The correct answer is B) Relation of an individual to its environment.
Autecology is a subfield of ecology that focuses on the study of the relationship between an individual organism (or a single species) and its environment. It is concerned with how a particular organism interacts with its physical and biological surroundings, and how these interactions affect its survival, reproduction, and behavior.
Autecology looks at:
• The habitat preferences of an organism (such as temperature, moisture, and light conditions).
• The tolerance limits of the organism to various environmental factors like temperature, humidity, and availability of resources.
• The organism's adaptations to environmental conditions.
• The impact of factors like predators, food availability, and competition on the organism.
Analysis of Other Options:
• A) Relation of a population to its environment: This describes synecology, not autecology. Synecology is the study of the relationship between groups of organisms (such as populations) and their environment.
• C) Relation of a community to its environment: This again refers to synecology, which focuses on ecological communities (groups of interacting species) rather than individual organisms.
• D) Relation of biome to its environment: This is more related to biome ecology, which deals with larger ecological units like forests, deserts, and grasslands and their interactions with the environment.
Autecology specifically refers to the study of the relationship between an individual organism and its environment, making B) Relation of an individual to its environment the correct answer.