Community
Definition
Community
A community is a collection of interacting populations of different species living in the same area and at the same time.
- A community is a group of different populations living together and interacting.
- These populations depend on one another for survival, forming a network of relationships that define the ecosystem.
- Think of a community as a “neighborhood”.
- Each species (population) represents a different household, but all depend on shared resources like food, shelter, and space.
Key Features of a Community
- Multispecies Composition: A community includes plants, animals, fungi, bacteria, and other microorganisms that coexist and depend on each other.
- Interactions Between Populations: Members of different species interact through biotic relationships, such as competition, predation, mutualism, parasitism, and commensalism.
- Dynamic Nature: Communities are not static; they change over time due to environmental variation, migration, natural succession, and disturbances like fires or human activity.
- Interdependence: Every population influences others through ecological processes.
A savannah ecosystem community might include populations of lions, zebras, wildebeest, giraffes, and acacia trees, all interacting through feeding and competition.
