Final answer:
Cultural ecology is the study concerned with the relationship between cultural practices and the natural environment. The correct answer is C) Ecology. This field explores direct and complex interrelations between culture and environment.
Step-by-step explanation:
Cultural ecology is the study of the relationship between a culture group and the natural environment that it occupies. Therefore, the correct answer to the student's question is C) Ecology. Cultural ecology examines how various cultural practices influence and are affected by the environment—whether through direct means, like the connection between ice hockey and cold winters, or more complex interrelations like environmental determinism, cultural integration, and carrying capacity.