We explain what an individual is in biology, some examples and their relationship with populations, communities and ecosystems.
An individual is a single specimen of a species.What is individual in biology?
The individual is an organism (unicellular or pluricellular) able to exist by itself in a environment determined. The word individual comes from undivided which means "that cannot be divided" and refers to the being that is capable of performing all its vital functions and that is independent of its own species.
The individual is examined by the 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
Image: ABC Color.The individual has characteristics that differentiate it from other beings. Some examples of individual: a tiger, a hyena, a hummingbird, a dolphin, a walnut and an ombú.
Individuals are grouped with beings of the same species in a given 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 community, in which different groups of animals and of vegetables in the same territory. For example, in the same community a population of palm trees, one of parrots and one of pigeons can coexist among hundreds of other populations.
A ecosystem It is the group of communities that interrelate in a geographic area with the elements considered "lifeless", such as rocks, Water, the air, etc. Examples of ecosystems are a Forest, a river, a mountain range, the sea, etc.
Community in biology
A community is made up of many different populations that need to interrelate for biological reasons. In the case of human being, in addition, it needs to be related for socio-economic and psychological reasons for what is organized in cities increasingly industrialized.
The human being tends to isolate himself from other animal and plant populations, and to increase the number of individuals in his own population. This mode of life impacts the life of different animal and plant species, and generates alterations in the relationship between ecosystems around the world.