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The Difference of an Ecosystem & Community

The primary difference between the ecosystem and a community is the scope of detail being examined. An ecosystem includes all the living and nonliving factors and the interaction between these factors in a particular area. The living factors, termed biotic, consist of all the living organisms from the smallest microbes to the largest animals and plants within that location. The nonliving factors, termed abiotic, include the light, soil, temperature, water, available nutrients and any other nonliving aspect of that location. A community is a much narrower view within the ecosystem concerned with simply the living organisms and how they interact with each other in a given area.

Levels of Organization
- The ecology of an area may be viewed at multiple levels depending on how magnified or broad the dynamics wish to be examined. At the narrowest level is one individual organism. Expanding the view, an entire population of one species is examined. Broadening the view further is the community where the interactions between different population belonging to different species are studied. Above the community is the ecosystem where the interplay between the living organisms and their physical environment comes into view. Above the ecosystem are biomes, which includes multiple ecosystems within a similar environment such as a desert or tropical rain forest. Finally, the biosphere gives a macroscopic view of the entire Earth.
Population
- Although the line distinguishing between two species is sometimes blurred, within an ecosystem a population generally represents the genetic pool of one particular species. This includes all the organisms of a particular species within that area. For example, a population of lions on the African savanna would include multiple prides, as the male cubs from one pride may eventually become the breeding male for another pride. It is important to note that when studying an area at the population level, the influence of other organisms and the physical environment is disregarded.
Community
- The community begins to look at how the populations of different species interact with each other. Returning to the African savanna, the community would include not only the lions but also their prey, such as zebras. The community would also include competitors, such as hyenas, and the grasses on which the zebras feed. It is at the community level that food pyramids come into play; energy and nutrients are passed from primary producers through various levels of consumers.
Ecosystem
- The ecosystem expands on the interaction between populations at the community level to include nonliving parts of the physical environment. These abiotic factors combine to create the environment in which the community survives and changes in these abiotic factors can tremendously impact the species that live there. Of particular interest at the ecosystem level is how nutrients such as carbon and energy are cycled from the physical environment into the living organisms and back into the environment.

Nature