Abstract In the original Greek “oikos” means, “house”. So ecology is “the study of the house” the place where you live, or the environment which technically includes all those factors, both nonliving and living, that affect an organism. Ecology then is the study of the interactions of organisms in their environment includes both the living (biotic) and physical (abiotic) factors of the environment. It is also the science, which formulates and test hypotheses about environment.
Keywords: ecology, environment, organisms, science, interaction, affects, temperate deciduous forest

Ecology is the relationship, identification and analysis of problems common to all areas. Ecology studies the relationships between organisms and their environments and its responses to environmental change (Ecology.com Aug. 2011). Ecology encompasses a wide range of considerations, such as the position of organisms in the food chain and the ability of organisms to survive and reproduce. There is a variety of environmental issues that impact ecosystems and the organisms that live within them.
Biomes are large, distinctive complex of plant communities created and maintained by climate, also known as ecoregions. A study published in 1999 concluded that there are 150 different "ecoregions" in North America alone (Biologypages.com August 2011). The temperate deciduous forest biome occupies most of the eastern part of the United States, including Ohio and a small strip of southern Ontario. The temperate deciduous forest is most notable because it has 4 seasons; winter, spring, summer and fall. Precipitation varies from 28 inches per year in the northwestern section of the biome to 60 inches per year in the southeastern part. In most areas the precipitation is distributed evenly throughout the year. Many well known animals live in this kind of forest; included, Eastern Gray Squirrel, bears, beavers foxes, deer, rats, snakes, mice, wolves, raccoons, and large birds of prey like Red-Tailed Hawk. Other birds include the Bald Eagle, Nightingale Cardinal, Hawk and the Snowy Owl. These animals have unique adaptations suited for seasonal life, For example, some rodents store fat, then, hibernate during cold winters. The plants are adapted to survive in these conditions as well. Trees like the palm, white spruce, and the elm have leaves that absorb water and sunlight and the soaring branches do more than just provide shade for other creatures of this biome; they also provide nutrients necessary for the tree to live. Another example of adaptation, these trees shed their leaves in the winter. By shedding their leaves, they cannot transpire. Consequently, they are able to retain water for the winter (Biology.com August 2011).
In North America, less than 1% of all temperate deciduous forests remain in undisturbed state, free of logging, grazing, deforestation or other intensive use. The largest direct impacts on temperate deciduous forests stem from conversion to other land uses. Pre-industrial forest extent is unknown, but conversion to other land-covers has been profound. In eastern North America, deforestation migrated westward with agricultural settlement from the 1600s to the mid 1800s. For instance, lands originally almost entirely forested, such as Vermont, were more than 80% deforested and converted to agriculture in the 19th century. However, many temperate zone economies have shifted from rural, agricultural to urban manufacturing and technologically driven economies. This has led to large-scale agricultural abandonment and the reversion of agricultural lands back to forests. Recent studies indicate an increase in forest area and volumes in both North America and Europe (Kauppi et al., 1992).
Elevated levels of nitrogen deposition and tropospheric ozone, global warming, are also common in temperate deciduous forests regions and known to have significant effects on forests. Atmospheric nitrogen inputs have increased significantly over the last 30 years. Ozone is present at elevated levels during the growing season in, North American, regions of temperate deciduous forests. These pollution levels are sufficient enough to cause reduced productivity at leaf, tree, and stand-scales (Reich, 1987). Temperate deciduous forests are heavily impacted by wind disturbance, including tornadoes and thunderstorm downbursts, and hurricanes and severe extra-tropical low-pressure systems for forests near the oceans. The frequency of such stand leveling winds is expected to increase under a warmer climate, so that fewer stands would reach old-growth stages of development. Warmer climates would also cause mixed effects due to greater drought stress and fire frequency in some regions, but fewer in other regions (Encyclopedia.com 2011).
Temperate deciduous forests are important to regional economies as a source of wood, they provide many regional ecological services, and they play a major role in the global carbon cycle. A variety of global change factors on the processes that combine to control composition and ecosystem function in these forests. In this century, temperate deciduous forests will continue to play an expanding role as demands for fiber, ecological services (such as water supply and stream water quality, carbon storage, and others), other ecological benefits (wildlife) and other human values (recreation) increase with burgeoning global populations. Given that temperate deciduous forests are located in regions that are highly developed and already highly disturbed by human use, their future extent, composition, health, and productivity may well signal whether human civilization at high population density is compatible with the sustainability of ecological and economic health and productivity in any ecosystem type or biome (Encyclopedi.com 2011).