Geoecology is an approach to studying natural systems concerned with biological interactions as well as geomorphological processes - it treats the lithosphere, pedosphere, and biosphere as one entity; the biopedolithosphere. Geoecological investigations, such as the Ph.D work discussed on this web site, help to link the succession studies by ecologists that focus on biological interactions to information about weathering, soil forming, and hydrologic processes occuring within the landscape. Plant communities are not systems that operate separately from the earth as a whole, and similarly, surficial sediments, soils, and bedrock are not a system that operates apart from other aspects of the earth such as flora and fauna. The terms “geoecology” and “landscape ecology” were coined by Carl Troll to describe the field of study deriving from the linkage of physical geography and ecology (Safford, 2002).
Safford, H.D., 2002, GEOECOLOGY: HISTORICAL ROOTS AND CONTEMPORARY PRACTICE. GSA Abstracts with Programs.