Home | Biology | Difference Between Population And Community

Difference Between Population And Community

November 21, 2022
written by Adeel Abbas

The difference between population and community is that a population is a group of individuals of a particular species living in a particular ecosystem at a particular time whereas a community is a collection of populations living in a particular ecosystem at a particular time.

Population and community are two levels of classification in ecology. Although they both describe groups of individuals living in ecosystems, they each have different characteristics and functions.

What is Population?

Population refers to the number of individuals in a given area. In biology, population size is usually measured in terms of numbers or biomass.

The term population has two meanings in biology. First, it refers to the total number of organisms in a given area at a particular time. Secondly, it refers to the number of offspring produced by each organism.

Populations are often studied in relation to their growth rate, age structure, mortality rates, and reproductive rates. Population dynamics also include the processes involved in maintaining a stable population size.

What is Community?

A community is defined as a group of individuals who share common interests or goals. In biology, communities are groups of organisms living together. They are often found in nature, such as in forests, rivers, lakes, oceans, and even caves.

Community is important in biology because it helps us understand how ecosystems function. Communities provide food, shelter, and protection for other species.

Communities also play an important role in evolution. For example, they can create new species through natural selection. This means that communities can change over time, creating new adaptations.

image showing Difference-Between-Population-And-Community_

Difference Between Population and Community

Population refers to the number of individuals living within a certain area or region at a given time. Community refers to a group of people who live together. They both refer to the same individuals, but they are different in some aspects. Here are some key differences between Population and Community:

Population Community
A population is a group of inter-breeding individuals belonging to a particular species and living in a common geographic area.  All populations within an ecosystem are known as a community.  
It is composed of a single type of species.It is composed of all the species in an ecosystem.
The members of the same species interact with each in a population.The populations in a community are interconnected with one another. The individuals of these populations interact among themselves and with individuals of other species to form a community.
A population can be described in terms of the member, growth rate, and age distribution.The community can be described in the form of biomes.  
Species within a population can Interbreed freely.Species within a community cannot Interbreed.
Intraspecific competition occurs between individuals in a population.In a community, Interspecific competition occurs.
File Under: