synecology

noun

syn·​ecol·​o·​gy ˌsi-ni-ˈkä-lə-jē 

ˌsi-ne-

: a branch of ecology that deals with the structure, development, and distribution of ecological communities

synecological

ˌsi-ˌnē-kə-ˈlä-ji-kəl 

ˌsi-ˌne-

adjective

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from German Synökologie, from syn- syn- + Ökologie ecology

Note: The term was introduced by Carl Schröter and Oskar von Kirchner in Die Vegetation des Bodensees, 2. Teil (Lindau i.B., 1902), p. 63. Compare autecology.

First Known Use

1910, in the meaning defined above