can survive in the spores of its fungal
vector until a new growing season begins and it can proceed to infect its primary host again. If a pathogen does not have ecological competence it is likely to become extinct.
Bacteria and other
pathogens can increase their ecological competence by creating a micro-
niche, or a highly specialized environment that only they can survive in. This in turn will increase
plasmid
A plasmid is a small, extrachromosomal DNA molecule within a cell that is physically separated from chromosomal DNA and can replicate independently. They are most commonly found as small circular, double-stranded DNA molecules in bacteria; how ...
stability.
[McLoughlin, A. J. (1994)]
Controlled release of immobilized cells as a strategy to regulate ecological competence of inocula
In ''Biotechnics/wastewater'' (pp. 1-45). Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. Increased plasmid stability leads to a higher ecological competence due to added spatial organization and regulated cell protection.
Sociology
Ecological competence in a sociological sense is based around the relationship that humans have formed with the environment. It is often important in certain careers that will have a drastic impact on the surrounding
ecosystem.
[Perfilova, O., & Alizade, Y. (2011)]
The role of ecological competence in manager's professional education
''Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences'', ''15'', 2293-2298. A specific example is engineers working around and planning mining operations, due to the possible negative effects it can have on the surrounding environment.
[Hryshchenko, S., & Morkun, V. (2015)]
Using gis-technology in role-play as an effective means of ecological competence formation among the future engineers
''Metallurgical and Mining Industry'', ''4'', 139-142. Ecological competence is especially important at the managerial level so that managers may understand society's risk to nature. These risks are learned through specific ecological knowledge so that the environment can be better protected in the future.
See also
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Cultural ecology
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Environmental education
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Sustainable development
Sustainable development is an organizing principle for meeting human development goals while also sustaining the ability of natural systems to provide the natural resources and ecosystem services on which the economy and society depend. The des ...
*
Ecological relationship
In ecology, a biological interaction is the effect that a pair of organisms living together in a community have on each other. They can be either of the same species (intraspecific interactions), or of different species ( interspecific interactio ...
References
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Ecology