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Ecological
Ecotropism demonstrates that humans have an Ecological niche in the overall Earth system and work along side the other parts of the system. Nature works as a teacher to help people find balance. Humans will be both tempted and discouraged by the forces of nature, which work to help people find their ecological niche and the role that they play. These forces work to turn people towards things that will help them and keep their society healthy.

Organisms that become too specialized to a particular niche may be more susceptible to disease. This, in turn, may be beneficial to organisms that differ from others, as it may be at lower risk than those who have a more specific niche. Specific niches may work to protect particular populations, for example if a particular disease was harmful to humans, most other people would be at the same level of risk. Specific variation between people may help maintain health and improve immunity towards particular viruses.

An organisms’ Ecological niche is determined by its ecological requirements. Such as Biogeography, Distribution (Species distribution), and Genetic variation.

According to Thomas P. Hodge in Hunting Nature, in general, ecotropism combines the four concepts of Zootropism, Phytotropism, Geotropism, and Caelotropism.

Virus
Ecotropism is the opposite of amphotropism which would indicate a large Host range.

Ecotropic viruses have a narrow range of potential hosts, this can often make them less dangerous to humans as the virus may only be capable of infecting other species. Ecotropic viruses will have a larger impact on r-selected species than on k-selected species (r/K selection theory) as they have less genetic variation between offspring. Ecotropic viruses are only capable of infecting organisms that fit particular ecological niches. As organisms evolve, they may develop traits that increase their risk of contracting certain viruses. This phenomenon was demonstrated in an experiment where ecotropic murine leukemia viruses (MuLV’s) were used in an attempt to infect mouse, rabbit, and mink cells. However, after performing the experiment only the mouse cells had become infected. The narrow host range of the ecotropic virus did not extend to the rabbit and the mink cells and they were not affected by the test. The ecotropic viruses were only capable of infecting one of the three animals which showed the importance of an organisms’ ecological niche, as the traits that it gains through evolution may protect it from danger.

Ecotropism also plays an important role in virus-mediated gene-therapy (Vectors in gene therapy) because it allows the development of viruses that can be used to target a particular kind of cell. If the host range of the chosen virus was too broad it may impact cells that were not originally targeted.

Architecture
When constructing new forms of architecture, developers may use an ecotropic approach to help minimize the environmental impact of a new structure. Ecotropism and architecture work together to promote socio-ecological sustainability, as well as Eco-efficiency. The use of sustainable building materials and renewable energy can help to greatly reduce the impacts of human development and work towards the goal of Sustainable architecture. Sustainable architecture works to develop a balance to be able to fulfill the desires of people while respecting the Earth by limiting the effects of new construction.