Characteristics of a Community Ecology
The primary features of community ecology are species diversity, trophic organization, dominance, self-sufficiency, growth shape and structure, and relative abundance. A pond, a forest, and a desert are examples of natural communities. A community’s development, organisation, and behaviours are all distinct.
- Variability in Species: Every community consists of a variety of organisms, such as bacteria, plants, and animals. They differ from one another in terms of taxonomy. There may be a local or regional diversity of species.
- Growth Form and Organization: A community can be examined using primary growth forms, such as trees, shrubs, and herbs. Each growth form found in trees may contain a variety of plant species, including broadleaf trees, evergreen trees, etc. The structure of a community is influenced by these many growth types.
- Dominion: Within a community, species vary in importance. A community’s traits are determined by a chosen few species. A few numbers of species regulate and rule over the community.
- Self-Reliance: There are many different heterotrophic and autotrophic organisms in every group. Plants that are autotrophic can endure on their own.
- Relative Abundance: The idea of relative abundance states that many populations coexist in a community in relative amounts.
- Trophic Structure: The trophic organisation of each ecosystem regulates the flow of food and energy from plants to herbivores and then to carnivores.
Community Ecology Definition & Examples
Community ecology is the study of the functioning and organization of the communities which are assemblages of interacting populations of species living in a particular habitat. It represents the populations of all species living and interacting in an area at a particular time. Community ecology is the term suggested by Cornell professor Robert Whittaker in 1975.
Table of Content
- Definition of Community Ecology
- What is Community Ecology?
- Types of Community
- Community Structure
- Examples of Community Ecology
- Characteristics of a Community Ecology
- Importance of Community Ecology