Community vs. Ecosystem: What’s the Difference?
The main difference between community and ecosystem is that community focuses on the interactions among different species within a particular area whereas ecosystem encompasses all the living and nonliving components in a habitat.
Before we move to more differences, let’s first understand Community and Ecosystem:
- Community: A community is a group of populations of different species living and interacting in the same geographical area.
- Ecosystem: An ecosystem refers to a complex network of living organisms (plants, animals, microorganisms) and their physical environment, including the soil, water, and climate.
Now, let’s get to Community vs Ecosystem:
Major differences between Community and Ecosystem
| Community | Ecosystem |
|---|---|
| A community involves only the biotic (living) components. | An ecosystem encompasses both the biotic and abiotic (non-living) factors. |
| A community represents a higher level of organization within an ecosystem, as it is composed of populations of different species. | An ecosystem encompasses multiple communities. |
| In a community, interactions between species, such as competition, predation, and symbiosis, are emphasized. | An ecosystem considers the broader interactions between organisms and their environment. |
| A community can vary in size and can be relatively small, such as a pond community. | An ecosystem can encompass a larger geographical area, such as a forest ecosystem. |
| A community focuses on the species composition, diversity, and interactions within a particular habitat. | An ecosystem focuses on the flow of energy, nutrient cycling, and overall functioning of the system. |
So, these are the main differences between the entities.
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