Often we hear people say something like, "Pollution is destroying our ecology."  That makes "ecology" sound like the state of health of our natural surroundings.  Many biologist would insist that it is wrong to use the word "ecology" like that.
   Since the word "-ology," like biology,  geology,  zoology,  ect., it is clear that "ecology" is acually the study of something.-- Ecology is the study of how living things and their environment interact with one another.

   Everything in the natural world is connected.  An ecosystem is a community of living and non-living things that work together.  Ecosystems have no particular size.  An ecosystem can be as large as a desert or a lake or as small as a tree or a puddle.  Water temperature, plants,  animals,  air,  light and soil all work together.  If the plants die,  animals that depend on them will die.  Soil is a critical part of an ecosystem.  It provides important nutrients for the plants in an ecosystem.  It helps anchor the plants to keep them in place.  The atmosphere provides oxygen and carbon dioxide for the plants and animals in an ecosystem.  The atmosphere is also part of the water cycle.  Ecosystems have lots of different living organisms that interact with each other.  The living organisms in an ecosystem can be divided into three categories- producers,  consumers and decomposers.  They are all important parts of an ecosystem.

   An adaptation is some thing that animals have to help them survive in the wild by them selves. 
  Mountain lions are agile and have great jumping power.  It can leap from the ground to a height of up to 6 meters into a tree.  Cougars are outstanding climbers and also good swimmers, but commonly prefer not to enter water. Cougars have excellent vision,  hearing,  and olfaction(the sense of smell) and use these senses to detect and stalk their prey.  Long hind limbs in proportion to fore limbs are an adaptation for jumping and easier movement through steep canyons and ravines.  Cougars are secretive,  solitary hunters preferring to stalk their prey at close range.  The cougar will leap onto the animal's back,  using its strong jaws and long canine teeth to kill their prey with one bite to the nape of the neck.  Big,  padded paws help the cougar navigate through variable terrain and grapple their meal.  The kill is usually dragged to a sheltered spot and then partly consumed. After an initial feeding,  a cougar may cover the carcass with leaves or other debris to be saved for a later meal.