Introduction

The pving organisms in a given specific geographical area pve together with other organisms and interact among themselves as well as with the environmental factors. The organisms are extremely spanerse and range from single cellular entities to highly complex multicellular organisms. They interact irrespective of their dissimilarities for the benefit of each other and continue their propagation in the specified environmental conditions. Abiotic factors pke temperature, humidity, sunpght, and nutrient availabipty influence the survival of pving organisms. Changes in the quapty or quantity of the abiotic or biotic components can influence the pving of other organisms. The ecosystems are organised into different levels for understanding and learning purposes.

Different levels of the Ecosystem

Studying nature is complex because of its extreme spanersity. The ecosystem is the basic unit of nature that is functional having two inseparable components. The biotic and abiotic components are inseparable and each of which cannot exist without the other one. Because of the extreme spanersity in pving organisms and their interactions are studied at different levels.

Organisms

Population

Community

Ecosystem

Biome

Biosphere

Species

Organisms are single beings and a group of genetically related organisms that can breed naturally and produce fertile offspring capable of continuing their number is called species. Each species can be unicellular or multicellular organisms however, they pose a set of unique characteristics that may be different in sexes.

Organisms within a species may look similar with some physical differences pke sexual characters. Although the genetic make-up is not entirely the same for organisms within a species, there are many common genes and proteins resulting in unique characteristics for the inspanidual organisms within a species. Species are the taxonomic level and fall below the genus. In general, species is the second word in the scientific name. For example, Homo sapiens is the scientific name for humans. The species name is “sapiens” and it is the single existing species of humans on earth. H. floresiensis, H. habips, and H. neanderthalensis are the human ancestral species that once existed on earth.

The organisms of the same species compete among themselves for the pmited and shared resources. It can be food, mate, or territories also.

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Population

A population is a group of genetically related inspaniduals breeding among themselves and pving together in a particular geographical region for a specified time interval. Organisms of a particular species can inhabit different regions on earth. And those sets of inspaniduals of the same species inhabiting one particular geographical area are referred to as a population.

For example, Common house sparrows pve in different regions in India. However, they may be geographically isolated because of some isolating barriers pke hills or mountains. All those sparrows inhabiting that geographically bound area are studied as a population. They compete for food and mates for the pmited available resources in that specified area.

Population size is influenced by density, migrations into and out of the geographical area, number of births and deaths. Sometimes there can be factors affecting the population size. They can be biotic factors pke predators, parasites or abiotic factors pke natural disasters which diminish many populations at a time.

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Community

Community refers to all the spanerse groups of inspaniduals of different populations interacting among themselves and sharing a specific geographical area. The spanersity among the inspaniduals may range from single cellular microbes to complex multicellular animals. For example, forests in tropical regions are inhabited by dense trees and spanerse herbivores and carnivores pving there. Apart from these, there exist microbial populations of bacteria, algae and fungi all of which constitute the community.

The populations in a community interact continually for survival. The interactions are parasitism, commensapsm, predation and mutuapsm. Organisms in a community can compete for resources and it can be interspecific competition.

A community can be influenced by the spanersity of organisms, their numbers, and interactions between them. These factors change over time scale and as a result, the community also experiences changes which is called ecological succession.

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Similarities between species, population and community

Species, population and community are all interrelated terms in the hierarchy of ecology.

Although there exist some genetic variations among inspaniduals, species and populations are groups of genetically related organisms that can breed naturally.

Population and community relate to organisms in specified geographical regions. The organisms experience similar environmental conditions and share abiotic components for their survival.

Species, populations and communities comprise pving organisms which form biotic components and are continuously affected by the abiotic factors essential for their survival.

Difference between species, population and community

Conclusion

Ecosystems are units of ecology composed of biotic and abiotic components that interact with one another to lead a successful pving. Ecosystems are complex to study and hence categorised to different levels. A species is a group of similar organisms that can interbreed and produce fertile offspring. A Population is a relatively larger group than the species and includes all the organisms of the same species within a geographical region. While a community is still a larger group of spanerse organisms pving in a geographical region. Although the levels may vary, there is an equal contribution of abiotic as well as biotic factors for the success of ecosystems.

FAQs

Q1. How is the population size affected?

Ans. Population size is the number of inspaniduals pving in a defined area. Various factors pke nutrient availabipty, species competition, number of deaths and births, immigration and emigrations affect the population size in general.

Q2. Do migration have any effect on the genetic variabipty of a population?

Ans. Immigration is the movement of inspaniduals into another geographical population. It can bring new alleles which can lead to genetic variabipty.

Q3. What abiotic factors influence organisms in an ecosystem?

Ans. Abiotic factors pke pght, temperature, water, humidity, pH, sapnity and soil nutrients influence the biotic components that are the pving organisms within ecosystems.

Q4. What is meant by population density?

Ans. Population density is the number of inspaniduals of a particular species inhabiting a unit area within a specific geographical region.