We explain what an individual is in biology, some examples and its relationship with populations, communities and ecosystems.
What is individual in biology?
The individual It is an organism (unicellular or multicellular) capable of existing by itself in a given environment the word individual comes from undivided which means “that cannot be divided” and refers to the being that is capable of carrying out all its vital functions and that is independent of those of the same species.
The individual is examined by Biology, a science that covers a wide field of study and that analyzes the components that determine a being, its molecular structure, development and evolution and interrelation with other beings.
Examples of individual, population and community
The individual has characteristics that differentiate him from other beings. Some examples of individual: a tiger, a hyena, a hummingbird, a dolphin, a walnut tree and an ombu.
Individuals are grouped with beings of the same species in a certain space, which is called population. For example, a population of seals, one of humans, one of dogs, one of condors, one of walnut trees, one of ferns, etc.
The set of populations is called a community in which different groups of animals and plants coexist in the same territory. For example, in the same community a population of palm trees, a population of parrots and a population of pigeons, among hundreds of other populations, can coexist.
A ecosystem It is the group of communities that are interrelated in a geographical area with elements considered “lifeless”, such as rocks, water, air, etc. Examples of ecosystems are a forest, a river, a mountain range, the sea, etc.
Community in biology
a community It is made up of numerous different populations that need to interrelate for biological reasons. In the case of human beings, in addition, they need to relate for socio-economic and psychological reasons to what is organized in increasingly industrialized cities.
Human beings tend to isolate themselves from other animal and plant populations, and increase the number of individuals in their own population. This way of life impacts the lives of different animal and plant species, and generates alterations in the relationship between ecosystems around the world.
References
- «Individual» in Wikipedia
- «Individual» in Biology Online
- «Individual, population, community» on ABC.com.py
