Biological community: what is, structure and examples

He Biological community term It is used within biology and, more specifically, in the world of ecology, to define the set of living organisms living in a certain habitat. In a colloquial way we could affirm, thus, that the biological community includes the “catalog” of species that constitute a certain community of living individuals. However, the concept of biological community is very complex, since the ecological relationships that exist between these individuals in the community, as well as the climatic and physical-chemical characteristics of the environment in which they live. Therefore, there are other terms that are often used to refer to the same concept, such as The ecological community or biocenosis.

In this way, the ecological community includes, together with the “catalog” of species, the ecological relations that are established between them within said community, while the term biocenosis refers to the “catalog” of species that inhabit a given biotope, thus relating the existence of a concrete biological community in a certain biotope. We recommend knowing these other concepts with these other ecology articles about the ecological community: definition and characteristics and what is biocenosis: explanation with examples.

To better understand this complex ecological term, let’s see in the next sections some more concrete characteristics and examples of biological communities.

From a global perspective and holistic analysis of biological communities, it is possible to identify their functioning within the complex ecosystems, since the balance and evolution of every ecosystem will depend on the structure of the biological community that constitutes it. In this way, within the structure of the biological community, it is possible to differentiate the element from the species populationsas well as the total of individuals that compose it.

Both categories that constitute the structure of the biological community are related to each other and present common characteristics that allow the operation of the biological community Within the ecosystem. The Characteristics of the structure of a biological community are:

• Interspecific relationships and intra -specific relationships, both positive (symbiosis) and negative (dinerism).
• Energy and matter flows that mark the links of the trophic chains.
• According to the number of individuals (abundance) and the variety of populations species, the biological community will have a certain biological wealth or biodiversity.
• Individuals and populations maintain the ecological balance and evolution of the ecosystem, as well as the resilience and ability to adapt to environmental and variable changes within the biological community.
• According to the type of living organisms that compose it, there are different Types of biological communitiessuch as: phytocenosis (plant species), zoocelenosis (animal species), microbiocenosis (microorganisms).

Now that we already know what the characteristics and structure of the biological communities are, in the following list we offer Examples of biological communitiesconcrete examples of some of the most surprising and biodiverse of the planet, as well as the groups of living beings that constitute them:

• Intermareal Biological Communities: Macroalgas, cyanobacteria, microalgae, diatomas, nematodes, meiofauna (small animals that inhabit the grains of sands of the coasts).
• Coral reef: Bone and cartilaginous fish, reptiles and marine mammals, invertebrates, mollusks, anemones, algae, phyto and zooplankton.
• Mangroves: mangrove trees adapted to the permanent or seasonal presence of surface water; reptiles, arthropods, aquatic birds. Discover more about what is a mangrove and its characteristics.
• Boreal forests: Conifers and bushes adapted to low temperatures and the presence of snow; Small and large mammals with hibernation strategies, raptors.
• Tropical jungles: Perennifolian trees, ferns and vines adapted to wet climates; amphibians, reptiles, mammals, birds, insects, fungi and decomponent microorganisms. Know more about the flora and fauna of the tropical jungle in this other post.
• Bed sheets: Acacias and small bushes adapted to arid climates; Large carnivorous and herbivorous mammals, reptiles, scavenging birds, poisonous invertebrates. Better this type of biological communities and their biomes with these other articles on the Sabana ecosystem: characteristics, flora and fauna and the savanna of palm trees: characteristics, flora and fauna.

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